WESLEY, Mary ~ The Camomile Lawn. Signed by the author.

FIRST UK PRINTING. Macmillan, London: 1984.

8vo., red publisher's boards lettered in gilt to spine with publisher's device to foot; together in the unclipped pictorial dustwrapper (£8.95 net) featuring an illustration by Christopher Wood; THE BOOK essentially fine, just very lightly rubbed to edges of boards, with a couple of brown marks to rear endleaves; THE WRAPPER very good to near-fine, lightly sunned to the backstrip and toned to the lower panel, with a couple of light creases. The wrapper is protected in a removable Brodart archival cover. First UK edition, first printing. This copy signed by the author to a bookplate (belonging to a 'Derek Birch') affixed to the half title. 'The Camomile Lawn' was Wesley's second novel for adults, and was strongly influenced by her own life. Wesley had a difficult and complicated relationship with her family, who did not approve of her writing. Her brother called referred to her novels as 'filth', while her sister, recognising traits similar to thier parents in the present work, also strongly objected to its publication. It was only after the death of her second husband, Eric Siepmann, that Wesley became impoverished and turned to writing, though the character of Oliver Ansty in 'The Camomile Lawn' was inspired by Lewis Clive, an Olympic Rower who had fallen in love with Wesley in early life and had asked her to marry him. Set in West Penwith, Cornwall, the book tells of the lives of three interwoven families during the Second World War, beginning with the last Summer of peace in 1939, and ending fifty years later. Wesley had spent a lot of time in Cornwall as a young woman, and based the house in Cornwall on Boskenna, near St Buryan. In 1992, the book was adapted for television with a notable cast including Felicity Kendal and Paul Eddington.

BINDING: Hardcover
CONDITION: Fine
JACKET: Near Fine