{"product_id":"the-return-walter-de-la-mare-revised-limited-edition","title":"The Return, Walter de la Mare — Revised Limited Edition","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublication:\u003c\/b\u003e London, W. Collins Sons \u0026amp; Co. Ltd., 1922\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormatting:\u003c\/b\u003e 8vo, pp. [vi], 309, [i].\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Report:\u003c\/b\u003e Good. The original grey paper-covered boards and quarter canvas spine exhibit noticeable age-related toning, surface rubbing, and localised staining, most prominently a dark, somewhat circular blemish to the upper front board. The gilt-lettered leather spine label remains intact but displays minor loss to the top-left corner and typical rubbing to the gilt text. The binding retains its structural integrity and remains entirely firm, though the corners are gently bumped and mildly frayed. Internally, the uncut deckle edges are heavily dust-dulled and moderately foxed, with some spotting extending into the preliminary and terminal leaves. The front free endpaper bears a neat, contemporaneous ink gift inscription ('To Nadine, on her twenty-first. from Fay \u0026amp; Di. August 29th 1946.'), but the primary text-block remains largely bright, clean, and entirely legible, justifying a solid Good grading despite the external cosmetic wear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCatalogue Note:\u003c\/b\u003e This is the 1922 Revised Edition of Walter de la Mare’s celebrated supernatural novel, which was originally published in 1910. For this reissue, de la Mare significantly revised the text, subtly toning down the more overt supernatural elements in favour of a creeping psychological unease.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis particular volume is part of a strictly limited and highly sought-after run of just 250 copies, numbered and signed by the author upon the limitation page. This is copy number 103. Presented in the publisher's original quarter buckram and paper-covered boards with uncut fore and lower edges, it is a quintessential example of 1920s trade binding. Given the small limitation, intact and original examples of this signed edition have become notably scarce on the open market.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsidered one of Walter de la Mare’s finest works, \u003ci\u003eThe Return\u003c\/i\u003e is a masterful and insidiously disturbing tale of psychological horror and psychic possession. The narrative follows Arthur Lawford, a mild-mannered man who falls asleep in a country churchyard only to awake bearing the face, and perhaps the lingering presence, of a long-dead, eighteenth-century French adventurer named Sabathier. As Lawford is rejected by his terrified family and struggles to reconstruct his fractured identity, the novel delves deeply into themes of speculative existentialism, alienation, and the fragile boundaries of the self.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broadhursts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54551957799251,"sku":"4964","price":80.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/1469\/6787\/files\/20260731_000323.jpg?v=1786436873","url":"https:\/\/broadhurstsbooks.com\/products\/the-return-walter-de-la-mare-revised-limited-edition","provider":"Broadhursts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}