Rainbow in Tahiti

London: Hammond, Hammond & Co. Ltd.. Very Good in Fair dj. 1951. First Edition. Hardcover. [only lightly shelfworn, but with a former owner's address labels on front and rear endpapers plus a vintage bookseller's label (Vroman's, Pasadena) on the front pastedown, and with extensive pencil notes from that enthusiastic former owner/reader on the last page of the text and the rear endpaper (one note reads: "And some day I will go there"); the jacket is a bit tattered, with the bottom 2.5 inches of the spine missing, a long split at the bottom front flapfold, shorter but still significant splits at both ends of the rear flapfold, a small closed puncture wound in the front panel, and various other nicks and bits of paper loss -- but for all that it's still colorful and attractive, and is now protected from further wear and tear by a new mylar cover]. The author tells the story of how her family decided to settle in Tahiti -- a decision based only on reading a book about the place! -- where "with determination, and a sense of humour, they overcame all obstacles, and with tireless effort turned a ten-acre tract of jungle into spacious lawns and gardens, built a beautiful home, and proceeded to entertain most of the well-known globe trotters of the day, for the Guilds specialized in hospitality." .