Braddock, Joseph & Kelly, Felix (Illus.) ~ Haunted Houses

FIRST UK PRINTING : B. T. Batsford Ltd., London : 1956

The First UK Printing published by B. T. Batsford Ltd., London in 1956. 8vo., black boards ruled and lettered in gilt to spine; upper edge stained purple; decorative calligraphic endpapers; in the striking pictorial dustwrapper (21s. net) featuring a wraparound image by Kelly; frontis plus twelve full page black and white illustrations by the artist, along with numerous chapter headings; THE BOOK near-fine, slightly bumped at foot of spine; with gilt titling a little dulled; The WRAPPER ever-so-slightly toned and creased along the folds; rubbed at edges with a little loss of colour, but essentially fresh, bright and also near-fine; seldom found thus. The wrapper is protected in a removable Brodart archival cover. A wonderful collection on the subject of ghosts and paranormal activity, with locations including castles, pubs, theatres and even photographs, and chapters devoted to 'The Fringe of the Unknown' and 'The Remarkable Mongoose'. Braddock was a firm believer in the spirit realm, and penned a series of works on the subject of the occult, including an autobiographical work entitled 'Bright Ghost: Recollections of a Georgian Boyhood'. The tales here are as gruesome as they are haunting, with one phantom dining on the flesh of infants and another victim being bound to a church bell and quite literally rung to death. The book is accompanied by the wonderfully evocative illustrations and eerie dustwrapper by Felix Kelly, the New Zealand graphic designer who spent much of his life in the UK. Inspired by the Surrealists, Kelly's book illustration tended towards the sinister, leading to a series of commissions which included Faber and Faber's Best of series (Best Horror Stories (1957), Best Detective Stories (1959), and Best Tales of Terror (1962)). An exceptional copy.

BINDING: Hardcover
CONDITION: Near Fine
JACKET: Near Fine