KNIGHT, Ruth Dorrien.

£400 · Offered by Peter Harrington

The Binks Book. First and sole edition of this intriguing children's story, set in London with beautiful art deco illustrations by the author. Rare: just five copies traced institutionally in WorldCat and Library Hub (BL, Manchester, Scotland, Oxford, Ormesby Hall). The work features a series of adventures "beyond the Four Chimneys" (Battersea Power Station) of a young boy who lives near Battersea with his father.Ruth Constance Dorrien Knight (1893-1983) was a socialist (regarded by some as a communist and nicknamed "“Red Ruth"); during the civil war in Spain she helped bring Basque refugee children to England. In 1926 she married James Pennyman, the owner of Ormesby Hall (now a National Trust property), and a staunch conservative. Ruth transformed Ormesby into a home of theatrical performances and workshops. In the 1930s Ruth and her husband set up a woodworking business, Boosbeck Industries, to create employment for miners, and market gardens and livestock schemes.

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.