Dick Willoughby Day-Lewis, C. [Cecil] Children's Books,Fiction

The British poet laureate's first children's books, an adventure yarn about the son of a feared sea captain who takes up the family business and has adventures fighting the Spanish in the 16th century. This is one of Day-Lewis's most sought-after books. Published as Tales of Action no. II. Illustrated with 8 black-and-white plates plus a color frontispiece by H. R. Millar. viii, 9-191, [1] pages. First edition (first printing, with no date on the copyright page). Conforms to the physical description in the Geoffrey Handley-Taylor C. Day-Lewis bibliography, item A6, including the 3/6 net price on the front jacket flap). A very good copy in dark blue cloth that has faded a bit at the spine (from light transmitted through the white dust jacket). In a very good jacket, with some chipping at the spine ends. This copy is signed by Day-Lewis at the upper right corner of the front free endpaper. Scarce signed. This copy was previously in the collection of the Pulitzer Prize- and Academy Award-winning writer Larry McMurtry, with his stirrup bookplate mounted on the front pastedown. A nice copy with a nice provenance.