THE CHARGE OF THE MOUSE BRIGADE

First edition. Signed by the author and illustrator. Publisher's pictorial boards. With a page of sheet music of the same name composed by Wallace Southam with verse by Bernard Stone, laid in. Beautifully illustrated in colour by Tony Ross throughout. A very good copy, with one very slight bump to the bottom edge of the the boards. The contents are bright and clean throughout. The single folded sheet of music is limited to 500 copies, the first 100 of which according to the colophon are supposed to the be signed by the composer. This is hand-numbered 76 but without signature. Scarce in any respect.

Signed by Bernard Stone in blue ink and inscribed by the illustrator "To Cheryl x / from / Tony Ross" in black ink on the title page. An amusing retelling of Tennyson's The Charge of the Light Brigade, where all of the soldiers are mice and cats. Bernard Stone was a distinct feature of the 20th century literary scene, his London bookshop, The Turret Bookshop, being a social hub for writers and artists which helped to launch many literary careers, friendships and collaborations. Wallace Southam was an amateur composer who often worked with Lawrence Durrell (was one of Stone's closest friends and a keen frequenter of the Turret Bookshop). Tony Ross was the first artist to be published by the then-fledgeling Andersen Press in 1976, only three years prior to this book's publication. This delightful book is a fascinating memento of an exciting, vibrant time in the British literary world. Provenance: From the collection of Audrey Adams, editor at the Andersen Press.