8vo. Original natural linen lettered in dark green on upper cover and spine, top edge stained green (small stain on top fore-edge of textblock); dust jacket (a few tiny chips to edges). Publisher's mailer laid in.

FIRST ENGLISH EDITION of one of the most important war novels of the 20th century. Originally serialized in the German newspaper Vossische Zeitung, the novel describes the enormous physical and mental stresses of the First World War and its aftermath. This book, and its sequel The Road Back (1930), were among the books banned and burned in Nazi Germany for being "anti-German." Ironically, the book was likewise scrutinized in Britain, where it appeared in censored form with passages excised or softened to avoid offending contemporary sensibilities. Passages considered too graphic in their depiction of battlefield gore were removed, as were lines deemed coarse in language or tone. The publisher also suppressed political references that might be read as critical of the military establishment. By contrast, an unexpurgated edition appeared that same year in America (see following lot).

[With:] REMARQUE. The Road Back. London: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1931. 8vo. Original natural linen lettered in dark green; dust jacket (few tiny spots of restoration near edges and a small spot to spine panel). FIRST ENGLISH EDITION.