John Masefield. Victorious Troy or The Hurrying Angel. William Heinemann Ltd, London, 1935.

Price: US$128.26 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: A first edition of this novel by John Masefield. John Edward Masefield, OM (1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1930 until his death in 1967. He is remembered as the author of the classic children's novels The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights, and poems, including The Everlasting Mercy and Sea-Fever. In a blue cloth binding with gilt lettering to the spine and front board. Externally, generally smart, lightly rubbed in places. Spine is slightly cocked. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are generally bright and clean. Very Good

Seller: Rooke Books PBFA, Bath, United Kingdom

Masefield, John. The Box of Delights. William Heinemann Ltd., London, 1935.

Price: US$434.39 + shipping

Condition: Good

Description: viii, 418 pp., + 4 blank; illustrated endpapers matching the dustwrapper, small line drawings at the head and foot of each chapter. Dustwrapper is not price-clipped, but has a tear at the top of the rear panel starting at the foldover crese and running for about 1", and another at the top left of the front panel running for about 2.5" . the dustwrapper is lightly foxed. Previous owner's bookplate on halftitle page, top edge of book tinted dark blue, NO foxing to the edges or the pages!!! Sun browning of the spine. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Please refer to accompanying picture (s). Illustrator: Judith S. Masefield. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilo. Category: Science Fiction & Fantasy; Science Fiction & Fantasy; Inventory No: 0204270.

Seller: Syber's Books, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Masefield, John. The Box of Delights. London Heinemann 1935, 1935.

Price: US$769.66 + shipping

Description: First edition, first printing. Published by Heinemann in London, 1935. This is a very good copy. Without the dust wrapper. The deep blue clothbound boards are slightly bumped at the spine tips and corners. The titling is bright and the spine is slightly sunned. The text blocks are markedly bright and clean. The end papers, wonderfully illustrated throughout, are highly presentable but with some light toning in places. The text blocks are slightly foxed, which extends to the edges of the preliminaries. Small gift inscription to the front pastedown and is in near fine condition. Most likely Masefield's best work.

Seller: John Atkinson Books ABA ILAB PBFA, Harrogate, United Kingdom

MASEFIELD, John.. The Box of Delights. or When the Wolves Were Running.. London: William Heinemann, 1935, 1935.

Price: US$2565.52 + shipping

Description: First edition, first impression, of the author's influential fantasy novel for children. Writing in The Guardian in 2017, the author Piers Torday noted that "long before Harry Potter, The Box of Delights remade children's fantasy", and in The Telegraph in 2020 a headline stated "You'd never have J. K. Rowling without John Masefield". The first edition is comparatively scarce: only 7,500 copies were printed (in contrast to Masefield's previous novel of which there were 10,000 printed and Masefield's next novel of which there were 15,000). The novel was first adapted for radio broadcast in 1943 (with repeats or new adaptations in 1948, 1955, 1966, 1977, 1995, and 2011). The BBC TV series featuring Robert Stephens, Patricia Quinn, and Patrick Troughton was first broadcast in 1984. A musical version followed in 1994 and 1996 and a theatrical adaptation was staged in 2017, 2018, and 2019. A new audio version starring Derek Jacobi was released in 2021, while the Royal Shakespeare Company staged a revised theatrical adaptation by Piers Torday in Stratford-upon-Avon during their 2023 Christmas season. Many authors, including Angela Carter, C. S. Lewis, Alan Garner, and Neil Gaiman have noted the influence of the book on their writing. Errington A115(a). Octavo. Finely bound by the Chelsea Bindery in dark blue morocco, spine lettered and decorated in gilt, raised bands, twin rule to turn-ins gilt, title blocked to front board gilt within frame replicating original design by Judith Masefield, red endpapers with the original endpapers bound in at front, gilt edges. 26 vignettes by Judith Masefield and one drawing by the author. A fine copy.

Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom