R. C. Sherriff

A stunning speculative novel about a small English village preparing of the end of the world. Edgar Hopkins is a retired math teacher with a strong sense of self-importance, whose greatest pride is winning poultry-breeding contests. When not meticulously caring for his Bantam, Edgar is an active member of the British Lunar Society. Thanks to that affiliation, Edgar becomes one of the first people to learn that the moon is on a collision course with the earth. Members of the society are sworn to secrecy, but eventually the moon begins to loom so large in the sky that the truth can no longer be denied. During these final days, Edgar writes what he calls "The Hopkins Manuscript"--a testimony juxtaposing the ordinary and extraordinary as the villagers dig trenches and play cricket before the end of days. First published in 1939, as the world was teetering on the brink of global war, R.C. Sherriff's classic science fiction novel is a timely and powerful missive from the past that captures human nature in all its complexity.

This charming, timeless classic about a family of five setting out on their annual seaside vacation is "the most uplifting, life-affirming novel I can think of...the beautiful dignity to be found in everyday living has rarely been captured more delicately" (Kazuo Ishiguro). Meet the Stevens family, as they prepare to embark on their yearly holiday to the coast of England. Mr. and Mrs. Stevens first made the trip to Bognor Regis on their honeymoon, and the tradition has continued ever since. They stay in the same guest house and follow the same carefully honed schedule--now accompanied by their three children, twenty-year-old Mary, seventeen-year-old Dick, and little brother Ernie. Arriving in Bognor they head to Seaview, the guesthouse where they stay every year. It's a bit shabbier than it once was--the landlord has died and his wife is struggling as the number of guests dwindles every year. But the family finds bliss in booking a slightly bigger cabana, with a balcony, and in their rediscovery of the familiar places they visit every year. Mr. Stevens goes on his annual walk across the downs, reflecting on his life, his worries and disappointments, and returns refreshed. Mrs. Stevens treasures an hour spent sitting alone with her medicinal glass of port. Mary has her first small taste of romance. And Dick pulls himself out of the malaise he's sunk into since graduation, resolving to work towards a new career. The Stevenses savor every moment of their holiday, aware that things may not be the same next year. Delightfully nostalgic and soothing, The Fortnight in September is an extraordinary novel about ordinary people enjoying life's simple pleasures.

The funny and moving story of the apocalypse - as seen from one small village in England'I loved this book, by turns funny and tragic ... It moves between abject despair and good old-fashioned British stoicism with ease. Magical' Jeff Noon, Spectator, Books of the Year 2018Retired teacher Edgar Hopkins lives for the thrill of winning poultry prizes. But his narrow world is shattered when he learns that the moon is about to come crashing into the earth, with apocalyptic consequences. The manuscript he leaves behind will be a testament - to his growing humanity and to how one English village tried to survive the end of the world... Written in 1939 as the world was teetering on the brink of global war, R. C. Sherriff's tragicomic novel is a masterly work of science fiction, and a powerful warning from the past.'Spectacular, skilled and moving. It is supremely and alarmingly relevant' Fay Weldon'Intensely readable and touching' Sunday Telegraph

Gripping mystery drama. An ordinary decent citizen is caught in a waking nightmare. A West-End hit in 1950.2 women, 5 men

“There have been strange rumours about this house. Although it was in a state of ruin, lights were seen in the windows every Christmas Eve: music was heard: voices and laughter...”The first production in sixty years of R. C. Sherriff's supernatural drama.Christmas Eve, 1951. As Britain rebuilds itself after the war, John Greenwood has it all – a successful business, a beautiful house and an aristocratic wife. But as he bids farewell to the guests leaving his annual Christmas party, a gust of wind slams the front door shut, starting a chain of events that makes him doubt everything he has ever known...From the writer of one of the 20th century's most acclaimed plays, Journey’s End, The White Carnation is a ghostly tale of one man’s chance to do things differently.

From the writer of Journey's End, now a major motion picture starring Paul Bettany, Sam Claflin and Asa Butterfield.Lord Swayne owned a well-protected castle on a particularly strategic stretch of the English coast. A powerful Earl with estates nearby coveted the castle and its surrounding land. Under the guise of protecting King John from treachery, he declared his intention of ‘smashing the castle to the ground, hanging the garrison amidst its ruins and wiping the pestilent Swaynes off the face of the earth’. Lord Swayne had some advantages however, one of which was that he held the Earl’s son, Gregory, captive. This is a fascinating account of a medieval siege. It is also the story of the growing friendship between two boys, Lord Swayne’s son Roger, and his prisoner, Gregory. ‘The techniques and tragedies of medieval siege can seldom have been described in such a clear-cut, practical way; this exciting one-thing-after-another tale should be spread very widely among history-lovers and also those who have scant interest in the past.’ Sunday Times

From the writer of Journey's End, now a major motion picture starring Paul Bettany, Sam Claflin and Asa Butterfield.Roger Matthews is the Vicar of picturesque village, Little Stanton. He happily tends to his friendly flock and is almost ready to retire but his spirit is restless . . . Roger is pulled towards the slums of London, determined to help the poor and depraved, and arrives in fog-drenched Woodbank. But the people are as unfriendly as the weather, greeting him with slammed doors and suspicious eyes. After months of being ignored, a chance drunken encounter and an abandoned Boat House finally offer hope.