Swoop! Or How Clarence Saved England

London: Alston Rivers, Limited, 1909. Illustrated by C. Harrison. London: Alston Rivers, Limited, 1909.

First edition. Small octavo (7 3/16 x 4 7/8 inches; 182 x 123 mm). 126, [1, colophon], [1, blank] pp. With numerous illustrations in the text, many of which are full page.

Original white wrappers printed in orange and black. Some restoration to spine and front wrapper has a small repair and touch-up. A bit of dust soiling. Still, a fine copy of this fragile item. Housed in a custom slipcase with a replica of the wrappers affixed to the case.

"Clarence Chugwater is not a Boy Scout for nothing. It is summer 1909 and everyone is too interested in the Test Match to notice that England has been invaded by the Germans. And the Russians. And the Chinese. Not to mention a 'boisterous band of the Young Turks', a mad Mullah, and a brace of North African pirates. The government has recently abolished the army so there is nothing to be done about it anyway, except give a masterly display of polite indifference. But this would be to reckon without patriotic Clarence, 'Boy of Destiny', who alone is prepared to stand up to the foe, and who devises a highly unorthodox plan to restore his country to freedom..." (Penguin dot co).

"P. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) is widely regarded as the greatest comic writer of the twentieth century. Wodehouse wrote more than seventy novels and 200 short stories, creating numerous much-loved characters - the inimitable Jeeves and Wooster, Lord Emsworth and his beloved Empress of Blandings, Mr Mulliner, Ukridge, and Psmith. His humorous articles were published in more than eighty magazines, including Punch, over six decades. He was also a highly successful music lyricist, once with over five musicals running on Broadway simultaneously. P.G. Wodehouse was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for 'an outstanding and lasting contribution to the happiness of the world'." (Penguin dot co)

Jansen 11. McIlvaine.

HBS 68772.

$5,500.