The Prince of Pleasure and his Regency 1811-20.

PRIESTLEY, J.B.

$400.00

Item Number: 145562

London: The Arcadia Press, 1970.

Signed limited edition of this social and political commentary on the Regency Period. Super octavo, bound in the original full crushed morocco by Zaehnsdorf of London with gilt titles to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, decorative gilt morocco inlays and gilt patterning to the front panel, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, illustration of the Snuff-box believed to have been presented to the 1st Duke of Wellington by the Prince Regent on the verso of the frontispiece, frontispiece of The Prince Regent in Garter Robes by Sir Thomas Lawrence, generously illustrated with paintings, photographs, and political cartoons throughout. One of only two hundred and sixty-five copies signed by the author on the limitation page, this is number 116. In fine condition. Housed in the original clamshell case.

John Boynton Priestley was a prolific English writer, playwright, and social commentator whose works often explored themes of social justice, individual responsibility, and the impact of historical forces on society. He wrote numerous novels, plays, essays, and works of non-fiction throughout his career, spanning various genres and styles, some of which include the James Tait Black Memorial Prize-winning novel 'The Good Companions,' 'Angel Pavement,' and 'An Inspector Calls.' During the Second World War he was a regular broadcaster on the BBC. 'The Postscript,' broadcast on Sunday night in 1940 and again in 1941, drew peak audiences of 16 million; only Churchill was more popular with listeners. Graham Greene wrote that Priestley "became in the months after Dunkirk a leader second only in importance to Mr. Churchill. And he gave us what our other leaders have always failed to give us — an ideology."