MELOY, Maile. The Apothecary. With Illustrations by Ian Schoenherr. [NY]: Penguin [2011]. 8vo, [viii] 357pp. Slate gray boards with spine stamped in light blue foil and front decoratively blind-stamped. Light blue marble-patterned endpapers; two-page b&w illustrated title page, b&w illustrated chapter headings. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket. Signed by the author, Maile Meloy, and the artist, Ian Schoenherr.

First edition. The first book in the three-book The Apothecary series. It's 1952 and the Scott family has just moved from Los Angeles to London. Here, fourteen-year-old Janie meets a mysterious apothecary and his son, Benjamin Burrows – a fascinating boy who's not afraid to stand up to authority and dreams of becoming a spy. When Benjamin's father is kidnapped, Janie and Benjamin must uncover the secrets of the apothecary's sacred book, the Pharmacopoeia, in order to find him, all while keeping it out of the hands of their enemies – Russian spies in possession of nuclear weapons. Discovering and testing magical potions they never believed could exist, Janie and Benjamin embark on a dangerous race to save the apothecary and prevent impending disaster.