To Kill a Mockingbird. by LEE, Harper - 1960

Philadelphia & New York: J. B. Lippincott & Company,, 1960. Octavo. Original printed wrappers, pencil manuscript titles and mockingbird illustration added to spine. Housed in a burgundy quarter morocco solander box by the Chelsea Bindery. Split to front wrapper, with discreet repair, covers otherwise a little worn and stained, internally clean, very good condition. Rare advance reading copy, reader's issue. The front wrapper advertises to the recipient: "We hope you will share our pleasure and sense of discover in this fine first novel about, and from, the South. To be published July 11, 1960. Truman Capote has written: 'Someone rare has written this very fine first novel, a writer with the liveliest sense of life, and the warmest, most authentic humor. A touching book, and so funny, so likeable.' To Kill a Mockingbird is the choice of the Literary Guild for August, and will appear in the Summer Issue of Reader's Digest Condensed Books." There were two prepublication issues: one set in Courier typeface, announced the publication date on the front cover the publication as "in July", and the cover text is directed at booksellers; the second issue, of which this is one, had a sheet overlaying the front cover in a more polished typesetting, specified the publication date as 11 July, and the text on the front cover was aimed at readers.