BUCKINGHAM PALACE - OFFICIAL GUIDEBOOK.

UK,slim,Qrto wraps,illustrated Official Guidebook,1st edn. NMINT.No owner inscrptn,and an absence of published price.Bright,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered,wrap-around glossy laminated,gold coloured background card covers with grey/silver wrap-around illustrated Royal coat-of-arms to front - top,front corner with triangular portion of the Union Flag to its tip - capitalised,white-lettered part-title and capitalised,black lettered remainder of title; spine/ backstrip with capitalised black-lettered part-title,rear panel with thumbnail colour photograph of the White Drawing Room and black-lettered synopsis. The front innerflap of the card cover opens to extend a colour illustrated aerial plan of the Palace,whilst the inside of rear cover lists the Picture credits. Negligible shelf-wear to edges and corners - no nicks,tears or splits present - and virtually scoring/indent-free.Top+fore-edges clean; contents bright,tight,solid and sound - pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corner tips - appears unread,other than my own collation.UK,slim,Qrto wraps, illustrated Official Guidebook,1st edn,4-80pp [paginated] includes Buckingham Palace: an Illustrated Timeline,a Historical Introduction,The State Rooms, (20 + Plan of same),The Garden and The Queen's Gallery,profuse (over 110 illustrations) colour photographs,b/w floor+room plans throughout; plus [unpaginated] colour photographic front of Palace illustrated title page and a Contents list/ table. Visually the exterior appearance is exceptional and particularly internally,is also in an exceptional condition/ state of preservation and presentation,for a book of its 20 year-old age and nature, i.e. an ephemeral softback/wraps Guidebook.It really is an exceptional copy for its cleanliness,brightness and lack of detracting faults. Buckingham Palace is probably the most famous palace in the world.As one of the official residences of Her Majesty the Queen it is known from countless photographs and broadcasts,and the Summer Opening of the state rooms and garden at the palace attract thousands of visitors a year. Begun as a private residence in the mid-17thC,it was acquired by George III in 1701 and extensively remodelled by George IV,who decided it should become a royal palace in 1826.Many of its magnificent interiors date from his reign.Further extensive changes took place under Queen Victoria and King Edward VII,and King George V created the grand facade so familiar todayAs one of the greatest collectors of his time,George IV was also responsible for acquiring many of the exceptional paintings and works of art now in the Royal Collection,and some of the finest examples of furniture,porcelain,paintings and sculpture from the collection can be seen in the state rooms and in the adjacent Queen's Gallery newly opened in 2002. This new,fully illustrated guide includes the architectural history of the palace,a tour through its state rooms with detailed room plans,and an introduction to the garden and The Queen's Gallery. Please contact seller,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas customers - 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 US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **