Groom, Arthur & Rosoman, Leonard (Illus.) ~ The Ghost of Gordon Gregory

FIRST UK PRINTING. Peter Lunn, London : 1946

The First UK printing published by Peter Lunn, London in 1946. 8vo., black cloth lettered vertically in gilt to spine; in the pictorial wrapper (8s 6d net) printed in grey and red and featuring a design by Leonard Rosoman; frontis, title vignette and a numerous other full-page illustrations throughout; printed on a variety of different wartime paper stocks; THE BOOK a lovely copy, ever-so-slightly bruised at spine tips and corners of boards, endpapers faintly offset with an ownership inscription in blue biro to the front free endpaper; The WRAPPER is in Very Good++ or better condition, lightly shelf worn and rubbed at folds and edges; slightly nicked at spine tips and ends; one 3cm closed tear at head of spine, and another nick, discretely repaired internally with tape. The wrapper is protected in a removable Brodart archival cover. A wonderful adventure story about three schoolboys - Tom, Dick and Harry - who magically conjure a friendly ghost, Gordon, in their chemistry laboratory. The author was best known at the time for his series of children's school novels, as well as his contributions to many boy's and girl's annuals in the 1940s and 50s. Many of the records registering his many hundreds of publications were lost during the bombings of the Second World War. The story is wonderfully offset with illustrations by Leonard Rosoman, who was famous for his paintings of fire fighters during the blitz, and who also contributed illustrations for such children's writers as J.B.S. Haldane. Scarce in this condition.

BINDING: Hardcover
CONDITION: Near Fine
JACKET: Very Good++