DAVID MITCHELL (b.1969)
Cloud Atlas. London: Sceptre, 2004.
‘Life is made of chance encounters not only with people but with books. Stay receptive to them’: first edition of Cloud Atlas, annotated by the author on every page of text and playfully decorated on the edges. This imaginative and genre-defying novel, which consists of six distinct stories, was adapted into a film in 2012. The author’s marginalia frequently refer to the cinematic adaptation, with humorous commentary and the occasional hand-drawn illustration. In black and blue ink Mitchell has annotated each of the book’s 529 pages, highlighting his literary influences, including Larkin, Melville and Homer, as well as personal reflections on the motivations of his characters. Mitchell’s elucidating notes also contain autobiographical details, including references to his time teaching English in Hiroshima and the inspiration behind character names: ‘Real life names are better than ones plucked from the air.’

Octavo. Original red boards, metallic blue lettering to the spine, pictorial dust jacket (teacup stain, deliberately(?) created by the author on the title page).

Buyer’s premium is payable, with a significant portion donated by Christie’s to English PEN, but note that no VAT is payable on hammer price or buyer’s premium.
-