WAGGON FOR FIVE.

UK,slim 12mo HB,minus dw/dj,1st reprint edn.[Originally and first published by this publisher in 1944.This first reprint,1947.Uncommon reprint - and also as a 1st edn - either with or without a dw/dj,for a book of its age,and given it's period of production,i.e. 1940-1947 - with wartime paper-rationing, and the poor quality of cheap paper stock generally used and survival rates of air-raids on domestic and commercial properties i.e publishers+printers.At the time,any dw/dj would have been of substandard quality and prone to subsequent disintegration and usually discarded.With war-time paper rationing and conservation of that and other materials, pulping was actively encouraged,so publishers with restricted and limited quantities for publishing,opted towards highly acidic and therefore cheaper paper, allowing for more books to be produced. Books made with this cheaper material tend to degrade faster, exhibiting several faults,blemishes, foxing/spotting etc.,and subsequently are uncommon and harder to find in a particularly fine condition.] VG.Neat,handwritten,small,inked name to top,right-hand corner of half-title.Slightly and mildly discoloured with minor blemishes to sharp-cornered,publisher's original orange cloth boards/covers,with a black ink printed silhouetted horse- drawn Romany waggon vignette to front,very lightly darkened and minimally bumped with reciprocally creased,spine/backstrip with black ink printed lettering,rear board/ cover without decoration and mild mottling to extremities,but without any effect internally to concomitant areas.Negligible shelf-wear,bumping,creasing to edges and corners - no nicks,tears,splits or fraying present,bright,clean b/w scenic illustrated endpapers to white background and both hinges solid and sound with no tears,splits or cracking.A bookseller's red+white narrow paper strip label to lower edge of front pastedown.Top edges lightly toned,dust-soiled,fore-edges lightly toned with very minimal foxing spots; contents bright, tight,clean - text body virtually foxing-free - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners - appears unread, apart from my own collation.UK,slim 12mo HB,minus dw/dj,1st reprint edn,6-233pp [paginated ]includes contents list/table with b/w vignette to foot of same,12 chapters,6 full-page b/w silhouette illustrations and a couple of chapter tail-pieces by Joan Kiddell-Monroe interspersed throughout the text and the book,plus [unpaginated] half-title page,and a b/w vignetted title page - repeated from front cover illustration. Pseudonymously writes as David Severn for his children's fiction books.See my book IDs' rja901520-rja901820 inclusive for various UK,1st edn or other examples. David Severn [b. 3/12/1918 - d. 11/2/2010] is a pseudonym for David Storr Unwin,British son of Sir Stanley Unwin the publisher.So as not to trade on the Unwin name he used the name Severn (his uncle Severn Storr went with Sir Stanley on a world tour (Unwin and Storr,1934).All in all,Severn wote thirty children's books,most for John Lane,The Bodley Head,and mainly school holiday adventures on a farm,or camping or travelling.Although written during WW2,the war isn't mentioned in the stories until after the war ends.The stories offered countryside peace at a time of war and danger,providing positive learning from adventures,including Romanies and a hermit artist,at a time of bombs, bullets,hunger and rationing in a countryside littered with the paraphenalia of war-time defence; tank traps,barbed wire and pill boxes.His first series [1942-6] featured 'Crusoe' Robinson who was befriended by youngsters in holiday adventures,many featuring a Romany group and included a Romany funeral pyre.The Warner family series followed [1947-52] featuring pheasants,ponies and country life. This title is his 3rd children's novel,the first of five of the 'Crusoe' stories.The group join up with Cooper's circus run by a relative of Patch.They experience circus life and foil a plot to steal the takings of the circus by the strong man.He is apprehended in a frantic lorry chase.Another family is introduced in this book, the Crosbies,who live on a houseboat and whose father is an artist.These also feature in the 4th book,'Hermit in the Hills' (1945) - see my book IDs' rja901720 and rja901820 for examples - an adventure that in real time follows immediately on from the circus.Mr Crosbie is a nationally famous artist who makes a living selling his paintings,living precariously in bohemian style with his three children in a houseboat.The Crosbies hijack the 'Waggoners' for a cricket match and later met up with them at the circus.Motherless and looked after by elder sister Jean,they had a large old-fashioned tourer,an old and unreliable car.Leonard Crosbie was nationally famous in his own field,living by creative artistic endeavour,empowering his children to grow up to be free and independent. 'Hermit in the Hills' is an inspired exploration of the philosophy of art.Both series complimented with artwork from Joan Kiddell-Monroe. Joan Kiddell-Monroe (1908-72) born Clacton-on-Sea.Studied at Willesden and Chelsea Schools of Art.Worked initially in an advertising studio and then turned freelance.In 1936,she married Webster Murray,illustrator for 'The Tatler' and 'The Sketch' and portrait painter.From 1944,she concentrated on book illustration.She travelled in Africa during the 1950's,and eventually settled in Mallorca.Joan Kiddell-Monroe was one of the outstanding professional illustrators of her generation,and her drawings combined a fluent,well-modulated line with a rhythmic and elegant decorative sense.She had a keen eye for detail,and this contributed to her ability to adapt her style in sympathy with the varied sources and subjects of her texts.Her versatility is clearly shown in the 'Oxford Myths and Legends' series - folk tales collected from many parts of the world.She was particularly fond of drawing animals,and often included them in her designs.She worked mainly in black and white,sometimes with one added colour,and sometimes with the full colour range. 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