The Second China War 1856-1860
BONNER-SMITH, D., E.W.R., LUMBY (eds.)
Published: Navy Records Society, 1954
Stock code: 19630
Price: £125.00
8vo., First Edition, with a frontispiece map and 3 full-page maps in the text; original series binding of ivory buckram blocked in gilt, navy blue buckram back lettered in gilt, covers lightly age-soiled else a very good, bright, clean copy.
Navy Records Society, Vol. XCV. With 6pp series catalogue bound in at end. This copy was presented by J E Morpurgo to the library of Christ's Hospital School and bears its bookplate on front paste-down and presentation bookplate with press-mark on front free endpaper. Jack Eric Morpurgo (1918-2000), professor, historian, man of letters and eminent Old Blue, was educated at Christ's Hospital School and the University of North Brunswick, Canada. After service with the Royal Artillery in WWII he worked as an editor at Penguin Books and was several times nominated by Allen Lane as his successor, but the appointment fell foul of the volatile relationship shared by the two men (Morpurgo wrote Lane's biography in 1970). After Penguin he joined the National Book League (now Book Trust) where he rose to Director-General. He was subsequently appointed Professor of American Literature at the University of Leeds and was awarded several visiting professorships at universities throughout the world. He is the stepfather of the writer Michael Morpurgo. Scarce.