NICHOLS, Beverly (author). William McLaren (illustrator). Sunlight on the Lawn. London Jonathan Cape. 1956

8vo.; original cream cloth-backed mid-blue cloth boards, spine with onlaid blue cloth panel lettered in blue, top edges blue, double-page pictorial endpapers in colours; pictorial dustwrapper; pp. [vi], 7-255; with line illustrations and decorations throughout by William McLaren; an excellent copy, externally clean in an unusually attractive dustwrapper with minor dusting, tiny nicking to head of spine, a closed 1cm tear to bottom edge of upper panel, and another of similar length to top edge of front flap, both now expertly repaired to the reverse with archival tissue and unnoticeable.

First edition, first printing. A happy story. This volume describes the latter stages of the author’s devoted restoration of his Georgian country house, Merry Hall, both its interior and its garden. Here, “the house is finished, the garden is finally designed, the trees are growing apace, And through this pleasant scene wander a number of endearing characters from whose small rivalries and ambitions Mr. Nichols contrives so entertaining a comedy of manners.”