Lawrence Durrell THE BLACK BOOK First US and similar items

THE BLACK BOOK by Lawrence Durrell New York: E.P. Dutton Co., Inc., 1960. First U.S. edition, first printing: Review copy, with publisher's green and white printed slip, dated Sept 14 1960, laid in. Small ownership address-label to the front paste-down endpaper, small faint stain to the outer page fore-edges, light rubbing to the upper and lower spine edges, else near fine in black linen with gilt embossed titles to the spine; in a near fine dust jacket with very short tears and accompanying creases to the upper spine edge; original $4.95 price still intact to the front inner flap. Originally published in Paris by the Obelisk Press in 1938, only because Henry Miller did not destroy the manuscript as the then unknown Durrell requested. This is the initial U.S. appearance with the first issue point on the D/J flap: "'the first piece of work by a new English writer to give me any hope for the future of prose fiction."--T.S. Eliot'. (Not 'T.S. Eliot said') Durrell's first novel. A significant literary collectible. Hard-to-find with the front panel of the dust jacket so bright black. Unusually nice. Scarce with the review slip laid in. FREE SHIPPING TO THE USA PLEASE VIEW OUR STORE FOR MORE GREAT FIRST EDITION BOOKS THANKS!