Published by André Deutsch, London; 1967. 8vo. 301pp. First edition, first impression. Condition: Near Fine/Near Fine.
Bound in red cloth boards with title in gilt to the spine. The binding is square and tight and in excellent condition, with no marks and just a touch of bumping to the spine. The title from the jacket has imprinted onto the spine. Inside, the pages are clean and bright, free from blemishes and wear, with barely a hint of toning to the edges.
The book is housed in its original, first issue dust jacket. It is in very smart condition, with a touch of bumping to the spine ends and perhaps a hint of sunning to the spine and edges.
In all, this is a beautiful example of this first edition of Naipaul's challenging novel. It was his sixth novel, set on the fictional tropical island of Isabella, and was his first to explicitly address issues of a sexual nature. It would be possible to describe this as a novel about London, about the disintegration of empire, about order and disorder, about placelessness or about self-discovery. All these descriptions would be true but incomplete. It would be possible to say that it is fiercely funny or that it is deeply sad: again, both are true but inadequate. It is a work of extraordinary complexity, disturbing and illuminating as only a great work of fiction can be (blurb). The novel won the 1968 WH Smith Award.