Taken at the Flood: The Story of Albert D Lasker

New York: Harper & Brothers , 1960. First edition. Cloth. Very Good Indeed. 8.5" by 6" . None. A smart first edition of this biography of Albert Lasker by John Gunther, an association copy inscribed by the author to Audrey Pleydell-Bouverie. The first edition of this work, a biography of Albert Lasker by John Gunther. Lasker was an American businessman, who played an important role in the shaping of modern advertising. John Gunter explores the life and work of the man. Inscribed by the author to the front free endpaper 'For dearest Audrey - Belatedly, but with much much love, * * kindly note p. 290, and I should have said much more,' dated 1960 and signed John. Audrey is mentioned in the book under the chapter 'New York, Fun, and Friends,' as "one of the most romantically fascinating beauties of this or any day, who was (and is) a close friend of Queen Elizabeth - now the Queen Mother." From the library at Julian Park, Hertfordshire, belonging to Audrey Pleydell-Bouverie. Audrey was the youngest daughter of an Anglo-American lumber and steel millionaire, sister to Edward James, a key figure in the Surrealist movement, and the illegitimate granddaughter of King Edward VII. She was an English socialite known for her beauty and for charming various wealthy men, she was included in The Book of Beauty by Cecil Beaton. A patron of the arts, she assisted Viscount Carlow financially in the publication of limited editions of numerous works by leading literary figures such as T E Lawrence, James Joyce, Wyndham Lewis, and others. A hedonistic pursuer, she was recognised as one of the 'Bright Young Things'.  In the original publisher's full cloth binding. Externally very smart with only minor shelf wear and a minor bumping to the head and tail of the spine and extremities., some fading to the spine and light minor soiling. Inscribed by the author to the front free endpaper 'For dearest Audrey - Belatedly, but with much much love, * * kindly note p. 290, and I should have said much more,' dated 1960 and signed John. Internally, firmly bound. With only a faint minor spotting to the odd leaf, otherwise the pages are bright and clean throughout. Very Good Indeed