Written by Alastair Reid. Illustrated by Bob Gill. First edition, 1959. Simon and Schuster. New York.
"My Dear Alicia,
"By now you must be convinced that I am dead. Believe me, my dear, you are not far from wrong. We've been living the most extravagant life for the past few months, and I have been naughty about writing...
"It began when Jonathan and I were dining one Tuesday with the Owen Holdings, the Payne-Trusts and the Tynemarches. It had been pouring all day and we were dismally bored to a man, bored to the back teeth with everything. All at once - I think it was Jonathan's suggestion - we decided to go round the world! Well, not exactly round it - everybody does that - but all over it. In fact, we left the very next day since Deborah Payne-Trust swore she wouldn't stay in town another minute. Owen, the angel, arranged simply everything, and the whole idea cheered us up enormously..."
Front Flap
"The four couples in this book are normal everyday millionaires. They like to have a nice time. The story of how they go about it will warm the hearts of other millionaires and of those members of the Majority who are sufficiently tolerant and sufficiently loving not to hold it against any human being that he happens to be very, very, very, very, very rich."
Bob Gill (1931 - 2021) was an influential American illustrator and graphic designer. Gill was a founding member of the design studio Fletcher/Forbes/Gill, which later evolved into Pentagram, was inducted into the New York Art Directors Club Hall of Fame, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Designers and Art Directors Association of London.
Alastair Reid (1922 - 2014) was a Scottish poet. His early life was marked by service as a code breaker in the Royal Navy during World War II. After the war, he completed his education and embarked on a life of travel and writing. Reid was known for his translations of South American literature, particularly the works of Jorge Luis Borges and Pablo Neruda, and for his contributions to The New Yorker. His poetry is celebrated for its colloquial warmth and ease, and he also authored several collections of essays and travelogues.
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Condition: Near Fine/Fair. Dust jacket: Light soiling, front and back; on the front, additional soiling at the upper corners, pencil mark at lower edge, small blue mark in the illustration; on the back, two small blue spots in the upper right, small black mark above lower edge, small open tear in upper left corner; small chip above and small scuff below a closed tear at head of the spine; bumped at the corners. Khaki cloth cover boards with black title: Lightly bumped at corners. Pages are clean, undamaged, and complete.
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