First UK edition. 8vo. 552pp. Brown cloth, lettered in gilt to spine. Dustjacket design taken from a painting by Sidney Nolan (priced 21s and with printer's code 6/4253/2 to front flap). Published in October 1961, same month as U.S. first, although the latter is accorded precedence.
Light top edge spotting; jacket sustains tiny nicks and slight fraying to spine ends and edges, water stains to reverse cover, else fine.
Author's sixth novel. The book won White his second Miles Franklin Literary Award. A Burgess 99 title. Callil & Tóibín; The Modern Library: The 200 Best Novels in English Since 1950. An Aborigine artist, a Holocaust survivor, a beatific washerwoman, and a childlike heiress are each blessed – and stricken – with visionary experiences. "Stands out among contemporary novels like a cathedral surrounded by booths". –The Sunday Times
[Hubber and Smith H-2a]