The Owl & the Pussy-Cat & Other Nonsense. [Illus by Owen Wood.]

UK,slim Qrto HB,no dw/dj - as issued(?),1st edn thus. [The Leisure Circle (LTC) was a publishing company that retailed it books through book clubs.The company was dissolved 19th July,2011.The title was originally and first published by Andre Deutsch,1976 (UK),and that's the true 1st edn,the US 1st edition was published by VIKING,NEW YORK,1979. The listed title has no ISBN and is undated but assumed circa 1978, and is therefore,a 1st edn thus and also,an out-of-print title by this publisher.] VG++. No owner inscrptn, no printed publisher price - its books were sold through a book club outlet.Bright,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered, wrap-around white background with colour pictorial artwork by Owen Wood,illustrated glazed,glossy laminated paper-covered boards with calligraphic brown-lettered author name,a calligraphic black-lettered title within a pale grey panel of the illustration and an artistic brown,beige+black lettered illustrator name,also within a lower panel of same illustration; spine/backstrip with black-lettered title+author and publisher's capitalised,b/w lettered+illustrated colophon to foot of same,rear panel with repeated similar coloured+lettering as front,but to another entirely different coloured illustration.Negligible shelf-wear, bumping,creasing to edges and corners - no nicks,tears or splits present - head of spine/backstrip's gutter's crease/ fold minisculely bumped with reciprocal creases,a tiny dent to front's top edge towards head of spine.Repeated colour pictorial artwork illustrated endpapers with faint residual evidence of child's hand-pencilled artistic(?) embellishment's erasure to 3 corners of front free endpaper+pastedown,some partial paper loss patch to a blank name plate on pastedown,along with a sellotape repair to a feathered tear at front lower corner of said free endpaper,and similar faint erasure evidence to 3 corners of the rear free endpaper+ pastedown and blank name plate too. Top+fore-edges bright and clean without foxing/ spotting; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound - virtually pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corner tips - appears unread other than my own collation.UK,slim Qrto HB,no dw/dj - as issued(?),1st edn thus,40pp [unpaginated and excluding free endpapers] includes a colour ilustrated title page with a dedication to its reverse,a colour illustrated poem's title separator page,9 double-page colour illustrations and accompanying verses,a double page colour illustrated subtitle page for the following 8 limericks,each also with a double-page colour illustration; There was an Old Man,who when little, There was an Old Man of the Hague, There was a Young Lady of Ryde, There was an Old Man od Dunluce, There was an Old Man of Blackheath, There was a Young Lady of Welling,There was an Old Man in a tree, and There was a Young Lady whose bonnet - the reverse of its last page with a colour illustrated The End page - all artwork/ illustrations by Owen Wood. Visually the exterior appearance is exceptional,and even internally,the book's text body is also in an exceptional condition/state of preservation and presentation for a book of its 40+-year-old age and nature, i.e. a child's book. It is only the the interior faults described that prevents a slightly higher overall grading.Despite them, it really is still an exceptional example for its cleanliness and brightness. Owen Wood,British b. 1929 - d.2003. He studied at Camberwell Art School under such figures as John Minton who taught there 1943-47,and also Leonard Rosoman who was on the staff there 1946-48,and their influences can be seen in his works. Using a precise and hyper-realistic technique and dense imagery,he creates highly atmospheric and fantastical work.As an illustrator,he created many beloved designs,amongst them,for Hugh Johnsons 'Wine,1966' and 'The Owl and the Pussy-Cat and other Nonsense' by Edward Lear, 1978,which was a major success internationally.He illustrated another Edward Lear book,'The Jumblies.' Please contact seller,because of the lighter weight of this item, for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note,that 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 any inexpensive 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 AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **