An unusual edition of an unusual book. Set sometime in the last half of the 19th century and written in 1928, a rather unclassifiable story. Some people loved it and some hate it. It has been compared to "The Lord of the Flies" which is not entirely unfair but somewhat misleading. I liked it. This is a Tauchnitz edition, that is, written in English but sold only in Europe. The cover states: "Not to be intorduced into the British Empire or U.S.A" so it offers the thrill of forbidden fruit. A reading copy, cover reinforced with clear tape, binding intact, pages clean.