"Nevil Shute, literally, made a flying visit to Australia in the late 1940s to provide himself with details for his book' A Town Like Alice'. He liked the country so much that he decided to settle there.

Before doing so, however, he returned to England to tidy up his affairs and to finish' Round the Bend'. He completed this in 1950 and then left for Australia settling near Melbourne in 1951 and producing 'the Far Country' in 1952.

Apart from designing covers for the above two titles Val produced another three. 'In the Wet'( 1953), 'Requiem for a Wren' ( 1955 ), 'Beyond the Black Stump' ( 1956 ). all published by William Heineman Ltd.

Interestingly Nevil Shute wrote, from Australia, to the publishers to ' Thank them for a jacket artist who so obviously knew the Australian background at first hand'. Val had never been Australia but obviously had the sensitivity to tune carefully into the atmosphere of a book and bring the word-picture into visual imagery."

 

 

 

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