The Ballad of Peckham Rye

London: Macmillan, 1960 First edition, first printing. Publisher's blue boards with titles in gilt to spine; dust jacket with front panel nightlife illustration by Victor Reinganum. Near fine copy with light toning to board edges and spine, a slight lean to spine, previous owner's signature on front free endpaper, and notes in pencil to rear free endpaper; very good unclipped dust jacket with light wear to extremities, light toning to spine, a few tiny closed tears to head of spine and rear inner flap, and small nicks to top corners of front and rear panels. Overall, an attractive copy. In The Ballad of Peckham Rye, Dougal Douglas, a Scottish migrant who may or may not be the devil himself, takes up residence in Peckham and is hired by a textile company to conduct "human research" into the lives of the area's citizens. His meddling into their affairs creates mayhem throughout the neighborhood, culminating in a groom saying "No" at the altar. The Ballad of Peckham Rye was written by the Scottish writer Muriel Spark, perhaps most famous for her novel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, which was published just a year after this one. Publisher's Weekly wrote, "Touched with a Satanic glamour, witty and quite perfect in its construction, this light and mock-folkloric novel is the work of an inspired satirist." . First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Dust Jacket Included.