Published by The Bodley Head, London; 1974. Reprint. 193pp. 8vo. Condition: Fine/Near Fine.
Bound in original cloth boards with gilt title to the spine. Binding is tight and square and free from marks or wear, with just a touch of bumping to the spine ends. Inside, the pages are clean and bright and free from blemishes or marks. There is just a little speckling to the rims of the pages.
The book is housed in it's original dust jacket, illustrated by Trevor Stubley. It is vibrant and bright and has just a little wear with a slight chip to the top of the spine, and a touch of rubbing . It is otherwise very smart.
When the Bough Breaks was Mitchison's second book, originally published in 1924. It contains a collection of six short stories set during Ancient Roman times and set within the Roman Empire at varying times. When the Bough Breaks is the longest of the stories and is set in the final days of the Empire and the fall of Rome. Naomi Mitchison wrote over 70 books and died in 1999 at the age of 101. She travelled extensively during her life and, in the 1960s, she was adopted as advisor and mother of the Bakgatla tribe in Botswana. Her books are on a range of genres, including historical fiction; science fiction; poetry; autobiography; and nonfiction.