DURRELL, Gerald [John Drinkall].
The Overloaded Ark.
First Edition of The Book Society Edition of The Overloaded Ark; Signed by Gerald Durrell and From the Collection of Ambassador John Drinkall
London: Faber and Faber & The Book Society, 1953.
$850.00
In Stock
Item Number: RRB-150367
* Custom Clamshell Boxes are hand made by the Harcourt Bindery upon request and take approximately 60 days to complete
First edition of the Book Society edition of Durrell's first book. Octavo, original green cloth, top stain blue. Boldly signed by Gerald Durrell on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Illustrated by Sabine Baur. Signed bookplate of John Drinkall, who was a distinguished British diplomat whose career in the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office included service as Ambassador to Afghanistan (1972–1976) and later as High Commissioner to Jamaica, with additional non-resident responsibility as Ambassador to Haiti (1976–1981). His postings placed him in politically significant environments—including China, Egypt, and Afghanistan—where he witnessed major geopolitical transitions firsthand. Uncommon signed.
The Overloaded Ark is the chronicle of a six-month collecting trip, from December 1947 to August 1948, to the West African colony of British Cameroon – now Cameroon – that Durrell made with aviculturist and ornithologist John Yealland.
Their reasons for going on the trip were twofold: "to collect and bring back alive some of the fascinating animals, birds, and reptiles that inhabit the region", and secondly, for both men to realize a long cherished dream to see Africa.
The Overloaded Ark.
$850.00
In Stock
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