Publisher: | London: Hodder & Stoughton. | Edition: | Limited Edition 189/500; Published Date: [1914] | Illustrations: | Illustrated with 20 guarded plates as well as figures in the text | Dimensions: | 310 x 250 mm (12 x 10 inches) - 235pp + plates. | Appearance: | Cream/gilt hardback vellum cover. | Condition: | G : in good condition. Cover rubbed. Front board slightly bellied. Slight foxing. No Ties. |
J.M. Barrie's satirical stage play of the perfect butler. The family, and its servants, are shipwrecked and marooned on a tropical South Seas island, and only Crichton has the skill and resourcefulness to keep everyone alive. Within a few weeks, cracks begin to appear in the social order and the class system is reversed. Crichton is the newly appointed "Governor", Lord Loam becomes only "Daddy", with the rest of the family taking up the role of eager servants. After years on the island, a passing ship is sighted and the islanders light a beacon to signal it. Crichton's first action is to don his butler's suit and resume his original position. Once rescued they return to the London estate and the original master-servant status quo is restored. Illustrator Hugh Thomson (1860-1920) was born in Coleraine, Northern Ireland and had little formal training, serving his apprenticeship at the card manufacturers. He made his first contribution to the English Illustrated Magazine, and subsequently went on to illustrate a number of classic works.
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