Twenty Tales

London: Jonathan Cape, 1951 (September 3). "Evensford Edition."

One of many compilations by Bates's first publisher subsequent to his departure to Michael Joseph in 1944, this collection draws heavily from Bates's work from 1936 to 1940, a period of inconsistent quality, and then includes as its last selections four tales from 1928-1929 (including two of Bates finest tales, the novella Alexander and Lanko's White Mare).

British Book News notes Bates's 'particular sensitivity in recording the feelings and emotions of the helpless, the frustrated, the inarticulate and the young. His descriptions of the physical scene leave vivid pictures in the mind; he uses words with a skill that underlines the poignancy and the effect of each situation.'

Reviews:

• The Spectator (October 19, 1951, p. 518, Tangye Lean, attached)
• British Book News (December, 1951, p. 796, attached)

Contains: Perhaps We Shall Meet Again...; The Flying Goat; The Late Public Figure; Shot Actress—Full Story; Purchase's Living Wonders; The Case of Miss Lomas; Cloudburst; The Captain; Italian Haircut; The Kimono; The Landlady; Breeze Anstey; Old; A Scandalous Woman; Quartette; The Goat and the Stars; Alexander; Lanko's White Mare; A Tinker's Donkey; The Barber.