Poetry
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AMIS, Kingsley. Bright November.London : [1947]
First edition, first-issue binding, presentation copy inscribed in the month of publication "Best wishes from Kingsley Amis, November 1947" on the front free endpaper. Bright November was Amis's first published book.
The publisher Reginald Ashley Caton (1897-1971) was an elusive one-man publisher who founded The Fortune Press, based at 12 Buckingham... Learn More£975.00Stock Code: 139744
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WEBER, Max. Essays on Art.New York : June 1916
First edition, first printing, presentation copy inscribed on the title page, "To Mr. W. Bowdain with complements sic from Max Weber, Jan. 16. '17" - that is, William G. Bowdoin (1861-1947), art critic of the New York Evening World. This collection of essays and verse was only Weber's second book, following his Cubist Poems of 1914.
The publisher's... Learn More£975.00Stock Code: 139746
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AUDEN, W. H. City Without Walls, and other poems.London : 1969
First edition, first impression, familiarly inscribed by Auden using his first name reserved for friends, "with love from Wystan" on the title page. This copy derives from the library of his close friend and fellow writer James Stern (1904-1993), though without his ownership mark.
Auden was first introduced to James and Tania Stern by Christopher... Learn More£600.00Stock Code: 139413
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AUDEN, W. H. A Certain World. A Commonplace Book.London : 1971
First UK edition, first impression, familiarly inscribed by Auden using his first name reserved for friends, "with love from Wystan" on the title page. This copy derives from the library of his close friend and fellow writer James Stern (1904-1993), with his ownership inscription to front free endpaper.
Auden was first introduced to James and Tania... Learn More£600.00Stock Code: 139414
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AUDEN, W. H. Academic Graffiti.London : 1971
First edition, first impression, familiarly inscribed by Auden using his first name reserved for friends, "with love from Wystan" on the title page. This copy derives from the library of his close friend and fellow writer James Stern (1904-1993), though without his ownership mark.
Auden was first introduced to James and Tania Stern by Christopher... Learn More£350.00Stock Code: 139415
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(MAPPLETHORPE, Robert.) RIMBAUD, Arthur. A Season in Hell.[New York] : 1986
First edition of this translation by Paul Schmidt, limited to 1,000 numbered copies signed by both Schmidt and Mapplethorpe; with the original 4-page long "Limited Editions Club Letter" loosely inserted.
First published in 1873, this prose poem was finished in a frenzy after the break-up of Rimbaud's relationship with Verlaine who shot him with... Learn More£1,500.00Stock Code: 139013
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HUGHES, Ted. Gaudete.London : 1977
First edition, first impression. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "For Stephanie and Jimmy, and Michael in good time, with love, from Ted, July 1977". The recipients, Stephanie Bennett and James Mervis, hosted Ted Hughes during the New York blackout in July of that year, which resulted in city-wide looting. Stephanie... Learn More£475.00Stock Code: 119994
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HUGHES, Ted. Tales From Ovid.London : 1998
First edition, signed limited issue, number 155 of 300 copies signed by Ted Hughes on the limitation leaf. This work was the winner of the 1997 Whitbread Book of the Year award. Learn More£750.00Stock Code: 135386
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FREEMAN, Kathleen. The Work and Life of Solon.Cardiff : 1926
First edition, first impression. Presentation copy of the author's first book, inscribed by the author to her long-term partner, at the very start of their acquaintance, on the front free endpaper, "Lilian M.C. Clopet, from Kathleen Freeman July 14th, 1926". This work, "considered essential reading", is uncommonly found in the jacket or inscribed, this... Learn More£500.00Stock Code: 142281
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HEANEY, Seamus. A Boy Driving his Father to Confession.Frensham, Farnham, Surrey : 1970
First edition, number 42 of 50 copies signed by Heaney, from a total edition of 150 printed on Glastonbury laid paper. This is not only one of the first limited editions put out by Heaney, and now very scarce, but also marks the first appearance of one of his early masterpieces. The last copy recorded at auction was in 1999, and about a third of the... Learn More£4,500.00Stock Code: 142440
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BERRYMAN, John. Poems.Norfolk, CT : 1942
First edition, first printing, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper "to Allan Covici with the best regards of John Berryman Berkeley 1 June '60". The recipient was a California-based writer, librarian, and bookseller based at UC Berkeley.
Poems was Berryman's first separately published book, preceded only by his inclusion in the collective... Learn More£1,350.00Stock Code: 142347
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HEANEY, Seamus. Night Drive.Bow, Crediton : 1970
First edition, sole impression, number 38 of 100 copies printed, and one of 55 with a poem inscribed in full in the author's manuscript facing the half-title (in this case the mildly erotic poem "Undine"), each signed and dated on the colophon.
Night Drive was published as part of Gilbertson's Manuscript Series, which also produced similar editions... Learn More£6,500.00Stock Code: 141969
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BERRYMAN, John. Poems.Norfolk, CT : 1942
First edition, first printing, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper "to the Wymans w. every good wish this old nothing - John Berryman Ann Arbor March '65".
Poems was Berryman's first separately published book, preceded only by his inclusion in the collective publication Five Young American Poets in 1940; 2,000 copies were... Learn More£1,250.00Stock Code: 142345
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(DU FU.) TU FU. Wanderer and Minstrel Under Moons of Cathay.Portland, Maine : April 1929
First edition, number 30 of 50 copies printed on Japan vellum, signed by one of the translators Edna Worthley Underwood. "This is the first edition in the world of Tu Fu to be printed outside China, likewise it is the first edition of any one individual Chinese poet." (Foreword). Tu Fu, or Du Fu, who lived in the 8th century, during the Tang dynasty,... Learn More£600.00Stock Code: 142115
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GRAVES, Robert. Love Respelt Again.New York : 1969
First US edition, number 893 of 1,000 copies signed by Graves. Reproduces fifty of Graves' poems in manuscript form. Learn More£85.00Stock Code: 141047
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HUNCKE, Herbert. Elsie John and Joey Martinez.New York : 1979
Signed limited edition, number 4 of 100 copies signed by both the author and the illustrator, and bound in unique handmade patterned paper-covered boards. Perhaps the first ten or so copies were specially bound in hardback, the rest of the issue being bound in wrappers.
Herbert Huncke (rhymes with junkie) was the charismatic street hustler, petty... Learn More£450.00Stock Code: 141945
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HARRISON, Tony. The Fire Gap.Newcastle upon Tyne : 1985
First trade edition. Inscribed by Harrison on the title page: "Tony Harrison, for Christopher 29.10.91". Appealingly designed by Caine. Learn More£50.00Stock Code: 141040
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(GONNE, Maud, illus.) YOUNG, Ella. Celtic Wonder-Tales.Dublin : 1910
First edition, first impression, signed by the illustrator on the title page, and with an original initialled drawing in black ink on the front free endpaper (and expanded version of the ornament printed on p. 20.) Edith Maud Gonne (1866-1953) was one of the boldest figures of the Irish Literary Revival; a suffragette and artist, she remains best known... Learn More£3,750.00Stock Code: 137680
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PARKER, Dorothy. The Viking Portable Library.New York : 1945
First collected edition, fifth printing, inscribed on the front free endpaper "To Ruthven Todd - with gratitude to him for wanting this miserable signature. Dorothy Parker". Todd was a Scottish poet, artist, and novelist, best known as an editor of the works of William Blake. He moved to the United States in 1947 where he lived for 13 years.
This... Learn More£2,250.00Stock Code: 141988
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SPARE, Austin Osman, & Clifford Bax (eds.) The Golden Hind.London : April 1924
First edition, first impression, number 32 of 75 cloth copies signed by both Spare and Bax on the front free endpaper. From the library of the artist Pickford Robert Waller (1849-1930), with his bookplate to the front pastedown, a leading member of the aesthetic movement and a prolific illustrator, producing book designs for Guthrie's Pear Tree Press,... Learn More£875.00Stock Code: 141840
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(BURNS, Robert.) JOHNSTONE, Alexander. The Flora of Burns.Edinburgh : 1905
First and sole edition, presentation copy from the author, inscribed at head of title page, "With Alexander Johnstone's compliments". This is a rare little pamphlet recorded at just 1 institutional library worldwide, Edinburgh University. Johnstone, lecturer on botany at the School of Medicine, Edinburgh, was the author of several textbooks, in particular... Learn More£125.00Stock Code: 141831
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TRANSTROMER, Tomas. Citoyens.Knotting, Bedfordshire : 1974
First English language edition, copy 100 of 150 copies, printed on Abbey Mills laid paper, this a presentation copy inscribed by Transtromer and additionally signed by the translator Robin Fulton on the colophon.
Copies numbered 1 to 50 were issued signed by Transtromer; this copy, though a later number, is presented by the poet with a lengthy... Learn More£400.00Stock Code: 141215
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NERUDA, Pablo. The Heights of Macchu Picchu.London : 1966
First English-language edition of Neruda's masterpiece, the publisher's copy signed for him by the poet on the front free endpaper, "Pablo Neruda, 1970", with the bookplate of Tom Maschler to front pastedown. Maschler was the head of Jonathan Cape, and a hugely influential figure in 20th-century literature: he had a particular genius for bringing world-class... Learn More£2,750.00Stock Code: 132730
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SPENDER, Stephen. Ruins and Visions.London : 1942
First edition, first impression, presentation copy of a work rarely found inscribed, to his lifelong friend and fellow poet W. H. Auden on the half-title, "To Wystan, with love from Stephen. March 1942".
This is a key association, inscribed using Auden's first name, which was reserved for friends. Auden was a major influence on Spender: "A pontiff... Learn More£4,500.00Stock Code: 139371
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BELBEN, May. The Singing Heart.Bournemouth : 1928
First edition, second impression, signed by the author on front free endpaper verso, "from May Belben, Dec. 1928" and with a note on her own stationery inscribed, "with all good wishes from May Belben" (letterhead Forest Hill, Corfe Mullen, Wimborne, Dorset). A charming little volume printed on enamel paper; nature poetry of "simple sentiment" illustrated... Learn More£50.00Stock Code: 141508
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BUKOWSKI, Charles. Crucifix in a Deathhand. New Poems 1963-65.New York : 1965
First and limited edition of 3,100 copies, this a superb presentation copy from Bukowski, inscribed exuberantly in red and silver paint pen on the page facing the colophon, "For Jerry Cushman, Poems sure, Poems why not, Charles Bukowski, 5-3-65", accompanied by a drawing of a caged flower and a bottle; additionally signed by Bukowski on the half-title... Learn More£2,000.00Stock Code: 139612
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ELIOT, T. S. Four Quartets.London : 1960
First Bodoni edition, number 250 of 290 copies signed by the poet. A magnificent piece of book production executed in Verona under the direction of Giovanni Mardersteig, the greatest printer of the 20th century. Learn More£4,500.00Stock Code: 137131
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(ELIOT, T. S., trans.) PERSE, St. John. Anabasis.London : 1930
First edition, number 6 of 350 copies signed by Eliot on the limitation page. This handsome Faber edition prints Eliot's translation in parallel with the original French text. Learn More£675.00Stock Code: 141365
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WALCOTT, Derek. In A Green Night.London : 1962
First edition, first impression. Presentation copy to the publisher, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Tom Maschler, gratefully, Derek Walcott, Oct 9 64". This was the copy of Tom Maschler, the publisher, with his bookplate to front pastedown. Maschler joined Jonathan Cape as editorial director, aged 26, in 1960, and became managing... Learn More£2,500.00Stock Code: 141382
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WAITE, Arthur Edward. Strange Houses of Sleep.London : 1906
First edition, sole impression, number 16 of 250 copies, each signed by the author. Strange Houses of Sleep collects the esoteric poetry (including a lengthy verse drama on the holy grail) of A. E. Waite (1857-1942), popularly known for his creation of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. "Through his critical and historical studies of occultism in all its forms,... Learn More£750.00Stock Code: 139766
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YEATS, W. B. The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems.London : 1889
First edition, first issue, a major literary association copy, inscribed by Yeats on the front free endpaper, "To the poet of the North Countrie, Joseph Skipsey, with the author's kind regards". In addition, Yeats has made minor corrections to the text on four pages. The inscription shows Yeats's admiration for the Newcastle pitman poet, whom he honours... Learn More£9,750.00Stock Code: 140222
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CARROLL, Lewis. Phantasmagoria.London : 1869
First edition, first issue. One of 28 presentation copies sent out by Dodgson on 7 Januray 1869, inscribed by the author in brown ink on the half-title: "T. Heaphy, Esq. with the Author's Kind regards. Jan. 1869". The recipient was Thomas Frank Heaphy the Younger (1813-1873), a well regarded portrait and narrative painter whose name figures heavily... Learn More£3,750.00Stock Code: 137829
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HUGHES, Ted. Tales From Ovid.London : 1998
First edition, signed limited issue, signed by the author; this is the binder's copy, marked "0/5". The signed limited edition consisted of 310 copies, of which 10 were reserved for the author. This work was the winner of the 1997 Whitbread Book of the Year award. Learn More£750.00Stock Code: 138031
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MARCEAU, Marcel. Les rêveries de Bip.Paris : 1978
First edition, first printing, presentation copy inscribed by the author on the half-title "A Hubert Juin, de tout coeur, Bip flower, Marcel Marceau 1978". Marcel Marceau (1923-2007) was a French actor and mime artist most famous for his stage persona as "Bip the Clown". The recipient, in fact Hubert Loescher (1926-1987), was a Belgian poet, novelist,... Learn More£250.00Stock Code: 140934
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(GRAVES, Robert, ed.) HARDY, Thomas, Siegfried Sassoon, et al. The Owl.London : 1919-23
First editions, first impressions, the first number being from the very scarce signed limited issue, one of 24 unnumbered copies signed by the 18 contributors: Max Beerbohm, George Belcher, Pamela Biano, W. H. Davies, John Galsworthy, Robert Graves, Thomas Hardy, Eric Kennington, J. Masefield, Robert Nichols, Nancy Nicholson, W. Nicholson, William Orpen,... Learn More£3,250.00Stock Code: 139992
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(BASKIN, Leonard.) HUGHES, Ted. Moortown Elegies.London : 1978
First edition, first impression, letter M of 26 extra-limited copies lettered A-Z, inscribed by the author on the limitation page to his sister, "For Olwyn, Ted Hughes". Hughes was very close to his sister Olwyn. After Plath's suicide in 1963 Olwyn helped to bring up their children, became her brother's literary agent, established the Rainbow Press... Learn More£2,500.00Stock Code: 126485
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(GRAVES, Robert, ed.) HARDY, Thomas, Siegfried Sassoon, et al. The Owl.London : 1919-23
First editions, first impressions, the first number being from the very scarce signed limited issue, one of 24 unnumbered copies signed by the 18 contributors: Max Beerbohm, George Belcher, Pamela Biano, W. H. Davies, John Galsworthy, Robert Graves, Thomas Hardy, Eric Kennington, J. Masefield, Robert Nichols, Nancy Nicholson, W. Nicholson, William Orpen,... Learn More£2,750.00Stock Code: 139994
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MAGALLON, Xavier de. L'Ombre.[Paris] : 1934
First edition thus, first printing, number XIV of 26 copies on Arches, with an original Moreau-inspired etching of angel-airman falling numbered 6/120 and signed by Pierre Pascal; from a total edition limited to 110 copies.
This poetic tribute to an airman killed in the First World War, was written by Xavier de Magallon (1866-1956), marquis of Magallon... Learn More£200.00Stock Code: 140842
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GRAVES, Robert. Life of the Poet Gnaeus Robertulus Gravesa.Deià : 1990
Signed limited edition, one of 150 numbered copies hand printed and bound in vellum. Signed on the limitation page by the printer Tomás Graves, the illustrator Alice Meyer Wallace, and the binder Carmen García-Gutierrez. Learn More£75.00Stock Code: 140812
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ELDRIDGE, Paul. I Bring a Sword.New York : 1945
First edition, first printing, presentation copy from the author, inscribed one the half-title, "For Dorothy Tierney Keith, Very cordially, Paul Elridge". Dorothy Tierney was an American actor who appeared in many Broadway plays, including My Golden Girl (1920), The Checkerboard (1920) and Dawn (1924); she was the fourth wife... Learn More£75.00Stock Code: 139312
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YEATS, W. B. The Variorum Edition of the Poems.New York : 1957
Signed limited edition, number 381 of 825 copies signed by Yeats, and issued posthumously. The limitation sheets were signed by the author before his death in 1939, and retained by the publisher until the publication of this edition, which was deferred until after the war. Learn More£2,500.00Stock Code: 112375
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DICKEY, James. The Zodiac.Bloomfield Hills, MI : 1976
First edition, number 39 of 61 copies signed by the author with a single leaf of the typescript working draft bound in, Dickey's manuscript corrections in ink. A trade issue was released by Doubleday later in the same year. Learn More£150.00Stock Code: 140558
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HUGHES, Ted. Collected Animal Poems.London : 1995
Number 73 of 292 uncorrected proof copies, presentation copy, inscribed by the author to his son on the limitation page, "For Nicholas, Many beasts that escaped the albion, and some that didn't, love Daddy". This copy is from the library of Frieda Hughes, daughter of Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath, though unmarked as such. Learn More£1,250.00Stock Code: 126477
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(GONNE, Maud, illus.) YOUNG, Ella. Celtic Wonder-Tales.Dublin : 1910
First edition, first impression, presentation copy inscribed by the author on the original front free endpaper "To John Varian, With Greeting from Ella Young", and with over ten annotations in ink by Young.
The recipient, John Osborne Varian (1863-1931), was an Irish-American poet and a leader within the theosophist utopian community of Halcyon,... Learn More£1,750.00Stock Code: 139842
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WALLER, John, et al. The Cherwell, Vol. LIX, No. 7.1940
First edition, sole impression, John Waller's own copy, inscribed and double signed by him on the front cover "John Waller My copy. Ruth Douglas published my poems and he was the greatest illegible... John Waller". John Waller was an English author, poet and journalist, and a member of the Cairo poets during the Second World War Learn More£125.00Stock Code: 140314
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CUMMINGS, E. E. Eimi.New York : 1933
First edition, signed limited issue, number 7 of 1,381 copies signed by the author, additionally inscribed "For H. W. from EEC. April 3". Eimi was a travelogue, in Cummings's signature abstract prose, of his visit to the Soviet Union in 1931. As explained on the limitation page, the unusual limitation was apparently simply a reflection of the number... Learn More£1,250.00Stock Code: 138117
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PINTER, Harold. The Birthday Party.London : 1959
First edition, first impression, signed by the author on the title page. The Birthday Party was Pinter's first full-length play, "which, after a short, highly successful provincial tour, opened at the Lyric Hammersmith on 19 May 1958 but closed at the end of the week" (ODNB). Learn More£2,500.00Stock Code: 140336
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SPENDER, Stephen. Twenty Poems.Oxford : [1930]
First edition, limited issue, presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the second blank, "To Elizabeth, with love from Stephen. June 11th". From a total edition of 135 copies, of which 75 copies were numbered and signed. This, the author's second book, was published while Spender was a student at Oxford: it was well received and prompted T. S.... Learn More£600.00Stock Code: 140052
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DRINKWATER, John. To Be Spoken with An Appeal for Funds For the Rebuilding of The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon.London : 1926
First edition, limited issue, number 1 of 25 specially printed copies, this inscribed by the author "No. 1. David from Jonathan". Drinkwater was the governor of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, along with George Bernard Shaw. This 14 line poem was written to petition for funds for the rebuilding of the theatre, after it was destroyed by fire in 1926.... Learn More£150.00Stock Code: 140034
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GINSBERG, Allen. Photographs.Altadena : 1990
First edition, first printing, inscribed copy, of Ginsberg's collection of photographs of his close friends, including Kerouac, Cassady, Burroughs, Orlovsky, Snyder, Corso and Leary; and some of luminaries such as Robert Frank, Basil Bunting, Lou Reed and Ken Kesey; all with revealing descriptive annotations in facsimile. From an edition of 5,100 copies,... Learn More£750.00Stock Code: 140264
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KIPLING, Rudyard. Poems. 1886-1929.London : 1929
First edition, number 310 of 525 numbered copies signed by the author, an exceptional set with the original dust jackets and glassines. A beautifully produced set, printed in Baskerville type by the Chiswick Press on handmade paper, and very much in the manner of the superb Sussex Edition of Kipling's works - "planned by Macmillan as a monument to the... Learn More£2,500.00Stock Code: 140109
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LE DANTEC, Yves-Gerard. Nouveaux Sonnets Ouraniens.Paris : 1944
First edition, limited issue, number 83 of 90 copies printed on vellum, from a total edition of 100 copies, signed by the artist below the frontispiece. Andre Marchand (1907-1997) was a French painter and one of the founding members of the Salon de Mai. Learn More£100.00Stock Code: 140046
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PICKARD, Tom. High on the Walls.London : 1967
First edition, first impression, of the author's first published book of poetry. Learn More£75.00Stock Code: 140004
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YEATS, W. B. The Poems.London : 1949
First and signed limited edition, number 182 of 375 copies signed by the author to the verso of the half-title, published by Macmillan as a Definitive Edition of his work, as stated in the prospectus, which is not found with this copy. The edition was personally overseen by Yeats's widow, George, the publisher Harold Macmillan, and the publisher's reader... Learn More£2,750.00Stock Code: 131846
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GRAVES, Robert. Poems 1929.London : 1929
First and signed limited edition, first impression, number 170 of 225 copies, signed by the author. Learn More£275.00Stock Code: 122147
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BUKOWSKI, Charles. War All the Time.Santa Barbara : 1984
First and limited edition, one of "126 numbered copies handbound in boards by Earle Gray, each with an original painting by Charles Bukowski" - this copy not numbered but inscribed "Presentation Copy" and signed by Bukowski. In addition, this copy is inscribed (in characteristic marker pen) on the blank facing the title page: "For Arthur Applebaum -... Learn More£4,750.00Stock Code: 120437
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STEVENS, Wallace. Ideas of Order.New York : 1935
First and limited edition, signed by Stevens; this one of just 10 copies for review and marked "out of series", from a total edition of 165.
An excellent association copy: with the pencilled ownership inscription of F. O. Matthiessen on the front free endpaper and some pencilled underlings and occasional marginal notation. F. O. Matthiessen... Learn More£3,750.00Stock Code: 72150
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SASSOON, Siegfried. To My Mother.London : 1928
Signed limited edition, number 463 of 500 large-paper copies printed on English handmade paper, numbered and signed by the author. Number 14 in the Ariel Poems series, Sassoon's poem pays tribute to his mother, Theresa Thornycroft Sassoon (1853-1947). Learn More£250.00Stock Code: 128229
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UPDIKE, John. The Angels.Pensacola : 1968
First and sole edition, one of 150 copies. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author "for Herb Yellin something of an angel himself John" on the half title. Herb Yellin (1935-2014) was a publisher and founder of the Lord John Press, who published handsome signed limited editions for a number of high-profile authors, including Stephen King, Ray Bradbury,... Learn More£580.00Stock Code: 128337
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HUGHES, Ted. Crow Wakes.Woodford Green, Essex : 1971
First edition, first printing, signed and numbered by Hughes not once but twice, one of the scarce 100 copies retained by the poet. The title page verso is signed "No. 28, Ted Hughes" and the front free endpaper signed and numbered "Ted Hughes 46/88". The printer Alan Tarling informed the bibliographers Sagar and Tabor that "These poems were excluded... Learn More£500.00Stock Code: 125129
