{"product_id":"compton-mackenzie-an-appraisal-of-his-literary-work-leo-robertson-1st-edition","title":"Compton Mackenzie: An Appraisal of his Literary Work, Leo Robertson — 1st Edition","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublication:\u003c\/b\u003e London, The Richards Press, 1954\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormatting:\u003c\/b\u003e 8vo, pp. 230.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Report:\u003c\/b\u003e Near Fine. The book's structural integrity remains excellent, presenting with a tight, square binding and clean, vibrant blue cloth boards that exhibit bright, unoxidised gilt lettering to the spine. Internally, the pages are crisp and largely free from wear, though the text block edges display minor, age-appropriate toning. The accompanying dust jacket remains unclipped (bearing the 12\/6 net price) and largely intact, showing light dusting and minor handling wear to the pale panels, alongside a few closed tears and slight chipping restricted to the spine ends and upper edges.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCatalogue Note:\u003c\/b\u003e This is a first edition, featuring a frontispiece portrait of Compton Mackenzie reproduced from a photograph by Robin Adler. The volume boasts remarkable provenance as a significant association copy, bearing a presentation inscription on the front free endpaper: \"To Richard Church \/ From Leo Robertson \/ 17.1.55.\" Richard Church was a highly regarded English poet, critic, and novelist, and his work is referenced within the text itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdding vital literary context, this copy is accompanied by two loosely inserted Autograph Letters Signed (A.L.S.) from Robertson to Church, dated January 1955 on Woolstone Road headed paper, discussing the presentation of the book. Further accompanying the volume are a carbon typescript of review notes and a contemporary press cutting of a review from \u003ci\u003eTruth\u003c\/i\u003e magazine (May 1955). While standard copies of this text occasionally appear on the open market, an inscribed association copy enriched with such substantive, original manuscript correspondence is distinctly rare.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this thoughtful critique, Leo Robertson offers a comprehensive appraisal of the prolific and multifaceted writer Sir Compton Mackenzie. Moving beyond mere biography, Robertson delves into the stylistic nuances, recurrent themes, and sheer breadth of Mackenzie's output, shedding light on the artistic vision that animated his extensive bibliography. It serves as an essential companion for collectors and scholars seeking a deeper understanding of one of the twentieth century's most colourful literary figures.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broadhursts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54482780619091,"sku":"4019","price":300.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/1469\/6787\/files\/20260729_154227.jpg?v=1785842408","url":"https:\/\/broadhurstsbooks.com\/products\/compton-mackenzie-an-appraisal-of-his-literary-work-leo-robertson-1st-edition","provider":"Broadhursts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}