1st Edition, 1st Printing, 12 x 19.2 cm orange cloth boards with gilt stamped titles to the spine. [iv] 310[2]pp [4]publisher’s adverts. Inscribed by the author to the front free endpaper; “To Nigel/ with much love/ from Harold,/ who keeps his promises,/ even at certain risks.../ October 1928”. Additionally, the dedicatees on the dedication page have been crossed through and the author has written “To Nigel Richards”. There is a some marking to the boards, a touch of rubbing to the corners and a little fading to the spine. Internally there is occasional light spotting to the prelims and last few pages and to the edge of the text block. The half title page has some toning and ghosting from the inscription on the front free endpaper. Harold Acton was a prominent member of the group dubbed ‘The Bright Young Things’ and mixed with many of the intellectual and literary figures, including Evelyn Waugh who based the character of Anthony Blanche in Brideshead Revisited, in part, on him. The inscribee, Nigel Richards was the basis for the main character in Cyril Connolly’s book, ‘The Rock Pool’ . He was a stock broker who became a tea planter in Burma where his first wife was eaten by a crocodile. Richards was killed during World War II when his plane was shot down over Germany. Connolly descirbed him as a ‘doomed romantic, a privileged charismatic man intent on self-destruction and brought down by war, women and wonderlust.’ An excellent signed association copy.