1st Edition 13.7 x 20.2 cm sky blue boards with burgundy vignette to the front and titles and illustration to the spine. Green line pictorial endpapers, 176pp with colour frontispiece and black and white line drawings throughout by Diana Stanley. In original unclipped jacket priced at 12s 6d. Signed inscribed and dated by the author. The inscription reads; “To my darling Joanie/ Wivenhoe, Oct, 1959./ with love from/ Mary.” At the time the book was written and published Norton was living in Arlesford, a village one mile outside Wivenhoe. The dust jacket has a touch of dust marking to the rear panel and a little surface abrasion to the spine tips, corners and edges but is generally in excellent condition and is now protected in a clear removable cover (not shown). The book was a runner up for the Carnegie medal in its year of publication. All in all a beautifully preserved 1st Edition signed copy.