The Box of Delights.: or When the Wolves Were Running.

London: William Heinemann,, 1935. Christmas ought to be brought up to date... it ought to have gangsters, and aeroplanes and a lot of automatic pistols First edition, first impression, of the author's influential fantasy novel for children. Writing in The Guardian in 2017, the author Piers Torday noted that "long before Harry Potter, The Box of Delights remade children's fantasy", and in The Telegraph in 2020 a headline stated "You'd never have J. K. Rowling without John Masefield". The first edition is comparatively scarce: only 7,500 copies were printed (in contrast to Masefield's previous novel of which there were 10,000 printed and Masefield's next novel of which there were 15,000). The novel was first adapted for radio broadcast in 1943 (with repeats or new adaptations in 1948, 1955, 1966, 1977, 1995, and 2011). The BBC TV series featuring Robert Stephens, Patricia Quinn, and Patrick Troughton was first broadcast in 1984. A musical version followed in 1994 and 1996 and a theatrical adaptation was staged in 2017, 2018, and 2019. A new audio version starring Derek Jacobi was released in 2021, while the Royal Shakespeare Company staged a revised theatrical adaptation by Piers Torday in Stratford-upon-Avon during their 2023 Christmas season. Many authors, including Angela Carter, C. S. Lewis, Alan Garner, and Neil Gaiman have noted the influence of the book on their writing. Octavo. Finely bound by the Chelsea Bindery in dark blue morocco, spine lettered and decorated in gilt, raised bands, twin rule to turn-ins gilt, title blocked to front board gilt within frame replicating original design by Judith Masefield, red endpapers with the original endpapers bound in at front, gilt edges. 26 vignettes by Judith Masefield and one drawing by the author. A fine copy. Errington A115(a).