Sold by David Brass Rare Books, Inc., Calabasas, CA, U.S.A.
Association Member:
AbeBooks Seller since February 1, 2007
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Metamorphosis & Spectacle - Garnett's Two Modern Fables in Fine Jackets An Exceptionally Preserved, Inscribed Bloomsbury Pair GARNETT, David. Lady into Fox. London: Chatto & Windus, 1922. together with: GARNETT, David. A Man in the Zoo. London: Chatto & Windus, 1924. First editions. Two octavo volumes: (7 1/2 x 5 inches; 191 x 127 mm.). [viii], 90, [1], [1, blank]; [viii], 93, [1], [1, blank], [1] pp. Inscribed on both front free endpaper: "Signed for Ingle Barr / by David Garnett / 13 January 1959." Publisher's mottled maroon cloth, spines with red paper labels printed in black, top edges gilt, others uncut. Armorial bookplates of Ingle Barr on front paste-downs. Each volume with a spare red label printed in black affixed to final leaf. Original light gray dust jackets printed in red, minimal darkening to spines. Fine copies in fine dust jackets - a rare and highly desirable state. Chemised together in an orange cloth folder with Barr's armorial bookplate, housed in a quarter tan calf slipcase, spine with five raised bands, decoratively tooled and lettered in gilt (spine faded). A fine, attractively presented association pairing of Garnett's two early masterpieces: Lady into Fox (1922) Garnett's most celebrated work - winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize- is a haunting modern fable in which a young wife inexplicably transforms into a fox. What follows is not fantasy in the conventional sense, but a deeply unsettling meditation on love, instinct, alienation, and the limits of civilization. A Man in the Zoo (1924) A darker, satirical companion piece: a man voluntarily places himself in a cage at the London Zoo, becoming an object of public curiosity. The novel skewers society, spectatorship, and human vanity, anticipating later absurdist and existential fiction. A central figure of the Bloomsbury Group, Garnett produced in these early works a distinctive blend of: fable and modernism, psychological realism and allegory wit edged with cruelty. Lady into Fox in particular has become a modern classic, often compared to the surreal transformations of Franz Kafka, though rendered in a uniquely English, pastoral key. Together, they represent Garnett at his most inventive within the orbit of the Bloomsbury Group. The dual inscriptions - signed for Ingle Barr (1959) add a layer of personal provenance to already desirable first editions. While not a primary literary association, such presentation copies: enhance individuality, suggest later-life circulation within Garnett's circle and improve desirability for collectors of Bloomsbury material The matching format and unified housing further strengthen the set's commercial and aesthetic appeal.
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