The Girls of Radcliff Hall.

Presentation copy of a very rare roman à clef. Berners depicts himself and his circle of friends, including Cecil Beaton and Oliver Messel, as lesbian schoolgirls at a school named 'Radcliff Hall' (punning on the name of the famous lesbian writer). Only 100 copies were printed and most were destroyed after the indiscretions alluded to in the novel created an uproar among Berners's intimates and acquaintances. As a result, first editions of this work are incredibly rare. LibraryHub locates just five copies in institutions: The British Library, Oxford (two copies), Eton College and The National Trust (Sissinghurst).

With the author's signed presentation inscription to the half title page, 'To Billa [Harrod] with love from the Authoress and Gerald Berners Xmas 1940'.