THE BOY AND THE MAGIC

First English edition, first printing. Original two-tone red and white cloth with green foil titles to the spine, in dustwrapper. Illustrated throughout with beautiful full page colour illustrations by Gerard Hoffnung. A near fine copy, the binding firm, the spine with a little light bumping. The contents are clean throughout and without previous owners' stamps or inscriptions. Complete with the original illustrated dustwrapper which is a little rubbed and creased to the extremities and has some dustiness and light marking to the panels. Not price clipped (16s to the bottom of the front flap).

An English translation of Colette's text based on her libretto for the Ravel opera 'L'enfant et les sortilèges'. Hoffnung loved the opera from childhood and created illustrations for it of his own accord and was later able to show them to Colette, prompting her to adapt the libretto for a book.