Published by Jonathan Cape, London; 2007. 8vo. 383pp. First edition, first impression. **Signed by the author**. Condition: Fine/Fine.

Bound in original black cloth boards with gilt title to the spine. The binding is square and tight and in excellent condition, with no marks or damage to speak of. Inside, the pages are clean and bright and free from blemishes or wear, save a slight touch of toning to the edges. The book is signed by the author on the title page.

The book is housed in its original dust jacket, which is in equally smart condition, bright and vibrant with no marks or damage to speak of.

This is a beautiful example of this signed first edition by Wesley Stace. It tells the tale of two Georges. One, a peculiar but endearing 11-year-old, raised in the seedy world of '70s boarding houses and now packed off to school for the first time. The other is a garrulous ventriloquist's dummy, which belonged to George's grandfather and was a favourite travelling act of troops during World War II. Weaving together the boy's tale and the puppet's 'memoirs', this novel is at once bitingly funny exquisitely tender. It is an unforgettable journey of two boys separated by years but driven by the same desires: to find a voice, and to be loved.