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Henry Gibbs (1909-1975)

Henry St. John Clair Rumbold-Gibbs was born on June 28, 1909; he died April 26, 1975. During World War II, in 1941, he was invalided out of the Army; thereafter he devoted himself to writing.

Publishing as Henry Gibbs, as well as under the pseudonym Simon Harvester, Gibbs became a prolific British author of novels, geo-political travel books and other works. Many of his novels were based upon his personal travels. Today Gibbs is nearly forgotten; there is very little information about him online, and many of his books are rare. This article represents the most comprehensive online treatment of the author and provides the most complete list of his publications (January 2016).

The first book with which Gibbs assisted was probably J.R. Smeaton-Stuart's Safari for Gold (Jarrolds, London, 1942), a travel adventure book about gold mining with Roger Courtney at Lolgorien, Rift Valley Province, Kenya, during the 1920s. Though Gibbs lists it among his book titles, copies available through ABE books do not list him as an author.

Gibbs' early novels included: At a Farthing's Rate (Jarrolds, London, 1943), From all Blindness (Jarrolds, London, 1944), Not to the Swift (Jarrolds, London, 1944), and Blue Days and Fair (Jarrolds, London, 1945).

Even as a new author, his books were in considerable demand. First published in hardcover in 1945, Blue Days and Fair was reprinted in softcover. In July 2011, a copy from the 32th thousand print run was available for purchase through ABE books. Likewise, Not to the Swift appeared first in hardcover and subsequently ran to at least 34,000 copies.

Pre-1946 book titles have been confirmed against the author list at the front of his first historical-biographical work: Affectionately Yours, Fanny: Fanny Kemble and the [London?] Theatre (Jarrolds, London). That book, about the nineteenth-century British actress and abolitionist, saw eight editions published between 1945 and 1947. Gibbs dedicated the book to ballerina Lydia Sokolova (born Hilda Munnings) and inscribed a copy to Lydia's half-sister Beatrice Gaulton Bishop (1891-1974) on July 1, 1947, referring to her as the "best aunt we'll ever know ... with my love and thanks for earlier years" [title page of copy in private collection]. Beatrice and Lydia's mother Catherine Emma Such was married first to James Davis Gaulton (1861-1895) then to Frederick Tansley Munnings (1875-possibly 1953). Whether a blood relationship existed between Gibbs and Beatrice has not been established.

With Cyril Campion, Gibbs (as Simon Harvester) published Man About Town (Rich & Cowan, London, 1948), which comprised a series of romantic episodes based on two radio serials.

In 1951 Gibbs won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, an American literary prize awarded for important contributions to "our understanding of racism and our appreciation of the rich diversity of human culture"; it was awarded for Twilight in South Africa.

Books by Henry Gibbs

The following list of titles written by Henry Gibbs and published between 1946 and 1963 has been compiled from online and other bibliographic sources. Most were published by Jarrold Publishers (London) Ltd.:

• Know Then Thyself (Jarrolds, London, 1946), quoted from a bookseller on ABE books: "What frame of heart and mind can keep a man and woman happy after marriage?"

• Children's Overture: A Study of Juvenile Delinquency in London Slums (Jarrolds, London, 1947), a novel about a council school errand boy in the slums of London slipping into crime.

• Withered Garland (Jarrolds, London, 1948).

• Pawns in Ice (Jarrolds, London, 1948), an allegorical fantasy.

• Ten-Thirty, Sharp (Jarrolds, London, 1949), a novel.

• Theatre Tapestry: A Colorful Panorama of the British Theatre, AD 45 to AD 1950 (Jarrolds, London, 1949).

• Twilight in South Africa (Jarrolds, London, 1950; Philosophical Library, New York, 1950).

• Taps, Colonel Roberts (Jarrolds, London, 1951), a novel following the career of a British military officer through several wars, particularly Buller's campaign in Natal.

• Disputed Barricade (Jarrolds, London, 1952).

• The Six-Mile Face (Jarrolds, London, 1952), a dramatic and realistic story of the people who make films in British film studios. One bookseller writes: "The author has been both a film critic and actor, experience which he has used to the full for this notable story."

• Cream and Cider (Jarrolds, London, 1952).

• Crescent in Shadow (Jarrolds, London, 1952), an account of his middle east journey to Egypt, Persia and Turkey in 1951.

• Italy on Borrowed Time (Jarrolds, London, 1953), a novel that focuses on the author's travels in post-war Italy and his political observations while there.

• Cape of Shadows (Jarrolds, London, 1954), a novel set in and about Cape Town in South Africa.

• Background to Bitterness: The Story of South Africa, 1652-1954 ((Muller, London, 1954; Philosophical Library, New York, 1955).

• Africa on a Tightrope (Jarrolds, London, 1954), a book about events in Central Africa and about Africa-British relations.

• The Splendour and the Dust (Jarrolds, London, 1955), a novel about the Zulu War as the first volume in a quartet of self-contained novels about the development of Southern Africa.

• The Masks of Spain (Muller, London, 1955)

• The Winds of Time (Jarrolds, London, 1956), presumably the second novel in the quartet?

• Thunder at Dawn (Jarrolds, London, 1957), a novel about the colonial history of Southern Africa, the third in the series.

• The Tumult and the Shouting (Jarrolds, London, 1958), a novel about the Boer War, the final volume in the quartet.

• The Bamboo Prison (Jarrolds, London, 1961), a novel set in China.

• The Hills of India (Jarrolds, London, 1961), an account of the author's recent travels to little-visited corners of countries between India and the Russo-China block.

• The Crimson Gate (Walker, New York, 1961).

• The Mortal Fire (Jarrolds, London, 1963), the author's fourth novel set in China and Tibet, describing a revolution in a Himalayan country and the people involved.

Books published under the Pseudonym Simon Harvester

This list of book titles, publishers and publication years is consolidated from several online bibliographies and other sources. A name following the publication information indicates the main character (spy) and assists in grouping novels that formed part of a series. From 1961, many of Harvester's novels were also published by Walker (New York) in the same or following year.

• Let Them Prey (Rich & Cowan, London, 1942) - Roger Fleming

• Epitaph For Lemmings (Rich & Cowan, London, 1943) - Roger Fleming

• Maybe A Trumpet (Rich & Cowan, London, 1945) - Roger Fleming

• A Lantern For Diogenes (Rich & Cowan, London, 1946)

• Whatsoever Things Are True (Rich & Cowan, London, 1947)

• The Sequins Lost Their Lustre (Rich & Cowan, London, 1948)

• A Breastplate For Aaron (Rich & Cowan, London, 1949) - Roger Fleming

• Good Men And True (Rich & Cowan, London, 1949)

• Sheep May Safely Graze: A Mark Blunden Story (Rich & Cowan, London, 1950) - Roger Fleming

• Obols For Charon: A Mark Blunden Story (Jarrolds, London, 1951) - Roger Fleming

• The Vessel May Carry Explosives (Jarrolds, London, 1951) - Roger Fleming

• Witch Hunt (Jarrolds, London, 1951)

• Cat's Cradle (Jarrolds, London, 1952)

• Traitors' Gate (Jarrolds, London, 1952)

• Arrival In Suspicion (Jarrolds, London, 1953)

• Lucifer At Sunset (Jarrolds, London, 1953)

• Spider's Web (Jarrolds, London, 1953)

• Delay In Danger (Jarrolds, London, 1954)

• The Bamboo Screen (Jarrolds, London, 1955) - Malcolm Kenton

• Tiger In The North (Jarrolds, London, 1955)

• Dragon Road (Jarrolds, London, 1956) - Dorian Silk

• The Paradise Men (Jarrolds, London, 1956) - Malcolm Kenton

• The Copper Butterfly (Jarrolds, London, 1957) - Malcolm Kenton

• The Golden Fear (Jarrolds, London, 1957) - Malcolm Kenton

• The Yesterday Walkers (Jarrolds, London, 1958)

• An Hour Before Zero (Jarrolds, London, 1959)

• The Chinese Hammer (Jarrolds, London, 1960) - Heron Mermur

• Unsung Road (Jarrolds, London, 1960) - Dorian Silk

• Moonstone Jungle (Jarrolds, London, 1961)

• Silk Road (Jarrolds, London, 1962) - Dorian Silk

• Troika (Jarrolds, London, 1962) (US Title: The Flying Horse) - Dorian Silk

• Red Road (Jarrolds, London, 1963) - Dorian Silk

• Flight in Darkness (Jarrolds, London, 1964)

• Assassins Road (Jarrolds, London, 1965) - Dorian Silk

• Shadows in a Hidden Land (Jarrolds, London, 1966)

• Treacherous Road (Jarrolds, London, 1966) - Dorian Silk

• Battle Road (Jarrolds, London, 1967) - Dorian Silk

• Zion Road (Jarrolds, London, 1968) - Dorian Silk

• Nameless Road (Jarrolds, London, 1969) - Dorian Silk

• Moscow Road (Jarrolds, London, 1970) - Dorian Silk

• Sahara Road (Jarrolds, London, 1972) - Dorian Silk

• A Corner of the Playground (Jarrolds, London, 1973)

• Forgotten Road (Hutchinson, London, 1974) - Dorian Silk

• Siberian Road (Hutchinson, London, 1976) - Dorian Silk

References

• Gibbs, Henry (1945–1947). Affectionately Yours, Fanny: Fanny Kemble and the Theatre. Jarrolds Publishers (London) Ltd.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)

External links

• British Crime Writers: Henry Gibbs
• New General Catalog of Old Books and Authors: A Companion to On-line & Off-line Literature (2011 July): Henry Gibbs