THE GREAT DIVORCE. A Dream.

First edition in book form, first printing. Association copy. Publisher's original yellow cloth with titles in black to the spine. Lacking the dustwrapper. A very good copy, the binding square and firm with some bumping at the spine tips, the cloth with a few white marks to the spine. The contents, with the ownership signature of Leonard Blake in blue ink to the upper right of the front endpaper, are otherwise clean throughout.

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. It has been suggested that the complicated character of Pam in 'The Great Divorce' (and 'Mother' in 'The Screwtape Letters') is partly based on Maureen's mother Janie, with whom Lewis resided for more than three decades.