Maurice Collis — Quest for Sita

New York, The John Day Company , 1947 . First edition. Cloth. A smart first US edition copy of this charmingly illustrated retelling of the 'The Ramayana' by Maurice Collis, with drawings by Mervyn Peake. The first US edition.  In the publisher's original black cloth binding. In the original unclipped dust wrapper. With full page illustrations by British writer and artist Mervyn Peake, best known for the Gormenghast series of fantasy books.  This volume contains a retelling of the classic Sanskrit epic 'The Ramayana', by administrator and author Maurice Collis, who specialised in writings on Southeast Asia.  The story derives from one of two important epics of Hinduism known as the Itihasas, the other being the Mahabharata, which are narratives of past events, interspersed with teachings on the goals of human life.   In the publisher's original cloth binding. In the original unclipped dust wrapper. Externally, minor shelf wear to the head and tail of the spine. Dust wrapper with sunning to spine, light shelf wear to extremities, and the odd very small closed tear. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are bright and clean. Near Fine . Ill.: Mervyn Peake. Near Fine/Very Good Indeed.