BOWEN, Elizabeth; Quentin BLAKE [Illus.] ~ The Good Tiger.

FIRST UK PRINTING. Jonathan Cape, London: 1970.

Large 8vo., large pale grey-green boards, spine lettered in gilt with publisher's device to foot; together in the unclipped pictorial dustwrapper (16s net to front flap) featuring a wraparound design of a tiger by Quentin Blake; numerous illustrations throughout in black and orange; THE BOOK a very good copy, boards slightly warped with some light bumps and browning to spine tips; else internally clean and bright; THE WRAPPER also very good with some light shelfwear and creasing; backstrip sunned; with a couple of short closed tears, discretely repaired internally with tape. The wrapper is protected in a removable Brodart archival cover. First UK edition, and first with the Blake illustrations. The charming story of a docile tiger, who lives in a zoo and whose only desire is to eat cake. In a similar vein to 'The Tiger Who Came To Tea', the plot follows a boy and girl who invite the tiger to a party at their house - and subsequently lose him in a forest. Bowen was a prolific writer who was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1965. The Good Tiger was her only foray into Children's fiction, and was first published in 1965 with illustrations by M. Nebel. The story is greatly enhanced by Blake's enigmatic illustrations which show, among other scenes, Mrs Jones 'hopping' and 'quacking' on the dining room table, and the tiger eating cake in the wood with his two friends. A lovely copy.

BINDING: Hardcover
CONDITION: Very Good
JACKET: Very Good