In Search of England [Penguin No. 1431]

Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books in Association with Methuen, 1960. First Printing. First Paperbound Edition of the title that launched Morton's In Search of . . . series. Foolscap 8vo (179 x 107mm): 252pp. Publisher's card covers printed in blue and black. Tightly bound and clean throughout, very faint edge-wear, lightly toned, neat gift inscription to verso of half-title, but a beautifully preserved example. Originally published by Methuen in hardcover, with eight color plates and a map, in 1927, recalling ways of life then disappearing at the dawn of a new century, whether through descriptions of ruined gothic arches at Glastonbury or hilarious encounters with the town folk of Norfolk. In Search of England became a bestseller, and was the first of many In Search of . . . series books to follow. Founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and his brothers, Richard and John, as an imprint of the The Bodley Head, Penguin revolutionized publishing with its inexpensive paperbacks, originally sold for sixpence from the crypt of Holy Trinity Church Marylebone, bringing high-quality fiction and nonfiction to the mass market. Eschewing the illustrated gaudiness of other paperbacks, Penguin opted originally for the simple appearance of three horizontal bands (the design was created by a 21-year-old office junior, Edward Young, who also drew the first version of the Penguin logo): central white panel, with author and title printed in Gill Sans, and upper and lower panels color-coded according to the series to which the title belonged (orange and white for general fiction, green and white for crime fiction, cerise and white for travel and adventure, dark blue and white for biographies, yellow and white for miscellaneous, red and white for drama, purple and white for essays and belles lettres, and grey and white for world affairs). N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition, carefully preserved in archival, removable mylar sleeves. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed. (Fine Editions Ltd is a member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, and we subscribe to its codes of ethics.).