With Introduction by G.K. Chesterton
"The Golden Arrow is Mary Webb's first novel, originally published in 1916, and an early expression of the lyrical rural style for which she became celebrated. Set amid the farms, hills and secluded valleys of her native Shropshire, the story centres upon Deborah Arden, a sensitive young woman whose emotional life becomes entangled with those of two markedly different men. Through love, jealousy, misunderstanding and sacrifice, Webb explores the conflict between romantic longing and the harsher realities of human nature.
The novel is distinguished by Webb's deeply poetic treatment of the English countryside, which serves not merely as a setting but as a powerful presence within the narrative. The changing seasons, remote landscapes and rhythms of country life closely reflect the passions and sorrows of the characters. Its mixture of romance, tragedy and rustic mysticism anticipates the qualities later developed in Webb's better-known works, including Gone to Earth and Precious Bane.
This attractive 1930 Jonathan Cape reprint forms part of the collected edition first issued in 1928 and includes an introduction by the eminent English author and critic G. K. Chesterton. Bound in green cloth with Mary Webb's facsimile signature in gilt to the front board and decorative gilt ornamentation and lettering along the spine, it presents one of Webb's formative novels in a handsome period edition published shortly after her death and the revival of interest in her writing."
