I LEFT MY GRANDFATHER'S HOUSE.

UK,slim,small 8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn thus.FINE/FINE.No owner inscrptn and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright,crisp,clean,glossy laminated,gold coloured background with a 4-colour block (brown,b/w and grey) pictorial illustration by Denton Welch,illustrated front panel of dw/dj with black lettering; with negligible shelf-wear or creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present.Minimal and partial creasing to front top edge of dw/dj and to front also a minor.superficial indent/abrasion - but without any penetration to board beneath.Top+fore-edges though aged/toned are still clean; contents bright,tight,clean with slight page edge ageing,solid and sound - otherwise near pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners,appears unread - apart from my own collation.Bright,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered,publisher's original plain black cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked gilt letters to spine/ backstrip,and immaculate plain white endpapers.UK,slim,small 8vo HB+ dw/dj,1st edn,7-156pp [paginated] includes an introduction by Michael De-La-Noy,the short novel; plus [unpaginated] half-title+title pages,an introduction separator page,a title separator page,and 4pp blanks at the rear of the book.
This beautiful short novel describes a Sussex walking tour undertaken by Denton Welch at 18 years of age,before the tragic motor accident which was to leave him a partial invalid and which led to his early death when he was 33.Previously published only in a limited,privately printed edition,it is now available in a regular edition for the first time.
The dw/dj illustration is a painting by Denton Welch entitled by him 'A Lion and a Pilgrim.',executed in 1944 while he was living at Pitt's Folly Cottage,Hallow in Kent,and is reproduced by courtesy of Michael De-La-Noy. In the course of the last eight years of his life he wrote three novels; 'Maiden Voyage.','In Youth is Pleasure.' and 'A Voice Through a Cloud.',hundreds of poems, enough short stories to comprise two collections: 'Brave and Cruel.' and 'A Last Sheaf.', and between 1942 and 1948,a very remarkable journal.
'The Journals of Denton Welch.' - edited by Michael De-La-Noy and published by Allison & Busby,1984.In 1958,ten years after his death,a section of those journals was separately published in two limited editions under the title 'I Left My Grandfather's House.', one,of 200 copies,being published by the Lion & Unicorn Press at the Royal College of Art,with a cover illustration by Denton himself,the other,of only 150 copies,by James Campbell,an antiquarian bookseller,who had acquired the copyrights in Denton Welch's estate.These two simultaneous first editions have become valuable collector's items.This edition here,is the first to appear for twenty-six years. Please contact rpaxtonden@blueyonder.co.uk ,because of the weight/value of this item for correct,insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! ** N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always.