Published by Duckworth, London; 1994. 8vo. 192pp. First edition, first impression. **Signed by the author**. Condition: Fine/Fine.
Bound in original black cloth boards with title to the spine. The binding is tight and square, and in near perfect condition, with just a slight touch of bumping to the spine ends. Inside, apart from a little spotting to the inside of the boards and the ffep, the pages are clean and bright smart. The book is signed and inscribed by the author to the title page.
The book is housed in an equally smart, first edition dust jacket, showing no signs of wear or marking, save a little bumping to the top of the spine.
In all, this is a very smart, signed, example of this modern first edition by Bayley, husband to Iris Murdoch, he was awarded a CBE in 1999. This riveting and clever novel entwines the comic with the sinister to tell an unexpected tale, during which the reader become ever more aware of the author's subtle amusement at the politically correct world of the modern novel and of today's fashions in fiction.