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H.E. Bates – The Larkin Family Saga (Comprising: The Darling Buds of May, A Breath of French Air, When the Green Woods Laugh, Oh! To Be in England, A Little of What You Fancy) – First Edition Collection
£565.00
First editions, first printings. Published by Michael Joseph in London, between 1958 and 1970. This is a very good (or better) set. Although originally intended as a trilogy, Bates went on to write two more Larkin family novels, which are included in this set. The dust wrappers, the first of which are illustrated by Broom Lynne, and the later two by John Alcorn and Oliver Elms, are all bright and presentable. The first title has not been price clipped and the others also show their original net prices. Each title has some slight separation at the spine tips, with some additional crumpling and creasing on the first two titles, which also have some mild separation and rubbing at the edges. The first and third titles have previous owners inscriptions present to the front fly leaves.
The third and fifth titles are toned and mildly foxed on the text blocks, with some light internal toning also present. The red, blue, green publishers cloth boards are without notable chips and marks. Overall, this is a very good (or better) set.
H.E. was fascinated by a junkyard, next to a beautiful bluebell wood, not far from his home in Kent. One summer evening he and Madge stopped at a village shop next to a ramshackle lorry that had recently been painted a violent electric blue. Minutes later a large family came out of the shop, full of laughter, eating ice creams and crisps, and piled into the truck; they were exactly the inspiration H.E. needed for his junk yard. The next day he began writing The Darling Buds of May in, as he described it later, ‘a fever of excitement and laughter’. The Larkin family appeared in the ITV adaptation, ‘The Darling Buds of May’, over three series between 1991 and 1993 (starring David Jason, Pam Ferris, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Philip Franks).
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- Description
Description
First editions, first printings. Published by Michael Joseph in London, between 1958 and 1970. This is a very good (or better) set. Although originally intended as a trilogy, Bates went on to write two more Larkin family novels, which are included in this set. The dust wrappers, the first of which are illustrated by Broom Lynne, and the later two by John Alcorn and Oliver Elms, are all bright and presentable. The first title has not been price clipped and the others also show their original net prices. Each title has some slight separation at the spine tips, with some additional crumpling and creasing on the first two titles, which also have some mild separation and rubbing at the edges. The first and third titles have previous owners inscriptions present to the front fly leaves.
The third and fifth titles are toned and mildly foxed on the text blocks, with some light internal toning also present. The red, blue, green publishers cloth boards are without notable chips and marks. Overall, this is a very good (or better) set.
H.E. was fascinated by a junkyard, next to a beautiful bluebell wood, not far from his home in Kent. One summer evening he and Madge stopped at a village shop next to a ramshackle lorry that had recently been painted a violent electric blue. Minutes later a large family came out of the shop, full of laughter, eating ice creams and crisps, and piled into the truck; they were exactly the inspiration H.E. needed for his junk yard. The next day he began writing The Darling Buds of May in, as he described it later, ‘a fever of excitement and laughter’. The Larkin family appeared in the ITV adaptation, ‘The Darling Buds of May’, over three series between 1991 and 1993 (starring David Jason, Pam Ferris, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Philip Franks).
