Green and Pleasant Land
Melbourne ; London ; Toronto: William Heinemann, 1955 [1956]. First Edition. Hardcover : pp. [iv] 283 [1 blank] : INSCRIBED by author at title page, ''For Mother, With all my love, dear. from Dudley'' : purple cloth boards : argent to spine : unclipped illustrated dust jacket.
Foxing to top edge of block; head and tail gently pushed; chipping to head and tail of jacket spine; small mark to fore-edge of block; loosely inserted typed and signed note from the publisher to Barker. Very good / good. Item #3270
A loosely inserted typed note from the publishing house reads, '' Dear Dudley, Here is the very first copy from the Press, and I hope that you like it. We had better meet pretty soon and discuss any special things to do about getting a press. Yours in great haste, Arnold.''
Dudley Raymond Barker (1910-1980) was a British journalist, editor and author of fiction, nonfiction, and literary essays. He was born in London and educated at Oxford and served in the RAF during WWII. He married Muriel Griffiths in 1935 and worked as a journalist and literary agent before becoming a full-time freelance writer in 1965. As well as writing under his own name he penned a series of crime fiction novels under the nom de plume Lionel Black and also a few as Anthony Matthews. The "Arnold" that signed the typed note was most like Captain Arnold Gyde, Heinemann's publicity expert. (William Heinemann : a century of publishing, 1890-1990 by Heinemann (Firm) p. 211)
Green and Pleasant Land went through three editions in 1956. Heinemann's has priority and is scarcest. And with the note this particular copy is established as, "the very first copy off the Press"
Price: $250.00