My copy was a very well-worn paperback by Panther Books, with The Harlequin Hat , a portrait by William Strang, on the cover. The wearer of said hat bears an uncanny Woolf/Dalloway resmblance, an obvious choice for the cover then, but I've been unable to find reference to the work, or the edition, anywhere. What became of Panther Books, and this edition?
One of the great things about secondhand books, and records, is imagining their past lives. The back cover of my copy of Mrs Dalloway reveals Panther to have an impressive oevre - John Barth, Leonard Cohen, Kerouac, Vonnegut, Kingsley Amis, Lessing - selling for between 25p-60p, and their cover art is impressive. Here's their take on Barthes and Ballard, fit for the hauntologists:
My copy of Mrs Dalloway is published by Flamingo. It also has The Harlequin Hat on the cover, and the tantalizing information that the painting was stolen and a sum of money offered for its return. It isn't among Strang works published on the Internet. Has it been returned, I wonder?
ReplyDeleteInteresting... 2 publishers and still no sign of it.
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