{"product_id":"leila-j-p-donleavy-1st-edition","title":"Leila, J.P. Donleavy — 1st Edition","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublication:\u003c\/b\u003e London, Allen Lane, 1983\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormatting:\u003c\/b\u003e 8vo, pp. [viii], 384.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Report:\u003c\/b\u003e Near Fine. This copy presents exceptionally well, housed in its original, unclipped dust jacket which remains remarkably bright, crisp, and free of the fading or edge-wear. The primary blue cloth boards are tight and square, displaying no discernible shelf-wear or bumping to the extremities. The silver gilt tooling on the spine is brilliantly unoxidised, striking clearly against the dark cloth. Internally, the binding is perfectly firm, and the hinges remain perfectly sound. The text block is impressively clean; aside from the faintest hint of uniform, age-appropriate toning to the paper stock, the pages are entirely free of foxing, inscriptions, or any internal blemishes. A superb, highly collectible example.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCatalogue Note:\u003c\/b\u003e True first UK edition, first printing of J.P. Donleavy's \u003ci\u003eLeila\u003c\/i\u003e, published by Allen Lane. Functioning as a direct sequel to his acclaimed \u003ci\u003eThe Destinies of Darcy Dancer, Gentleman\u003c\/i\u003e, the book continues the picaresque adventures of his beloved, eponymous hero.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe volume retains its original primary blue cloth binding and its striking, unclipped pictorial dust jacket. Encountering a copy in such well-preserved, near-pristine condition, completely lacking the common sunning to the spine or foxing to the page edges, is quite uncommon. It remains a highly desirable addition to any collection of modern Irish-American modernist literature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBereft of his family silver and forsaken by love, the perpetually destitute yet eternally dignified Darcy Dancer returns to the shadowed, cobbled streets of Dublin in search of his one bright star, Leila. Plunged into a chaotic world of corrupt aristocrats, literary scoundrels, and unwanted celibacy, Darcy must navigate a living hell of debauched poverty with his characteristic wit and resilience. J.P. Donleavy weaves a masterful, tragicomic tale that is as fiercely lyrical as it is profoundly eccentric, reminding the reader that even amidst ruin and heartache, there is always a shimmer of fool's gold at the end of every Irish rainbow.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broadhursts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53740391563603,"sku":"4057-EV-F-VG-9","price":22.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/1469\/6787\/files\/20260609_143031.jpg?v=1781016427","url":"https:\/\/broadhurstsbooks.com\/products\/leila-j-p-donleavy-1st-edition","provider":"Broadhursts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}