TALES OF WAYBEYOND.

UK,slim,small 8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.FINE+/FINE.No owner inscrptn and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright,crisp,clean,glossy laminated, colour pictorial artwork by Pauline Baynes,illustrated dw/dj with blue and black lettering to front and spine; with negligible shelf- wear or creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present. Some inevitable but minor,superficial scoring/indents to both panels of dw/dj - but without penetration or affecting the boadsr beneath.Top+fore-edges bright and clean and without foxing/ spotting; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound - pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners,appears unread - apart from my own collation.Bright,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered, publisher's original plain dark blue cloth boards with bright,crisp, stamped fluorescent blue gilt letters to spine/backstrip and immaculate b/w map illustrated endpapers.UK,slim,small 8vo HB+ dw/dj,1st edn,10-87pp [paginated] includes 9 separate stories all written in verse - each with a b/w line vignette illustrated head- piece to individual story-titled separator pages,9 full-page b/w line illustrations; one per story,each also with b/w line illustrated head+ tail pieces and others in borders or text,all by Pauline Baynes,plus [unpaginated] b/w line vignette illustrated half-title,full-page b/w line illustrated title page,a dedication,b/w line vignette illustrated contents list/table,and the 9 stories titled separator pages.
Nine stories charmingly told and written in rhyme/verse,of this village called Waybeyond,and occupied entirely by animals as diverse as a mole,a badger,a rabbit,a mouse,a dog,a pig and a squirrel etc. The inhabitants of this peaceful-sounding village are all animals; Sir Samuel Mole,the prodigal badger,pig-headed Peregrine,Rosie Rabbit and many others.But their lives are not quite uneventful as you imagine; pig-headed Peregrine,for example,has a fight with the school bullies every morning,the owners of the plump little mouse in the first story nearly lose him to a villainous cat with a taste for mouse mousse,and Rosie Rabbit's children might have starved if she hadn't found a publisher for the stories she writes for them.Yes,there is more going on in Waybeyond than you might imagine - even skullduggery sometimes. Pauline Baynes drawings are decorative,witty and affectionate. She has given the animals of Waybeyond real character.This book is 'old-fashioned' in the best sense: entertaining to read,a delight to look at. Pauline Baynes,born in Sussex in 1922.Spent her early childhood in India,later studying at the Farnham School of Art and the Slade School of Fine Art.During the war she worked for Army Camouflage,and then for the Admiralty Hydrographic Dept.After the war she returned to her work as a painter (tempera),designer and illustrator.In 1968,she won the Kate Greenaway Medal for her illustrations to 'A Dictionary of Chivalry',and she was runner-up for the prize in 1972.Her fluent pen and ink style is particularly appropriate in line block reproduction.Her work is often inspired by medieval manuscripts (e.g. 'Farmer Giles of Ham',1946) or by Persian miniatures (e.g 'The Horse and His Boy', 1954),and is extremely decorative.The imaginative flair and lively attention to detail in her illustrations make them well- suited to the spirit of such books as the 'Narnia' series by C.S. Lewis,all of which she has illustrated. Since April 2013,again in March 2015,and in this year too,the UK Post Office has altered it's Pricing in Proportion template,altering it's prices,weight allowances,dimensions and lowered it's qualifying compensation rates too!
So,please contact rpaxtonden@blueyonder.co.uk ,because of the lighter weight of this item for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!