Old Perisher by Edward Ardizzone / Diana Ross first edition 1965

London: Faber and Faber, 1965
 
Large 4to., illustrated pictorial paper-covered boards featuring an image of a cat in a flower bed by Ardizzone; in repeat dust wrapper (heavily price clipped, with overlaid publisher’s price sticker of £1.95 net); [unpaginated]; illustrated throughout with line drawings in both black and white and full colour; a near-fine copy, spine slightly rolled, upper edge a trifle spotted, with some very minor marking to the gutters of ffeps; in like jacket, very minor creases and nicks, one small closed tear to head of spine neatly repaired internally with archival tape. 
 
First edition. A charming tale concerning a troublesome cat in the Corporation gardens. 
 
Perhaps best known for her ‘Little Red Engine’ books, Diana Ross was a children’s author, artist and sculptor who also published many books under the pen name of her cat, Gri. Cats were to play a key role in many of her books - as well as Old Perisher she also introduced ‘Miss Pussy’, who metamorphosed from a feline original. At one point, her family owned five of the animals, as well as a singular dog. 
 
“The skill in her writing for young children” the Guardian Obituary article states, “lies in devices that incorporate repetition and also generate a sense of anticipation. She understood that her readers, and those who listened to her stories, loved the possibility of danger - if seen from a safe place.”