INSCRIBED FOR HER TRANSLATOR
The Water Beetle
Hamish Hamilton, 1962.
First edition. Publisher's red cloth, lettered silver, in the pictorial dustwrapper by Osbert Lancaster. Inscribed by Mitford to her French translator Jacques Brousse on the half-title "Jacques with love from Nancy. Paris 1962". Frontispiece and five further full-page illustrations on thick grey paper by Osbert Lancaster. A fine copy in a near fine dustwrapper.
Jacques Brousse was Mitford's French translator who, as well as working on other books of hers, translated the present one for its publication in France.
Her affectionate nickname for Brousse was "Hysterico" and following the publication of the French translation Mitford wrote to Heywood Hill "Water Beetle had 'rave' notices here chiefly owing to Hysterico's brilliant translation - it's called Snobismes et Voyages. I think Snob is a magic word" (11th March 1965).
Inscribed copies of this book are uncommon.
Stock ID: 39644
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