Books

First edition, first impression, with the rare dust jacket retaining the scarce illustrated plate to the front panel. In Pursuit of Spring was Thomas's last work of prose and provides an account of his week-long bicycle ride from central London out into the Quantock Hills in Somerset undertaken in March 1913. It is often considered the best of Thomas's country books, and mixes "observation, information, stories, portraits, self-portraits, literary criticism, folk-tales, and reflection" (ODNB). Octavo. Original ribbed blue cloth, spine lettered in gilt, titles and astronomical device within double ruled frames in gilt to front cover, illustrated map endpapers, top edge gilt. With dust jacket, illustrated plate after Ernest Hazlehurst to front panel. Frontispiece and five other plates after drawings by Ernest Hazlehurst tipped-in to grey paper, as issued, with captioned tissue guards. Prize label dated Christmas 1921 to front free endpaper verso. Slight rubbing to extremities, touch of wear to very tips of bottom edge, loss to gilt of top edge, light foxing to edges and endmatter; a remarkably bright copy in the faintly soiled jacket with browned spine, small chips and nicks to extremities, short closed tear to head of front panel, small section of glue residue to front panel.