Scapegoat, The
London: Victor Gollancz Ltd., 1957. Item #06451
Inscribed “in all sincerity” - Daphne du Maurier to Ingle Barr
A Fine Association Copy of The Scapegoat, With a Signed Photograph
DU MAURIER, Daphne. The Scapegoat. London: Victor Gollancz Ltd., 1957.
First edition, warmly inscribed by Daphne du Maurier to Ingle Barr (1908–1974), the distinguished British barrister and later King’s Counsel, and accompanied by a signed photograph of the author.
Octavo (7 1/4 x 4 13/16 inches; 184 x 123 mm.). [1–4], 5–368 pp.
Publisher’s original red cloth over boards, spine lettered in gilt - slightly dull. With the ex-libris bookplate of Ingle Barr on the front pastedown. A near fine copy in the original price-clipped yellow dust jacket printed in pink and black, very well preserved with only minimal signs of handling. Housed in a quarter red calf over black cloth boards clamshell case, spine richly decorated in gilt, two black leather labels lettered in gilt.
Inscribed on the front free-endpaper: "For Ingle Barr/in all sincerity/Daphne du Maurier."
Mounted to the front free endpaper is a signed photographic portrait of du Maurier, adding a highly desirable visual and autograph element rarely encountered with the book. The remains of two small pieces of sellotape affixing the photograph.
The inscription is notably simple and direct, its tone of “all sincerity” suggesting a genuine personal regard rather than a formal presentation.
The Scapegoat is one of du Maurier’s most psychologically intricate novels, exploring identity and duality, moral responsibility and the consequences of assuming another man’s life. The story follows an English academic who encounters his exact double, a French aristocrat, and is drawn into a dangerous exchange of identities. The novel reflects du Maurier’s enduring fascination with doubles and divided selves, hidden lives and moral ambiguity themes that place it alongside her most sophisticated later works. It was adapted into a 1959 film starring Alec Guinness and Bette Davis.
Daphne du Maurier (1907-1989) was an English novelist and short-story writer best known for Rebecca, a landmark of 20th-century suspense fiction. She also authored Jamaica Inn, My Cousin Rachel and The Scapegoat works noted for their psychological tension and Gothic atmosphere.
Price: $2,750.00