{"product_id":"the-desert-fathers-helen-waddell-1st-edition","title":"The Desert Fathers, Helen Waddell — 1st Edition","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublication:\u003c\/b\u003e London, Constable \u0026amp; Co Ltd, 1936\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormatting:\u003c\/b\u003e 8vo, pp. [x], 312.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Report:\u003c\/b\u003e Very Good. The original dark blue cloth binding remains exceptionally bright and tight, presenting sharp, unbumped corners and virtually no shelf-wear, while the gilt tooling on the spine is brilliantly unoxidised. Internally, the book is square and firmly bound, with clean and bright pages throughout, free from any major blemishes or antiquarian markings. There is moderate, age-typical foxing present on the page edges, most notably to the fore-edge and bottom edge, which occasionally bleeds marginally onto the extreme edges of the leaves, though the blue-stained top edge remains distinct. The original dust jacket has survived completely intact with no major loss; it exhibits only mild, age-appropriate toning to the spine and extremities, alongside minor edge-rubbing and a tiny closed tear to the bottom front edge, ensuring the striking woodcut-style design remains crisp and highly displayable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCatalogue Note:\u003c\/b\u003e This is a true first edition of Helen Waddell’s celebrated translation, verified by the primary publication statement on the copyright page with no subsequent printings listed. The volume features a striking, woodcut-style title page border that mirrors the intricate design of the original dust jacket; a handsome typographical and illustrative flourish characteristic of the era.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSecuring a true first printing in its original, fragile dust jacket is genuinely scarce on the open market. The survival of the pale jacket in such an intact, displayable state makes this a particularly desirable copy for collectors of early twentieth-century theology and medievalist literature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHelen Waddell’s \u003ci\u003eThe Desert Fathers\u003c\/i\u003e stands as a masterful and deeply humanizing translation of the \u003ci\u003eVitae Patrum\u003c\/i\u003e. By curating the lives and sayings of the fourth-century Christian ascetics who fled to the Egyptian and Syrian deserts, Waddell brings to life a world of radical devotion, stark asceticism, and surprising gentleness. With her signature poetic sensibility and rigorous medieval scholarship, she captures the spirit of these early hermits, offering modern readers an enduring and profound window into the foundational era of contemplative Christianity.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broadhursts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54577051795795,"sku":"5048","price":75.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/1469\/6787\/files\/20260809_194146.jpg?v=1786615845","url":"https:\/\/broadhurstsbooks.com\/products\/the-desert-fathers-helen-waddell-1st-edition","provider":"Broadhursts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}