ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND and THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

First Mervyn Peake illustrated edition. Original grey pictorial card covers printed in blue and red, in dustwrapper. Illustrated with line drawings by Mervyn Peake throughout. A superb near fine copy, the binding square and firm with a little rubbing to the spine tips and some minimal wear to edges and corners. The contents, with a few very tiny spots to the text block edges and a little dustiness to the bottom corner of the text block, are clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the lightly rubbed and nicked dustwrapper, the lettering to the lightly toned spine moderately faded. A lovely copy.

A beautiful example of the first Mervyn Peake illustrated edition preceding the UK Alan Wingate issued edition by eight years. Upon publication of this edition, Frances Sarzano, biographer of John Tenniel, wrote that "[e]ven Tenniel-charmed eyes should be captivated by the unfamiliar Walrus and the Carpenter, by the Sorry White Knight (who pleads for a Peake 'Don Quixote'), by the Mad Hatter and the Duchess's choleric child, but sadly enough, it will be at least two years [as stated above, it was eight] before this Peake Alice can be published in England, owing to the artist's contracts with English publishers." ('Alphabet and Image', 1946).