Tom Stoppard's only novel ~ Very scarce signed

Stoppard, Tom ~ Lord Malquist & Mr Moon : Signed By The Author

Anthony Blond, London : 1966

The First UK printing published by Anthony Blond, London in 1966. 8vo., brick-red publisher's boards, lettered in gilt to spine with publisher's device to foot; together in the instantly recognisable illustrated wrapper, featuring a wraparound image by Colin Spencer (unclipped, priced '25/- net' to front flap); The BOOK is in near Fine condition ; square, tight and clean, with just some very minor marking and spots to the outer edges of the text block; The WRAPPER in Very Good ++ or better condition, with an uncommon unfaded spine, lightly dust soiled and darkened along the upper and lower edges; with very light spotting to the flaps and a couple of very small losses/nicks to the spine ends. One small nick to the lower edge of the front panel. The wrapper is protected in a removable Brodart archival cover. This copy has been signed by the author (without dedication) in black ink to the title page. The first and only novel by the award-winning playwright Tom Stoppard was written relatively early on in his career, though following the success of such plays as 'A Walk on the Water' (later re-titled 'Enter a Free Man'), and 'If You're Glad I'll Be Frank' (1966). Published in the same year as 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead', (which remains one of his most famous plays and which catapulted him to fame after the National Theatre production at the Old Vic), 'Lord Malquist & Mr Moon' follows a host of characters living in modern London, which include Malquist, a "dandy figure whose self-imposed role it is to live out in the 1960's the last flourish of a redundant aristocracy", his Boswellian biographer Moon, cowboys with loaded six-guns, a lion who has been banned from the Ritz "ever since that awful business about the pageboy..." and a donkey-borne Irishman claiming to be the Risen Christ. The plot is written from the perspective of Moon, a failing writer who seeks employment by Lord Malquist, who in turn desperately wants something to be named after him, and his alcoholic wife Jane. A black comedy, Stoppard engages themes which would later proliferate much of his writing; class, misunderstanding, sexual entanglements, and surreal slapstick humor. His writing is also a social comment on the modern world; the Lord, offended but non-plussed by its existence, runs over a series of pedestrians in his horse-drawn carriage; while Moon finds society hateful, and seeks to rectify it by means of a literal ticking time bomb. Though Stoppard initially hoped that he would be remembered for his novels, sales remained low, and he soon abandoned this pursuit in favour of playwriting, later referring to its publication as simply "the bestseller in Venezuela". Scarce signed, and in such collectible condition. (Warner H2 a).

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