A Question of Upbringing - PROOF COPY [A Dance to the Music of Time] - housed in a bespoke solander / clamshell box.

Heinemann, 1950. Proof Copy. Softcover. VG++. Ultra rare proof copy. 124 x 185cm, 230pp. Publisher's original buff paper wraps with titles and "PROOF COPY" to the front cover and titles and publisher's windmill device to the spine, 230pp. The wraps have been printed on the verso of an unused illustration from a previous Heinemann book, Dog Days by K F Barker, so that parts of a bull terrier in full colour can be seen on the inside of the covers. The verso of the title page states "First Published 1950 - there is a pencil note on the front cover "Sept 30/[19?]50" - though the First Edition was not published until 22nd January 1951 in an edition of 7,500 copies. It is housed in a bespoke, black cloth solander (clamshell) box with gilt titles and lined with marbled paper. There are a few very light marks on the front cover, a very small 3 x 2mm chip near the top of its fore edge, a 3mm open tear at the top of the upper joint and one of 1cm at the foot of the same. The back cover has a toned 1.5cm wide band running adjacent to the spine and of 0.5mm along the top edge, as well as some spotting and very light soiling. The spine is uniformly toned with the aforementioned band on the rear panel. The binding is very firm and completely square. Internally, there is no name or inscription and the pages are very clean and fresh, noting a 1mm closed tear and crease at the fore edge of page 7/8. Over all a very good ++ copy. Somewhat bizarrely, this book conforms to the "second state" of the first edition, having the additional half-title page preceding the text stating "THE MUSIC OF TIME / *". Powell states in the third paragraph of page 215 of "Faces in My Time", volume 3 of his memoirs, the following: 'A small bibliographical point may be recorded regarding the 'prelims' of A Question of Upbringing (1951). It was my intention that an additional half-title, indicating the name of the whole sequence, The Music of Time (followed by the number of asterisks denoting the number of the volume), should appear on the page preceding that opening the narrative. After I had passed proofs some over-enthusiastic supervisor altered this sub-heading to A Question of Upbringing, already used on the first page as half-title. This was soon put right, so that a 'first state' exists in the first edition.' Rainford & Parris Books welcomes enquiries, so please do not hesitate to ask if you require further images or have any questions. All books are packaged with great care.