Captain Slaugherboard Drops Anchor. London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1945. Second Edition. A lovely clean copy in cream cloth covers, with illustrated dust jacket.

Published in 1939 by Country Life, this was Peake’s first published work. A darkly humorous children’s picture book, set on a fantastic island populated by unusual animals, a pirate captain finds a trustworthy companion in the little “Yellow Creature.”

English modernist writer, artist, poet and illustrator, Mervin Peake, is best known for what are usually referred to as the ‘Gormenghast’ books, about the inhabitants of Castle Gormenghast, a sprawling, decaying, Gothic structure.  The series was ended by Peake’s death and comprises three novels.