Monsieur, or The Prince of Darkness; Livia, or Buried Alive; Constance, or Solitary Practices

London: Faber and Faber, 1974-1982. First edition. Cloth. Fine/Near Fine. 8.5" by 5.5". Not Stated. Excellent first edition copies of the first three volumes from Lawrence Durrell's The Avignon Quintet, the second of which is signed. The first edition, first impressions of this three-volume set in the publisher's original cloth binding, with the original unclipped dust wrapper. Inscribed by the author to the title page of 'Livia'. Ink inscription to the front free end paper of 'Monsieur', dated 1974. Lawrence George Durrell (1912-1990) was an expatriate British novelist, poet, dramatist, and travel writer. The first three volumes from Lawrence Durrell's five-volume set The Avignon Quintet, published between 1974 and 1985. The novels are metafictional, and the action is set before and during the Second World War, mainly in France, Egypt, and Switzerland. Monsieur, or The Prince of Darkness (1974), is the first volume in The Avignon Quintet series, and has a metafictional narrative. It was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. Livia, or Buried Alive (1978), is the second volume in the series, in which Monsieur is revealed as the fictional work of Rob Sutcliffe. In this volume, we meet the 'real-life' characters behind Sutcliffe's fictional creations. Constance, or Solitary Practices (1982) is the third volume in the series. It involves some characters from the preceding novel and also introduces new ones. In the publisher's original cloth binding, with the original unclipped dust wrapper. Externally, cloth is in lovely condition. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are bright and clean. Dust wrappers are mostly very bright and smart. Dust wrapper to 'Monsieur' has a little wear to the joints and head of the spine to the wrap. A small amount of faint spotting to the front of the dust wrapper to 'Livia'. A little wear to the fold of the front flap of the dust wrapper to 'Constance'. Fine