DU MAURIER, Daphne; [Michael FOREMAN, Illus.] ~ Classics of the Macabre. Signed by the illustrator.

FIRST THUS. Victor Gollancz Ltd, London: 1987.

Large 4to., grey boards, spine lettered in red; decorated black and red endpapers showing images of birds; together in the unclipped decorative dustwrapper (£10.95 net); proliferated throughout with full and in-text illustrations in full colour, all by Foreman; THE BOOK a little bumped at spine ends, with some rubbing to the lower edges of boards and light spotting to the upper edge of the text block, else near-fine; THE WRAPPER a little creased by otherwise fine. The wrapper is protected in a removable Brodart archival cover. First edition thus, featuring these illustrations by prize-winning artist Michael Foreman, and this copy signed by him to the title page. The stories had originally appeared in 'The Apple Tree', 'The Birds', 'The Blue Lenses', 'The Alibi', 'Don't Look Now' and 'Not After Midnight'. Published to celebrate du Maurier's 80th birthday, the author writes in her introduction to this edition that "I have never seen a ghost or dabbled in spiritualism or the occult" but that "I have always been fascinated by the unexplained, the darker side of life...the element of the macabre which runs through many of my books has, I think, grown stronger over the years...". These dark tales are wonderfully paired by the sombre, colourful watercolours by Foreman, who won the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1982 and 1989 for his contributions to Children's Book Illustration.

BINDING: Hardcover
CONDITION: Near Fine
JACKET: Fine