The author’s copy with his bookplate and an erased inscription opposite, which is just legible as a presentation inscription ‘For Aunt Kitten from Tony Powell.’ Powell’s Aunt Katherine was known in the family as Kitten. It is probable that the inscription was erased by Katherine herself before selling the book, only to be bought back by Powell through the trade.
The binding is tilted, and there is one quite prominent string mark on the front board. The dust jacket is presumably supplied, since it shows no sign of the stringmark, and more perplexingly is clearly designed for a slimmer edition and had indeed once been wrapped around such a one. As well as not fitting (the rear turn-in flap shows two folds where it had earlier been wrapped around this slimmer copy it has also suffered some wear at the lower fore edge and is a little worn overall. Despite this, it does not feel like a recent addition.
