Book Description

First edition, without dedication. Covers lightly age-toned, corners bumped and bruised; backstrip browned and cracked at rear joint, neat 2½ cm. repair at head of spine. Unrepaired closed tears at p.17 (8 cm. just touching image); p. 27 (8 cm. at gutter, not affecting image); and p. 29 (4 cm. near gutter, not affecting image). These faults notwithstanding, contents clean and tight; hinges perfect.
Dealer Notes
Peake's second illustrated book. Some of the illustrations were hand coloured using stencils, "the result was assuredly Mervyn's most charming book" (cf. 'Vast Alchemies: The Life and Work of Mervyn Peake' by G. Peter Winnington).


Reportedly some of the illustrations were hand coloured using stencils, but we are not able to confirm this.
Author Anon [Mervyn Peake]
Date 1940
Binding Publisher's original colour pictorial boards
Publisher London: Chatto and Windus
Illustrator Mervyn Peake
Condition Very good
Pages 29 p.

Price: £185.00

Offered by Wilfrid de Freitas

Friends of the PBFA

For £10 get free entry to our fairs, updates from the PBFA and more.

Please email info@pbfa.org for more information

Join PBFA

Membership of the PBFA is open to anyone who has been trading in antiquarian and second-hand books for a minimum of two years subject to certain criteria.

Email info@pbfa.org to find out more, or complete the enquiry form.

complete the form