Wand of Noble Wood

London: Hutchinson & Co, 1961. First Edition. First Impression. Octavo (19cm); black paper-covered boards, with titles stamped in white and gilt on spine; dustjacket; [6],7-207,[1]pp. Early owner's ink name ("Madeline Currie, July 31/63, Lagos Nigeria") on front pastedown and endpaper, faint foxing to text edges and endpapers, with a small, faint splash mark to front cover; Very Good+. Dustjacket is unclipped (priced 16s. net), gently spine-sunned and lightly edgeworn, with some foxing and dust-soil, and a corresponding faint splash mark to front panel; Very Good+. The Nigerian author's debut novel, which had some superficial similarities to Achebe's No Longer At Ease. "Nzekwu's hero, Peter Obiese is a westernized journalist, whose love for Nneka is thwarted by the fact that she is under a family curse. Yet the situation is not exactly the same: although Peter pays lip-service to modern scepticism, he does his best to go through the rituals that are supposed to lift the curse; the rites do not work because some white stone is missing, and Nneka commits suicide rather than have Peter come under the curse with her" (Gérard, European-Language Writing in Sub-Saharan Africa, Vol.2, p.704). 81603.