Anna and the King of Siam

New York: The John Day Company Book. Illus. by Margaret Ayer. Very Good. Hardcover. 1st Edition. 1944 copyright date, no publishing date.However, there is a statement that "it's bulk is less because government regulations prohibit use of heavier paper." Also there is a signature and date of 1944. So it appears that this book was printed in 1944. Brown boards in VG condition, with a gilt title and artistic symbol of Siam on the spine. Tight, clean copy. DJ is taped to the inside covers of the book in parts. The back of the DJ is present and contains B&W photos of Margaret Landon ad Anna Leonowens, explaining how they met in Margaret Landon's first person narrative..."a friend loaned me The Englilsh Governess at the Siamese Court, Mrs. Leonowens' first book, publised in 1870, with the remark," Here's a book you ought to read. The Siamese Government did everythig in their power to keep it from being published." I was already curious about Siam's rapid trasition from ancient feudalism to modern statehood. In this book I discovered one of the key figures." The 2 inner flalps to the DJ are present. The front cover of the DJ is not. The book grew out of years of research i old Siamese records, private diaries, letters and the actual writings of Anna Leonowens herself...it reads like fiction but is amazingly true. The author lived in Siam. The illustrator lived there too. Contains a 4 page author's note at the end. .