BOOK DETAILS
Trade paper ISBN-13: 978-1941147214 List Price: $15.99 U.S. Pages: 156 Published: 2014 |
The Thirty-First of June (1961)
J.B. Priestley With a new introduction by Lee Hanson Book Description
The medieval world invades the modern as Arthurian chivalry and magic meet modern-day business and advertising in J. B. Priestley’s charming fantasy. In the land of Peradore, Princess Melicent gazes into a magic mirror given to her by the sorcerer Malgrim and is immediately enraptured with the man she sees, Sam Penty, a London ad designer who at that same moment is thinking of using an illustration of an Arthurian damsel in his new marketing campaign. When Malgrim and his rival enchanter Marlagram decide to meddle in the lives of the princess and her would-be lover, Melicent finds herself transported to the 1960s for a hilarious appearance on a daytime television program, while is Sam whisked away to Peradore to fight a battle with the gigantic Red Knight and a ravening, fire-breathing dragon. Can Melicent and Sam survive their wild time-travelling adventures and be united to live happily ever after? One of the most beloved works by the prolific playwright and novelist J. B. Priestley (1894-1984), The Thirty-First of June (1961) remains a delightful reading experience for young and old alike. This new edition of Priestley’s classic fantasy includes the original illustrations by John Cooper and a new introduction by Lee Hanson. |
reviews
‘Priestley in top form and being very, very funny.’ – Simon Fox, Western Mail
‘[A] glorious fantasy . . . I, for one, immensely enjoyed this romp of a novel.’ – R. C. Scriven, Yorkshire Post
‘[I]n a class by itself . . . an energetic romp.’ – Claire Tomalin, Spectator
‘A book paralleling Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court but loaded with much more wacky humor.’ – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
‘[A] rollicking piece of humour . . . he can raise more laughs to the page than almost any other story-teller.’ – John O’London’s
‘Dedicated to the author’s six granddaughters, it should appeal to countless other grandchildren, not to mention their grannies and grandpas. Still reeling from Mr Priestley’s enchantment.’ – Fred Urquhart, Books of the Month
‘[A] glorious fantasy . . . I, for one, immensely enjoyed this romp of a novel.’ – R. C. Scriven, Yorkshire Post
‘[I]n a class by itself . . . an energetic romp.’ – Claire Tomalin, Spectator
‘A book paralleling Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court but loaded with much more wacky humor.’ – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
‘[A] rollicking piece of humour . . . he can raise more laughs to the page than almost any other story-teller.’ – John O’London’s
‘Dedicated to the author’s six granddaughters, it should appeal to countless other grandchildren, not to mention their grannies and grandpas. Still reeling from Mr Priestley’s enchantment.’ – Fred Urquhart, Books of the Month
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AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
John Boynton Priestley was born in 1894 in Yorkshire, the son of a schoolmaster. After leaving Belle Vue School when he was 16, he worked in a wool office but was already by this time determined to become a writer. He volunteered for the army in 1914 during the First World War and served five years; on his return home, he attended university and wrote articles for the Yorkshire Observer. After graduating, he established himself in London, writing essays, reviews, and other nonfiction, and publishing several miscellaneous volumes. In 1927 his first two novels appeared, Adam in Moonshine and Benighted. In 1929 Priestley scored his first major critical success as a novelist, winning the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for The Good Companions. Angel Pavement (1930) followed and was also extremely successful. Throughout the next several decades, Priestley published numerous novels, many of them very popular and successful, including Bright Day (1946), and Lost Empires (1965), and was also a prolific and highly regarded playwright.
Priestley died in 1984, and though his plays have continued to be published and performed since his death, much of his fiction has unfortunately fallen into obscurity. Recently, some of his most famous novels have been reprinted in England by Great Northern Books; Valancourt Books is republishing Benighted and Priestley’s excellent collection of weird short stories The Other Place (1953).
For more information on J.B. Priestley, visit the official website at http://www.jbpriestley.co.uk/JBP/Home.html or the website for the J.B. Priestley Society at http://www.jbpriestleysociety.com/.
Priestley died in 1984, and though his plays have continued to be published and performed since his death, much of his fiction has unfortunately fallen into obscurity. Recently, some of his most famous novels have been reprinted in England by Great Northern Books; Valancourt Books is republishing Benighted and Priestley’s excellent collection of weird short stories The Other Place (1953).
For more information on J.B. Priestley, visit the official website at http://www.jbpriestley.co.uk/JBP/Home.html or the website for the J.B. Priestley Society at http://www.jbpriestleysociety.com/.