One Pair of Feet
Historical Fiction British Literature War Fiction Military Nursing Fiction Women's Fiction Nurse Memoir Fiction Comedy of Manners Mid-Century Fiction
Monica Dickens’ 1958 novel One Pair of Feet is the book that turned the wartime “nurse memoir” into a wry, page-turning classic. Written by the great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens, this semi-autobiographical story follows an idealistic young VAD who rushes to serve in a WWII military hospital, only to discover exhausted orderlies, tyrannical matrons, and patients whose wounds are as much emotional as physical. Dickens’ razor-sharp humor and unflinching eye for human foibles make the wards feel instantly alive; reviewers still compare the book’s comic timing to the best of Evelyn Waugh and its emotional wallop to the diaries of Vera Brittain.
Collectors prize this first-issue Michael Joseph hardcover for its evocative dust-jacket art and the scarcity of clean 1950s impressions. Because the text was lightly revised for later paperback reprints, the 1958 edition preserves Dickens’ original wording and chapter breaks—details scholars and book lovers track the way stamp enthusiasts chase watermarks. The novel also stands as a milestone in women’s literature: a candid female voice describing front-line medicine at a moment when nursing was one of the few professions open to adventurous women.
This vintage copy carries the gentle patina of a book that has been read and cherished: a neat previous-owner name on the front pastedown, light foxing to the top edge, and a sturdy, un-cracked binding that still opens with a satisfying snap. The chipped jacket is intact enough to display the period graphics, while the inscribed fly-leaf adds a personal touch without diminishing readability. For anyone building a WWII home-front collection, seeking an engrossing nurse story, or hunting a mid-century British first edition that won’t break the bank, this copy of One Pair of Feet offers both literary merit and shelf presence.
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