First editions & rare books of poetry - Page 1 of 35

FAULKNER, William.

The Marble Faun. 1924

£100,000

First edition, first printing of the author's rare first book, the dedication copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Dad and Mother Xmas 1924 William...

Octavo. Original green boards, printed paper label to upper board. Housed in a green cloth drop down box. Contents somewhat toned, pastedowns bubbled, backstrip... Read more

HEMINGWAY, Ernest.

Three Stories & Ten Poems. 1923

£62,500

First edition, sole printing. Apparently one of 300 copies. The author's first book. A signed presentation copy inscribed on the second blank leaf, "To Don Marquis from Ernest...

Octavo. Original blue/grey wrappers printed in black. Housed in a black quarter morocco solander box made by The Chelsea Bindery. Contents very lightly toned,... Read more

Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Authors Death.

DONNE, John.

Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Authors Death. 1633

£29,500

First edition of the principal collection of Donne's poetical works, issued two years after his death, together with his Juvenilia. This copy has the two inserted leaves with "The...

2 works bound in one, quarto (186 × 137 mm). Contemporary calf, skilfully rebacked and relined to style, covers with three-line blind rules, edges speckled red.... Read more

JOYCE, James.

Pomes Penyeach. 1927

£25,000

First edition, first printing. Inscribed on the title page in black ink "To D[esmond] H[armsworth] J. J. Paris 7 iv 1931". An outstanding association copy inscribed to the London...

Original pale green paper boards with black titles to the front and paper label printed "Price Two Shillings" fixed to the rear board, presumably mounted over the... Read more

WILDE, Oscar.

The Ballad of Reading Gaol. By C.3.3. 1898

£22,500

First edition, first impression. The limited issue being one of just 30 numbered copies printed on japon. On the verso of the title page is a hand written, 16-line poem titled "In...

Octavo. Original vellum-backed mustard cloth, titles to spine gilt, top edge gilt others untrimmed. Housed in a red quarter morocco solander box made by The Chelsea... Read more

ELIOT, T. S.

Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. 1939

£21,000

First edition, first impression, Inscribed by T. S. Eliot on the title page: "Inscribed for W. J. Crawley by Old Possum." The recipient was a director at Faber and Faber, and a...

Octavo. Original yellow cloth, title to spine in red. With the yellow dust jacket printed in black with designs by Eliot. Custom tan morocco-backed folding case by The... Read more

The Workes. [The second Volume. Containing these Playes, Viz. 1 Bartholomew Fayre. 2 The Staple of the Newes. 3 The Divell is an Asse.]

JONSON, Benjamin.

The Workes. [The second Volume. Containing these Playes, Viz. 1 Bartholomew Fayre. 2 The Staple of the Newes. 3 The Divell is an Asse.] 1616–40

£18,500

First editions of the three volumes comprising Jonson's collected works. The first volume was published between 6 and 25 November 1616. Jonson took an unusually close interest in its...

3 volumes in 2, folio (287 × 183 mm). Bound uniformly in brown crushed morocco by Rivière & Son, spines lettered and decorated in gilt, five raised bands,... Read more

BROWNING, Robert.

The Ring and the Book. 1868-9

£15,000

First edition, presentation copy to Frederick Locker-Lampson, a very early presentation between the two poets, if not the earliest. Each volume is inscribed by Browning at the head...

4 volumes, foolscap octavo (166 × 102 mm). Contemporary reddish-brown morocco by Holloway, spines gilt-lettered in two compartments, others with gilt quatrefoil... Read more

[Queen Mab, A Philosophical Poem, with Notes ]

SHELLEY, Percy Bysshe.

[Queen Mab, A Philosophical Poem, with Notes …] 1813]

£14,500

First edition, one of only approximately 70 copies of the first issue, the so-called "mutilated" state of the text. Queen Mab was Shelley's first important poetic work, preceded only...

Octavo (179 × 112 mm.), pp. 240, with title-page and dedication leaf removed and imprint torn from foot of last leaf Q8 by Shelley, as issued; the dedication leaf... Read more

Florilegium diversorum epigrammatum in septem libros, in Greek.

(GREEK ANTHOLOGY)

Florilegium diversorum epigrammatum in septem libros, in Greek. 1503

£12,500

First Aldine edition, a handsome copy. Based on the 1494 editio princeps edited by Janus Lascaris, this was the second edition of the anthology assembled by the early 14th century...

Aldine octavo (149 × 93 mm). 19th-century French red straight-grained morocco by Thouvenin, covers panelled with gilt fillets and blind foliate tooling, gilt... Read more

[LEWIS, C. S., as] "Clive Hamilton".

Dymer. 1926

£12,500

First edition, first impression. Lewis's second book and a noted rarity in dust jacket. Only a tiny handful of examples are known. Dymer is a narrative poem deliberately mediaevalist...

Octavo. Original streaky blue cloth, decoration to upper board in black and titles to spine gilt. With the dust jacket. Housed in a terracotta quarter morocco solander... Read more

The Temple. Sacred poems and private ejaculations.

HERBERT, George.

The Temple. Sacred poems and private ejaculations. 1633

£10,000

First edition of Herbert's poems, collected by his friend Nicholas Ferrar of Little Gidding and posthumously published the same year as those of John Donne, with whom Herbert is...

Duodecimo (143 × 77 mm). Skilfully rebound in full tan calf, red morocco label, plain endpapers. Title within typographic border, typographic head- and... Read more

Before the Flowers of Friendship Faded Friendship Faded.

STEIN, Gertrude.

Before the Flowers of Friendship Faded Friendship Faded. [1931]

£10,000

First edition first printing. From a total edition of just 120 copies this is number XVIII of 18 copies numbered in Roman numerals and reserved for the author. With Stein's signed...

Small folio. Original grey wrappers printed in black. With the original unprinted glassine. Housed in a black quarter morocco slipcase with chemise. Stitching loose... Read more