Mervyn Peake — Captain Slaughterboard Drops Anchor

New York, The Macmillan Company, 1967 . Cloth. The first American edition of Peake"s first book, an eccentric pirate fantasy, profusely illustrated by the author in its striking revised two-colour format. In the publisher's original pictorial cloth boards.  Complete with the original unclipped dust warpper.  First American edition, and the first printing of this substantially revised edition. Captain Slaughterboard Drops Anchor was first published by Country Life in London in 1939; this American edition did not appear until 1967. The 1967 version was newly typeset, with revisions to the text and Peake"s illustrations altered and overprinted in a vivid orange-yellow. Peake"s first published book, an exuberantly grotesque picture-book following the fearsome pirate Captain Slaughterboard, whose bloodthirsty adventures take an unexpected turn after his encounter with the mysterious Yellow Creature. Written and illustrated by Mervyn Peake (1911-1968) was an English novelist, poet, artist and illustrator, best remembered for the Gormenghast sequence. Captain Slaughterboard Drops Anchor, published seven years before Titus Groan, represents the very beginning of his career as an author and book illustrator.   In the publisher's original pictorial cloth boards. Externally, lovely. Minor shelf wear to extremities; slight bumping to spine ends. The odd very minor mark to perimeters. Dust wrapper, excellent. Slight edge wear to extremities with one or two very small closed tears and chips, more so to spine ends. Small spot of damp staining to front wrap. Discreet tape repair to upper extremities of rear joint, reinforcing 1cm closed tear. Horizontal crease to front flap. Internally, firmly bound. Pages bright and clean with just one or two very minor handling marks. Fine . Ill.: Mervyn Peake. Fine/Near Fine.