London: Penguin/Michael Joseph, 2010

8vo, pp. 438. Original blue boards, lettered in gilt to spine. Multicoloured endpapers, author's colour photographic portrait to verso of front free endpaper. Illustrated dust jacket featuring a portrait of the author. A fine copy in a very good dust jacket with some crumpling to lower edge of rear panel, and a resultant small closed tear at fold.

First edition, INSCRIBED BY FRY TO HIS PUBLISHER: 'For Sue -- who is responsible for this author writing in the first place Stephen Fry 14/9/10'.

Sue Freestone was publishing director at Heinemann, Hutchinson and Quercus over the course a distinguished career, and guided the early -- and then mature -- careers of many authors who became best sellers. As well as Fry, her list included Douglas Adams, Robert Harris and Sebastian Faulks, and she also saw into print books by political figures, among them Alastair Campbell, Tony Benn and Bill Clinton.

A fine, fond association.