T. S. Eliot (Thomas Stearns Eliot) | First Editions
1888 - 1965
Thomas Stearns Eliot OM (26 September 1888 – 4 January 1965) was an American-born British essayist, publisher, playwright, literary and social critic and "one of the twentieth century's major poets", according to biographer Ronald Bush. Indeed, Eliot was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948, "for his outstanding, pioneer contribution to present-day poetry". T.S. Eliot moved to England in 1914 at age 25, where he settled, worked and married. He was eventually naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39, renouncing his American citizenship.
Eliot attracted widespread attention for his poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" (1915), which is seen as a masterpiece of the Modernist movement. It was followed by some of the best-known poems in the English language, including The Waste Land (1922). The Waste Land received mixed criticism and praise. Charles Powell called Eliot's poems 'incomprehensible', whilst the writers of Time magazine were similarly baffled by the poem. However, Edmund Wilson praised Eliot as "one of our only authentic poets", concluding, "I doubt whether there is a single other poem of equal length by a contemporary American which displays so high and so varied a mastery of English verse."
See below our stock of T. S. Eliot First Editions.
Results 1 - 24 (of 24)
A Selection of his Poems.
London: Hutchinson of London, 1961. [Poetry] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.[12] 220. With a halftone frontispiece of the author by Walter Sickert. Publisher's black cloth, silver titles to spine. With the typographic dust-jacket priced at 25s to front flap. Top edge red, grey endpapers. Minor toning to rear..... More
The Cocktail Party. A Comedy.
London: Faber and Faber Ltd, 1950. [Drama] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.167 [9]. Publisher's green cloth, gilt titles to spine. With the typographic dust-jacket priced at 10s 6d to front flap. With a performance programme of the play loosely inserted. Light toning throughout, some faint spotting to front..... More
The Cultivation of Christmas Trees. An Ariel Poem.
London: Faber and Faber, 1954. [Poetry] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo pamphlet (22 x 14cm), pp.[4]. With a lightly coloured illustration by Jones. Publisher's blue typographic paper covers, sewn. A small red ink ownership dated 1962 to verso of front cover. Toning and light wear to extremities, otherwise a crisp..... More
Ved Vejs Ende. The Elder Statesman.
Herning: Poul Kristensen, 1965. [Drama in Translation] INSCRIBED FIRST DANISH EDITION. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.114 [6]. All text in Danish. INSCRIBED by the translator in black ink to the first blank, dated October 1965, with a longer message written onto the back of a business card. Publisher's grey soft..... More
Mr Mistoffelees with Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer.
London: faber and faber, 1990. [Illustrated Poetry] FIRST LE CAIN-ILLUSTRATED EDITION. Oblong octavo (19 x 27cm), pp.[28]. Illustrated throughout in colour by Le Cain. Publisher's glossy illustrated paper-covered boards, with the matching dust-jacket, priced at £7.99. A fine, as-new copy. Two poems from Eliot's classic collection 'Old Possum's Book of..... More
After Strange Gods. A Primer of Modern Heresy. The Page-Barbour Lectures at the University of Virginia 1933.
New York: Harcourt, Brace, and Company, 1934. [Literary criticism] FIRST US EDITION, first impression. Octavo (23 x 16cm), pp.[2] 72 [6]. Publisher's dark red cloth, gilt titles to spine. With the typographic dust-jacket priced at $1.25 to front flap. Internally bright and clean, some words of text lightly underlined in..... More
The Ariel Poems.
London: Faber and Faber, 2014. [Poetry] NEW EDITION. Octavo (23 x 15cm), unpaginated. With illustrations by Gertrude Hermes, David Jones, and E. McKnight Kauffer, as well as colour reproductions of the original 'Ariel' pamphlet covers throughout. Publisher's quarter blue cloth, silver titles to spine. With an illustration by E. McKnight..... More
The Cocktail Party. A Comedy.
London: Faber and Faber Ltd., 1950. [Drama] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Tall octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.71; [5], blank. Publisher's green cloth hardcovers titled in gilt, typographic dust-wrapper priced at 10/6. A little dusty with some spotting to preliminaries and edges, else near fine, in a very good wrapper, chipped..... More
The Cocktail Party. A Comedy.
London: Faber and Faber Ltd., 1950. [Drama] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Tall octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.71; [5], blank. Publisher's green cloth hardcovers titled in gilt, typographic dust-wrapper priced at 10/6. Contents clean, top edge and endpapers a little dusty/spotted, wrapper with a few small chips to extremities, toned to..... More
Collected Plays. Murder in the Cathedral, The Family Reunion, The Cocktail Party, The Confidential Clerk, The Elder Statesman.
London: Faber and Faber, 1962. [Drama] FIRST EDITION. Tall octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.355; [1]. Publisher's green cloth hardcovers titled in gilt, typographic dust-wrapper priced at 30s. Discreet ink ownership, light foxing to edges, spine sunned/toned. Near fine. Five closely-related plays, collected for the first time in a single volume..... More
The Confidential Clerk. A Play.
London: Faber and Faber, Ltd., 1954. [Drama] FIRST EDITION. Tall octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.136. First issue of the text. Publisher's blue cloth hardcovers titled in gilt, typographic dust-wrapper. Gift note to flyleaf, jacket a little toned to the spine, price clipped. An attractive copy, very good. T.S. Eliot's penultimate..... More
The Confidential Clerk. A play.
London: Faber and Faber, Ltd., 1954. [Drama] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Tall octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.[6] 136 [1]. Publisher's blue cloth with gilt titles to the spine. Typographic dust-wrapper priced at 10/6 to front flap. Corrected text on pp.7, which is apparently more elusive. A touch of spotting to..... More
Eeldrop and Appleplex.
Tunbridge Wells: The Foundling Press, 1992. [Short Story] LIMITED FIRST SEPARATE EDITION. Octavo pamphlet (23 x 16cm), pp.[8] 10 [8]. Number 162 of 500 copies thus, printed on Zerkall mould-made paper. Publisher's typographic grey soft covers, sewn. A fine, as-new copy. A short story reprinted with a few small corrections..... More
The Elder Statesman. A Play.
New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Cudahy, 1959. [Drama] FIRST AMERICAN EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.[2] 134. Publisher's black cloth with gilt titles to spine. Top edge tinted red, with the typographic dust-jacket priced at $3.75. Minor toning to top edge, else internally clean and crisp. Slight dulling to..... More
The Family Reuion. A Play.
London: Faber and Faber, 1939. [Drama] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.136. Publisher's grey cloth with pink titles to spine. With the first issue typographic dust-jacket, priced at 7/6. Very light general wear and some light toning. Near fine. More
For Lancelot Andrewes. Essays on Style and Order.
Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Doran and Company, 1929. [Literary Criticism] FIRST USA EDITION. Octavo (22 x 13cm), pp.[2] viii [2] 159 [5]. Publisher's deep purple cloth, silver stars blocked to upper board and spine. Silver titles to spine. With the decorative dust-jacket priced at $2.00 to front flap. Internally clean..... More
Notes Towards the Definition of Culture.
New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1949. [Philosophy/Sociology] FIRST U.S. EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.128. Publisher's black cloth, gilt titles to spine. With the typographic dust-jacket priced at $2.50. Light internal toning, free of marks or spotting. Reverse of jacket and rear jacket panel toned. Mild edgewear. Very good..... More
Poems Written in Early Youth.
London: Faber and Faber, 1967. [Poetry] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.43 [1]. Publisher's purple cloth with gilt titles to spine. With the yellow typographic dust-jacket. Blue ink gift inscription to fly-leaf, and a little spotting to edges, otherwise internally clean. Price-clipped jacket shows moderate general wear..... More
The Rock. A Pageant Play Written for Performance at Sadler's Wells Theatre 28 May - 9 June 1934 on Behalf of the Forty-Give Churches Fund of the Diocese of London.
London: Faber and Faber, 1934. [Drama] LIMITED EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.86 [2]. Soft grey covers lettered in black to front cover and spine with printed price of 'one shilling net' to front cover. Toning to edges of textblock, toning to covers, wearing to spine. Very good. Written in..... More
To Criticize the Critic.
London: Faber and Faber, 1965. [Literary criticism] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.188 [4]. Publisher's blue cloth, gilt titles to spine. With the typographic dust-jacket priced at 25s to front flap. Internally pristine. A bit of spotting/dustiness to top textblock edge. Gentle edgewear. Near fine. A series of literary..... More
To Criticize the Critic.
London: Faber and Faber, 1965. [Literary Criticism] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.189; [1], blank. Publisher's hardcover in dust-jacket. Minimal dustiness to top edge. Price clipped with later printed price crossed through, neat closed tear to upper edge else a lovely fine, fresh copy. More
The Idea of a Christian Society.
London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1939. [Essay] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (23 x 16cm), pp.99 [1]. Publisher's blue cloth, gilt titles to spine. With the typographic dust-jacket priced at 5s to front flap. Light foxing to preliminaries and rear blanks, otherwise internally clean. Some leaves still unopened. Small Blackwell's..... More
Active Anthology.
London: Faber and Faber, 1933. [Poetry Anthology] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.255 [1]. Publisher's brown cloth with white titles to spine. Gently toned, otherwise a clean copy internally. Lightly rubbed and bumped to boards, with heavy rubbing and toning to spine. Lower joint split; upper starting. Good. A...... More
The Need for Roots. Prelude to a Declaration of Duties Towards Mankind.
London: Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd, 1952. [Philosophy] FIRST UK EDITION. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.xv [1] 288. Publisher's light blue cloth, red label with gilt titles to spine. With the typographic dust-jacket priced at 18s to front flap. Top edge red. Moderate spotting - mostly to endpapers, jacket flaps..... More
Results 1 - 24 (of 24)