REFLECTIONS ON THE PSALMS

First edition, first printing. Association copy. Publisher's original burgundy cloth with yellow titles to the spine, in the Elizabeth Andrews dustwrapper. Top edge green. A very good copy, the binding firm, the cloth faintly mottled. The contents, with the ownership inscription of Leonard James Blake to the front free endpaper and his pencil underlinings and marginalia throughout, are otherwise clean. Small bookseller's label to the lower front pastedown. Complete with the lightly rubbed and nicked, price-clipped dustwrapper that has Blake's ownership name on the front panel and a little fading to the spine.

An informal commentary on the Psalms by C. S. Lewis. An excellent association copy. From the library of the author's friend Leonard James Blake. Blake was the husband of Maureen Moore (later Lady Dunbar of Hempriggs), one of the most significant figures in C. S. Lewis' life, a friend and surrogate sister with whom he lived for over 20 years. Maureen and Leonard Blake were married (with Lewis' encouragement) in 1940. Both teachers, Leonard was for more than two decades, the Director of Music at Malvern College (Lewis was educated at Malvern, and it is widely recognised that his time there, in particular the gas lamps and landscape, helped inspire the Chronicles of Narnia). Leonard and Maureen had two children, Lewis was godfather to their son Richard. They maintained a close friendship for the rest of Lewis' life. Leonard passed away in 1989 and Maureen in 1997, the final passages of 'The Last Battle' were read at her funeral.