NEWBY, Percy Howard. The Spirit of Jem. London: John Lehmann. 1947. 8vo. First edition. Publisher’s turquoise cloth lettered in black and gilt to the spine, in the wonderful wraparound dust jacket designed by Keith Vaughan, who also provides numerous line drawings throughout. A presentable albeit slightly disreputable example, the cloth slightly faded and discoloured, the binding tight and square. The contents clean but for some offsetting to endpapers. More frustrating is the sporadic chips to around a dozen pages, always at the bottom edge and usually no larger than an inch square and never affecting the text—largest about a quarter of a page to an illustrated page. The dust jacket price-clipped, small nicks to most corners and tips, some light rubbing to joints, but nevertheless a respectable copy.
Newby’s second published novel, a boys’ adventure story with mystery elements. Of course, and as with many John Lehmann publications, the significant allure of the volume is indeed the dust jacket and illustrations by Keith Vaughan. Vaughan would have started working at Camberwell School of Art around the same time as the commission, having recently been influenced (and influencing) the Neo-Romantic art movement—a year later, he would go on to share a house with fellow artist and jacket designer, John Minton.
NEWBY, Percy Howard. The Spirit of Jem. London: John Lehmann. 1947. 8vo. First edition. Publisher’s turquoise cloth lettered in black and gilt to the spine, in the wonderful wraparound dust jacket designed by Keith Vaughan, who also provides numerous line drawings throughout. A presentable albeit slightly disreputable example, the cloth slightly faded and discoloured, the binding tight and square. The contents clean but for some offsetting to endpapers. More frustrating is the sporadic chips to around a dozen pages, always at the bottom edge and usually no larger than an inch square and never affecting the text—largest about a quarter of a page to an illustrated page. The dust jacket price-clipped, small nicks to most corners and tips, some light rubbing to joints, but nevertheless a respectable copy.
Newby’s second published novel, a boys’ adventure story with mystery elements. Of course, and as with many John Lehmann publications, the significant allure of the volume is indeed the dust jacket and illustrations by Keith Vaughan. Vaughan would have started working at Camberwell School of Art around the same time as the commission, having recently been influenced (and influencing) the Neo-Romantic art movement—a year later, he would go on to share a house with fellow artist and jacket designer, John Minton.
