Period Piece: A Cambridge Childhood - Gwen Raverat, Vintage hardback memoir, Faber & Faber

A beautiful vintage hardback of Period Piece: A Cambridge Childhood by Gwen Raverat, first published by Faber & Faber in 1952. Bound in soft blue cloth with its original red line illustration to the cover, this is a book that feels as gentle and thoughtful as the memories it holds.

Raverat’s memoir is an intimate, wry and observant portrait of Edwardian Cambridge, childhood, family life and the subtle social codes of the time. Written with warmth and dry humour, it offers a deeply personal account of growing up in a world poised between tradition and change. The text is accompanied by Raverat’s own engravings - small, expressive scenes that quietly bring domestic interiors and everyday moments to life.

This copy is a sixth impression, printed in May 1953, following the book’s first publication in 1952. It was printed in Great Britain by Latimer Trend & Co Ltd, Plymouth, for Faber & Faber Limited, 24 Russell Square, London.

The book remains in very good vintage condition. The pages are clean and bright with light, age-related toning to the edges and faint marking to the endpapers, entirely in keeping with its age. The binding is firm, with no loose pages, and the cloth boards retain their soft blue colour and original charm.

A timeless and quietly soulful book for lovers of memoir, art, women’s voices and slow, reflective storytelling.