Title: Mr. Gandhi: the Man
Publisher: London. George Allen & Unwin
Publication Date: 1931
Binding: Soft cover
Book Condition: Very Good
Edition: 1st Edition
First edition. 2 preliminary leaves, [9]-186 pages with 4 pages publisher's adverts at end, portrait frontispiece of Gandhi wearing an English Vegetarian Society badge. Owner's printed name and address on front free endpaper (C.H.Poppleton). Some minimal contemporary underlining in pencil. 12.5 x 18.5 cm. Original softcover book bound in printed cream wrappers (some light rubbing & tanning to the covers & particularly to the spine, otherwise the book is in good condition, sound hinges and minimal external wear). Amongst a few Europeans who admired Gandhi and helped him in his struggle against racialism in South Africa, the Polaks played a significant role. Henry Leon Solomon Polak, an English-born Jew, shared most of Gandhi's ideas and was his close political aide and fellow-seeker. Millie Polak, his wife, was a companion and one of the earliest western female associates of Gandhi. The Polaks shared Gandhi's joint family home for two years from 1904 to 1906. In 1906 when Gandhi moved to the Phoenix Ashram for an experiment in community living, the Polaks also shifted along with Gandhi. Millie expressed her opinion on almost all subjects on which she spoke to Gandhi. At the time of the passive resistance movement when Gandhi and other leaders were arrested, Millie played an important role in organizing women together under the banner of Transvaal Indian Women's Association. In 1914 when Gandhi decided to leave for India for his larger mission, he wanted the Polaks to stay back in South Africa to ensure that the agreement with the South African Government was implemented. The Polaks had already decided to return to England, but when the matter was referred to Millie Polak, she displayed supreme spirit of sacrifice by agreeing to the request of Gandhi. The Polaks returned to England only in 1916 via India where Millie stayed for some time before embarking on her journey back to England. In England, the Polaks continued to take interest in Indian affairs not only in South Africa but also in India and overseas. In 1931 Millie wrote this book & provided valuable insights into Gandhi's personality and her own independent character. Provenance: C.H.Poppleton, Methodist minister on the London Church Extension and Mission Committee. WorldCat locates just 4 copies in the UK (2 in the British Library). Scarce in commerce, no other copy found for sale. Seller Inventory # 5166