ARM'S LENGTH

First edition, first printing of the author's second novel. Inscribed presentation copy. Publisher's original blue cloth with yellow titles and a wavy line design to the spine and upper board, in the W. Johnson designed dustwrapper. A very good or better copy, the binding firm, the cloth bright and fresh, the spine lightly worn at the spine tips and with the ghost of a vertical crease. The contents, almost imperceptibly spotted to the text block edges, and with a few light marginal spots within, are otherwise clean throughout. Complete with the rubbed, nicked, lightly soiled dustwrapper, with a few shallow areas of loss to spine tips. With several closed tears, the largest being 4cm at the edge of the darkened spine. Not price-clipped (7/6 net to the front flap). Scarce.

Inscribed by the author in black ink on the front endpaper, "To / Louise & Otto / With love from / from / John / John Metcalfe". Metcalfe's second novel is the story of Gerald Imlay, "an over-sensitive and amiable young Englishman who is unable to deal with his own life or anyone else's save at arm's length" (from the jacket). (Hubin).