DENTI DI PIRAJNO, Alberto. A Grave for a Dolphin. [London], Andre Deutsch, [1956].
8vo. Original cloth, spine lettered in gilt with illustrated and not price-clipped wrapper, designed by Biro; pp. 192; plates after photographs, very minor wear to edges of wrappers and toning to endpapers, one plate and a few pages with scuffed corners, otherwise a very good copy.
Very rare first edition. The Duke, physician and colonial administrator Alberto Denti di Pirajno, who had worked in Italian controlled Africa, i.e. Libya (governor of Tripoli from 1941 to 1943, when he surrendered to the British), Ethiopia and Somaliland wrote this book of anecdotal recollections of these countries in English. He wrote as well poetry under the name Hasân-El-Tarâs, on gastronomy and a novel. His African travel writing was admired by Harold Nicholson and Tanja Blixen. This rather uncommon book was among David Bowie's 100 favourite books.
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