Sleep and Cease Crying by Elisabeth Sadler

Sleep and Cease Crying by Elisabeth Sadler — First Edition, 1943 A rare first edition of this remarkable wartime memoir, published in 1943 by Big Ben Books (Wells Gardner, Darton & Co., Ltd.) and printed by Love & Malcomson, Ltd. of London and Redhill. This original 1943 issue was produced under the Book Production War Economy Standard, a government-mandated scheme during the Second World War that required publishers to use thinner paper, smaller type, and minimal binding materials to conserve resources for the war effort. The book bears the official War Economy Standard mark on its copyright page.   Sleep and Cease Crying offers a fresh and deeply personal account of hospital life told from the perspective of a V.A.D. (Voluntary Aid Detachment) nurse — the volunteer nursing corps that provided essential medical care to wounded servicemen throughout both World Wars. The narrative blends comedy, tragedy, fact and reflection into what contemporary reviewers described as “impossible to summarise” and “equally impossible to lay down.” The back cover blurb praises the book as bearing “the stamp of truth and courage,” serving simultaneously as a slice of the author’s own life and “an eloquent testimony to the heroism of those who have been wounded and maimed in this war.”   This is a significant piece of women’s wartime writing and medical/military social history, offering rare firsthand insight into the experiences of volunteer nurses during the Second World War. The V.A.D. movement, established in 1909, saw thousands of women serve in hospitals at home and abroad, often under extremely challenging conditions. Memoirs such as this document their crucial but frequently overlooked contribution to the war effort.   Physical description: Original red card wraps with black and cream lettering. Features the iconic Big Ben clock tower silhouette design to the front cover and spine, with the “Big Ben Books” series branding. Cream title page with publisher’s device. 9d original price printed to front cover. Made and printed in Great Britain. Registered at Stationers’ Hall. War Economy Standard production. Condition: Front Cover: Features the distinct bright coral red background with the iconic black silhouette of Big Ben. There is a vintage owner’s signature in pencil (“Mary Gray”) at the top margin. Minor edge wear and slight toning consistent with 1940s newsprint-grade paper. Spine: Remarkably intact for a fragile wartime paperback, with clear text reading “SLEEP AND CEASE CRYING—ELISABETH SADLER”. Minimal chipping at the head and foot. Back Cover: Clean text block detailing the synopsis. Minor scuffing and a small dark tape or binding mark visible on the bottom right edge near the spine. Interior Pages: Title and copyright pages show natural age-toning/browning characteristic of the thin, low-cost paper stocks enforced by the War Economy Standards. The text block is firm and completely legible, without severe brittle cracking. Collector’s Note: Paperbacks printed under the British War Economy Standard are notoriously fragile, making well-preserved examples like this one particularly hard to find. This book is a stellar addition to any WWII home-front collection, military nursing library, or vintage paperback archive.   An important addition for collectors of Second World War literature, nursing history, women’s history, V.A.D. memorabilia, British social history, and wartime publishing. Extremely scarce in first edition, particularly in collectible condition. Keywords Elisabeth Sadler, Sleep and Cease Crying, 1943 first edition, Big Ben Books, VAD memoir, Voluntary Aid Detachment, WWII nursing memoir, women’s wartime writing, War Economy Standard, wartime paperback, British social history, military hospital history, 1940s nursing, rare book, collectible paperback, Wells Gardner Darton, Love and Malcomson, Stationers’ Hall, 9d paperback, women’s history WWII, medical history Second World War, home front nursing, wartime book production.