E. V. Lucas — As the Bee Sucks: Essays

London, Methuen & Co. Ltd. 1937. First edition. Cloth. A smart first edition of this illustrated collection of essays from English humorist E. V. Lucas, with the original price-clipped dust wrapper. First edition. With the vanishingly scarce original price-clipped dust wrapper. Illustrated throughout. A collection of essays from Edward Verrall Lucas, an English humorist, essayist, playwright, biographer, publisher, poet, novelist, short story writer and editor. Being twenty-six sketches of fact and fancy. Selected and illustrated by Ernest Howard Shepard, an English artist and book illustrator known for illustrations of the anthropomorphic animal and soft toy characters in The Wind in the Willows and Winnie-the-Pooh. Previously held in the library of Nicolas McDowall, an English book collector who established a private press alongside his wife, called the Old Stile Press. In the original full cloth binding. Externally, smart with light bumping to the extremities and fading to the spine and board edges. Original price-clipped dust wrapper is worn with chipping and light loss to the extremities. Light sunning to the spine with the odd small mark. A 5" closed tear to the spine with light loss to the head and tail. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are very bright with the odd small spot. A contemporary ink inscription to the front endpaper with the previous owner's bookplate to the front pastedown. Very Good . Ill.: Ernest H. Shepard. Very Good/Good Only.