Pink cloth with black vignette to front and black titles to front and spine. No dust jacket. The book was once the property of St John and Red Cross Library, per their bookplate on the front pastedown. Nine colour plates, all present and secure, and all clean. Each chapter (except the first) is preceded by a full page black and white illustration, and there are numerous black and white drawings within the text. All the illustrations are by Jean Elder. The corners and spine ends are quite well rubbed and bumped, and there is some minor rippling to the cloth along the right edge of the front and rear boards. The spine has faded slightly, and has a minor forward lean. There is a little light spotting and discolouration to textblock edges, a faint blue crayon drawing on the rear endpaper, and further blue crayon markings in the gutter adjacent to two of the plates (one of which is shown in the pictures); the contents of the book are otherwise clean. There is a closed tear in the right ed