VICTORIAN AND EDWARDIAN BRIGHTON FROM OLD PHOTOGRAPHS

First edition. Inscribed presentation copy, with additional material. Publisher's original textured cream and brown cloth with gilt titles to the spine, in dustwrapper. Illustrated in black and white throughout. A better than very good copy, the binding square and firm with a few small bumps at the spine tips, the contents clean throughout. Complete with the very lightly rubbed and creased dustwrapper. Not price-clipped.

Inscribed by John Betjeman in pencil on the front endpaper "Mary / with love from / John B / + hopes for many many / conferences. 1972". The recipient is the accomplished poet Mary Wilson who also happened to be married to the twice Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Mary met Betjeman after she contrived to sit beside the poet laureate at an official dinner, thereafter the two would meet regularly, at Betjeman's house or at Number 10, sometimes in St James's Park, to read and recite poetry to each other. Betjeman encouraged Mary to write and publish and they remained close friends until his death. Provenance: Collection of Gladys Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx.