Porius John Cowper Powys Fairy Tales,Literature & Poetry

New York, Woodstock & London: Overlook Duckworth, 2007. First edition. Hardcover. 751pp. Light-wear to jacket, small closed tear to bottom edges, internally clean and unmarked. A very good copy. 'Set in North Wales, Porius takes place during eight October days, 499 A.D., as King Arthur and Myrddin Wyllt (Merlin) are attempting to persuade the people of Britain to repel the barbaric Saxon invaders. The novel draws from Arthurian legend, Welsh history and mythology. Powys, a self-described "born inventor of fairy tales" transformed the people and animals of his Welsh village into the mythical figures that haunt Porius's primeval woods. Originally published in 1951, but due to demands of the publishers and a paper shortage, it was heavily edited removing more than 500 pages. It wasn't until 2077 that this edition was published, considered to be the superior version of Powys Magnum opus.'