Vesper Flights

New York: Grove Press, 2020. SIGNED. Purchased New. 1st/1st. NF/NF. First U. S. Edition. First printing with complete 10 number line ending in 1. Signed by Helen MacDonald on the publisher's special bound-in signature page. The unread book is tight and square with solid hinges and binding, good tips, and clean unmarred boards. Spine head gently pushed. The textblock is clean with no writing, bookplate, or markings and not BCE, ex-library, or remaindered. The dust jacket is unclipped ($27.00) with faint creases to spine head, else Fine. Protected in a new Brodart Mylar cover. 261 pages. 5 ½ x 8 ½ tall.

Helen MacDonald's essays use nature to bring hope and optimism during times of upheaval. NPR calls it "a stunning book that urges us to reconsider our relationship with the natural world, and fight to preserve it."

Macdonald describes her book as a "Wunderkammer", or "Cabinet of Curiosities". She writes, "It is full of strange things and it is concerned with the quality of wonder." It's an apt characterization — the 41 essays in "Vesper Flights" cover a variety of topics, mostly dealing with animals and the environment. Macdonald has many fascinations, and her enthusiasm for her subjects is infectious. Although her essays journey to unexpected places, they never feel forced.