The Card is a short comedic novel written by Arnold Bennett in 1911, . It was later made into a 1952 movie starring Alec Guinness and Petula Clark. It chronicles the rise of Edward Henry Machin from washerwoman's son to Mayor of Bursley . This is accomplished through luck, initiative and a fair bit of chutzpah . Denry Machin returned, as the slightly more mature "Edward Henry", in Bennett's sequel The Regent . The novel begins when "Edward Henry Machin first saw the smoke on the 27th May 1867" -- the very day of Bennett's own birth. At age 12, Denry begins his career by altering his marks... in a test sufficiently to earn him a scholarship to grammar school. At 16, he leaves school to work for Mr. Duncalf, the town clerk and a solicitor. Duncalf is responsible for organizing an exclusive ball; Denry "invites" himself, then also a few others in exchange for things he will need, such as lessons from dance instructor Ruth Earp.
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| Author: | Arnold Bennett |
| Genre: | Comedy, Fiction |
| Year published: | 1911 |
| Number of editions: | 20 |