I have been in the rare and antiquarian book business for over forty years; my family has been in the rare books business since 1876. Rare books are in my blood.
The Female Approach
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1954. Item #04674
The Belles of St. Trinian's and other Cartoons
SEARLE, Ronald. The Female Approach. Cartoons by Ronald Searle with an Introduction by Malcolm Muggeridge, Editor of Punch. London: Alfred A. Knopf, 1954.
First American Edition. Small quarto (10 x 7 1/4 inches; 253 x 184 mm.). [ii, blank], x, 147, [1] pp. Profusely illustrated with over 150 black & white drawings.
Publisher's red boards, front cover with rectangular pictorial design in black, white and red. Spine decoratively lettered in black, white and red. Some minor rubbing to spine extremities and corners. Original pictorial dust-jacket, also with minor rubbing to spine extremities and corners. An excellent copy.
"Some crazy weather is moving in on America, originating in the British Isles. High risibility is forecast, and there will be gales of laughter. The average mean laugh will be well above normal, to be followed by chortles of variable high-pressure chuckles. Clouds of gloom will be dispelled. This harbinger of humor is Ronald Searle, England's most discussed cartoonist, whose books when published there have outsold hotcakes two to one. Mr. Searle is the creator of "St. Trinian's, " a celebrated academy for young gentlewomen which has become part of the warp and woof of English society, poor thing. He taes witty and often acid looks at all of us - but why go on? One random Searle cartoon is more persuasive than anything that could be said on this flap. So -" (Dust jacket front flap).
Ronald William Fordham Searle, CBE, RDI (3 March 1920 – 30 December 2011) was a British artist and satirical cartoonist. He is perhaps best remembered as the creator of St Trinian's School and for his collaboration with Geoffrey Willans on the Molesworth series. After moving to Paris in 1961, he worked more on reportage for Life and Holiday and less on cartoons. He also continued to work in a broad range of media and created books (including his well-known cat books), animated films and sculpture for commemorative medals, both for the French Mint and the British Art Medal Society. Searle did a considerable amount of designing for the cinema, and in 1965, he completed the opening, intermission and closing credits for the comedy film Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines as well as the 1969 film Monte Carlo or Bust!. In 1975, the full-length cartoon Dick Deadeye, or Duty Done was released. It is based on the character and songs from H.M.S. Pinafore.
Price: $225.00