Cranford : The Scarce First Issue

The First UK printing of the first illustrated edition of Cranford, published by George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd in 1940. The BOOK is in Very Good++ condition. Light pushing at the spine tips with some light rubbing to the lower cover edges. A slight lean is present. The titling remains bright to the spine. Some toning to the text-block but the pink top-stain to the upper text-block remains bright. Free from inscriptions and erasures. Light toning to the page edges due to the (war time) quality of the paper stock used. The scarce wrapper is price-clipped and is in Very Good condition. Moderate edge-wear with loss at the spine ends and the lower front corner. A small area of loss to the front spine fold. Some nicks, creasing and rubbing in places. There is some tape reinforcement to the verso at the upper edges, spine ends and the folds. Some light toning and age related markings in places but the wrapper still presents very well in the removable Brodart archival cover. Illustrated with twenty-four B/W wood engravings by Joan Hassall throughout : title-page wood-engraving, four full-page wood-engravings, eight smaller wood-engravings and eleven chapter-tail wood-engravings. All illustrations are present. Joan Hassall also provided the artwork for the wrapper and the decorated end-papers. Most copies of this, the very first impression of the Joan Hassall illustrated first edition were sadly destroyed during the London Blitz in World War Two. A rare survivor and the first we have handled. More images available on request. Ashton Rare Books welcomes direct contact.