Miss Hargreaves

BAKER, Frank.

Published by London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1940, London, 1940

About this Item

1940. 1st Edition / 1st Impression Description: Illustrated DJ over red cloth with black titles to spine. Language: English. Book Condition> Fair: Light wear to corners, edges and spine ends. Rubbing and light marks to front cloth. Cracked rear endpaper with weakened hinge. Newsagent stamp to ffep. Light background foxing to endpapers, prelims and rear pages. Pen mark to page 219. Tanned pages and text block edges. DJ Condition> Very Poor: Missing lower third of spine. Heavy wear to upper spine end with loss to both upper spine edges. Heavy wear and small losses to all corners. Heavy tanning to front and rear covers. Unclipped and replacement price sticker. 310pp. Size: 12mo (large), 19cm by 13cm. ADDITIONAL ITEMS: 333. Author: Frank Baker was born in Hornsey, London in 1908, and educated at Winchester Cathedral School, where he enjoyed singing in the Cathedral choir He had inherited a love of music from his grandfather who played the organ at Alexandra Palace After working in his fathers business of marine insurance in the City of London, he spent a year working at the School of Church Music before relocating from London to Cornwall where he became organist at St Just-in-Penwith, earning £1 a week He soon began to work on his first novel, The Twisted Tree, published in 1935 His second novel The Birds came out in 1936 and was quite probably the basis for the 1963 movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock In addition to writing, Frank Baker continued to play both piano and organ, and especially enjoyed playing at the parish church at St Hilary in West Cornwall Miss Hargreaves, Bakers third novel, was the most successful and republished several times as well as being produced as a play in 1952 at the Royal Court Theatre Club in London, with Dame Margaret Rutherford in the starring role He later wrote a radio adaptation of the novel which was broadcast in the 1950s, and much later a second adaptation was written by Brian Sibley and broadcast in 1989, six years after Franks death For a while Frank became a professional actor and toured with Dame Sybil Thorndike and Lewis Casson throughout the UK He married Kathleen Lloyd in 1943 and had three children together, living the family life in Hampstead, then Mevagissey in Cornwall, for around 5 years, then in Surrey before returning to Cornwall, and a home near the village of Goldsithney Eventually the family settled in Porthleven, Cornwall, which was his home until his death in 1983. Y PLEASE ASK for additional photographs if required. Seller Inventory # 6096

Bibliographic Details

Title: Miss Hargreaves

Publisher: London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1940, London

Publication Date: 1940

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Fair

Dust Jacket Condition: Very Poor

Edition: 1st Edition.