Published by Faber and Faber, London; 1989. 8vo. 313pp. First edition, first impression. Condition: Near Fine/Near Fine.
Bound in black cloth with title in white to the spine. The binding is square and tight and in very smart condition, with just a touch of bumping to the spine ends. Inside, the pages are clean and bright, free from blemishes and wear, with just some toning to note.
The book is housed in its original, first issue dust jacket, which is in equally smart condition. It is vibrant and bright with just a little shelf wear and darkening to the edges.
In all, this is a lovely example of this first edition by William Golding, author of Lord of the Flies. It it the third and final instalment in his Sea Trilogy, following on from Rites of Passage and Close Quarters. It sees a decrepit warship sailing the last leg of its journey to Sydney Cove. It has been blown off course, battered by the wind, storm and ice. Nothing but rope holds the disintegrating hull together. Then, after a risky operation to reset its foremast with red-hot metal, an unseen fire begins to smoulder below decks. The first instalment of the trilogy won the Booker Prize in 1980, and Golding won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1983. In 2008, the Times ranked him third on its list of 'The 50 greatest British writers since 1945'.