First edition, first impression. 510pp, plus several sections of black and white plate illustrations, with further occasional illustrations in text. Tan cloth-covered boards with gilt lettering on red relief on the spine. 8vo. Cloth a little pushed in at spine ends. This copy presented to Tony Royse, with numerous signatures on the front free endpaper and a card pasted to the front free paste down indicating that the volume was presented to Royse by his colleagues as Dragon School, Oxford upon his departure from the school in 1971. Internally there are some light signs of handling throughout and the pages are just off-bright, else neat, clean and tight. In its original worn dust wrapper, lightly rubbed and bumped at edges, a little crumbled at extreme spine head and slightly misfitting.
Royse was a talented musician, serving as director of music at Dragon School in Oxford, Appleby College in Ontario, Canada and Hilton College, Natal, South Africa. He conducted orchestras, choral societies and choirs worldwide and his compositions included ballet, orchestral, instrumental and choral works.
