THE UNWINDING CORNER

First edition, first printing. Signed by the author. Original green cloth lettered in gilt to the spine, in the dustwrapper designed by Barbara Walton. A very near fine copy, the binding square and firm, the cloth and gilt sharp, the contents clean throughout. There is a small mark (c. 0.5 cm) to the fore-edge of the page block. In the dustwrapper, rubbed and nicked to spine tips and corners, with two closed tears (c. 1 and 2 cm) to the lower edge of the rear panel. Not price-clipped (£7.95 net to the front flap).

Inscribed by the author in black ink to the front free endpaper. "I can never thank you enough for so many years of kindness to me. This book is for you, hoping you find it enjoyable". The inscription goes on in a similar vein (with more heartfelt thanks) to the bottom of the endpaper, ending "Bless you / Alice DJ". The author has also signed the title page, "Sincerely Dwyer-Joyce / Joan with love / for all your kindness / to me —" (with a couple of erasures and corrections). Dwyer-Joyce, born in Birr, Ireland, and educated in Dublin, was a doctor by profession and, along with her husband, worked as a GP in Cambridgeshire for over forty years. During this time she also managed to write dozens of novels including this love story set in Ireland during the early decades of the twentieth century.