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Publication: London, Macmillan, 1974 Formatting: 8vo, pp. [viii], 224. Condition Report: Very Good. The ochre printed wrappers exhibit standard shelf-wear for a pre-publication item of this vintage, including a minuscule chip and a very short closed tear at the head of the spine, alongside faint handling marks to the rear panel and slight rubbing to the extremities. The binding remains firm and square, with no discernible leaning or splitting to the text block. Internally, the pages are bright and largely clean, save for an isolated spot of rust offsetting/foxing to the preliminary leaf and gentle dust-soiling along the text block edges. Despite these signs of average wear, the book remains fully intact with all pages present, representing a highly respectable example of a fragile format. Catalogue Note: This is an uncorrected proof copy of Winifred Lear's memoir, issued by Macmillan prior to the book's first general publication. Bound in the traditional printed paper wrappers denoting its status, expressly marked "Not For Resale," this copy was distributed to early readers, reviewers, or booksellers ahead of the finalised commercial release. While standard first editions of Down the Rabbit Hole occasionally surface on the secondary market, uncorrected proofs of Lear's later work are distinctly scarce, offering an authentic glimpse into the mid-century British publishing process. Down the Rabbit Hole offers a humorous and perceptive account of Winifred Lear's experiences growing up in a middle-class English family and attending a remarkably unorthodox private school around the time of the First World War. Balancing domestic comedy with moments of deeper psychological resonance, Lear chronicles her childhood interactions with siblings, school friends, eccentric staff, and the occasional adversary. The narrative weaves an authentic, charming, and occasionally stark portrait of early 20th-century home and school life, cementing her reputation as a witty and deeply observant chronicler of middle-class English society.
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