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Peake, Mervyn
Letters from a Lost Uncle (from polar regions).
Publisher: Eyre and Spottiswoode, London;
Date of Publication: 1948
Stock Code: 12778
First edition. Duodecimo, pp. [2], [130]. Illustrated sketchbook/scrapbook styled layout with reproductions of graphite pencil drawings, with typewritten text scraps. Bound in pale yellow pictorial cloth, with red titles and illustration to upper board, and and red titles to spine. With the unclipped publisher’s pictorial dust-jacket, designed to look like an envelope. Protected in an archival mylar sleeve. Cloth bright and clean save small mark to bottom of upper board. Light offsetting to front paste-down else contents impeccably clean and tight. Unclipped dust-jacket lightly soiled, small chips to spine-tips and corners and a closed tear to bottom of upper panel. A near fine book in a very good dust-jacket. Surreal illustrated children’s book from the imagination of Gormenghast author, Melvyn Peake. Every page is fully illustrated with Peake’s distinctive pencil drawings, his reproduced pencil notes, with typed pieces of text added to create the feel of a sketchbook. Although well received by readers, the book was withdrawn from sale shortly after publication due to Peake’s concerns about the quality of the war-time paper his drawings were printed on. £125.00