Description
A first edition, first printing of The Goose Cathedral by Jocelyn Brooke, published by The Bodley Head, London in 1950. A near fine book signed and dated in blue ink by a previous owner to the front free end paper, tarnished gilt titling to the spine, some shelf wear to the dark grey top stain, spotting to fore-edge of text block. In a good unclipped wrapper, chipping to the spine tips and knuckles of front and rear flap folds, fading to the spine and front spine hinge spilt, closed tears to the top edge of front panel, open tear to top edge of rear panel, shelf wear to rear panel. Wrapper design by Julian Trevelyan.
The Goose Cathedral by Jocelyn Brooke is a semi-autobiographical novel that blends nostalgia, melancholy and dark humour. It follows the introspective narrator’s return to the Sussex countryside, revisiting childhood haunts and reflecting on memory, loss and the passage of time. Brooke’s prose evokes the beauty and strangeness of rural life while exploring themes of alienation, artistic sensitivity and the tension between innocence and experience. The novel is both lyrical and quietly unsettling, capturing the poignancy of personal and collective memory.
