Margery Allingham. The China Governess. First Edition. Chatto & Windus, 1963.
First edition of Margery Allingham's celebrated Albert Campion mystery, published by Chatto & Windus, London, in 1963. Bound in the publisher's original green cloth boards with gilt lettering to the spine and housed in the original illustrated dust jacket by Youngman Carter, Allingham's husband and long-time collaborator.
A particularly desirable copy in near fine condition, previous owner's signature on the front flap of the, original, unclipped dust jacket.
The book is firmly bound and internally clean. The original green cloth remains bright and well-preserved, while the dust jacket presents attractively. Published in 1963 and printed in Great Britain by Cox & Wyman Ltd., this is a collectible example of one of the later Campion novels. The China Governess is the seventeenth Albert Campion novel and centres on Timothy Kinnit, a young man whose uncertain wartime origins threaten his future happiness. When a mysterious death occurs within a wealthy London family, Campion becomes involved in unraveling secrets that stretch back to the Second World War. As the investigation unfolds, hidden identities, long-buried family connections, and questions of inheritance combine in a complex and atmospheric mystery.
Significance
The China Governess is considered one of Margery Allingham's notable later novels and an important entry in the Albert Campion series. It demonstrates the maturity of Allingham's writing, blending traditional detective fiction with themes of post-war identity, family history, and social change in modern Britain. The novel is also significant for its vivid portrayal of London in the years following the war. As one of the final Campion novels published during Allingham's lifetime, it remains highly regarded by collectors and admirers of Golden Age crime fiction.
An excellent opportunity to acquire a first edition by one of the foremost Queens of Crime, increasingly sought after by collectors of classic detective fiction.
254 pp.
