"There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. "
— Oscar Wilde
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 - 14 (of 14)
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
After Strange Gods.
London: Faber and Faber, 1934. [Modern Literature] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.68. Publisher's black cloth lettered in gilt to spine, some leaves untrimmed. Toning to pages and edges of texblock, spotting to endpapers, scuffing to publisher's black cloth. Very good. T.S. Eliot was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright..... More
The Confidential Clerk. A Play.
London: Faber and Faber, Ltd., 1954. [Drama] FIRST EDITION. Tall octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.136. Publisher's blue cloth hardcovers titled in gilt, typographic dust-wrapper priced at 10/6. Corrected text on p.7, which is apparently more elusive. Some light spotting including board edges, trivial toning to jacket; overall a fresh, bright..... 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
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
Murder in the Cathedral. Acting Edition for the Festival of the Friends of Canterbury Cathedral.
Canterbury: H.J. Goulden, Limited, 1935. [Drama] FIRST ACTING EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.[4] 38 [2]. Publisher's cream card covers, titled in blue to front cover. Light internal spotting. Moderate toning, spotting and wear to covers, including a bump to top left corner. Very good. One of just 750 copies..... More
Poetry and Drama. The Theodore Spencer Memorial Lecture, Harvard University, November 21, 1950.
London: Faber & Faber, 1951. [Literary Criticism] FIRST UK EDITION. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.35 [5]. Publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine. With the red and blue typographic dust-jacket, priced at 7/6. A large selection of contemporary news cuttings and other articles folded and inserted loose to preliminaries..... More
The Rock. A Pageant Play written for performance at Sadler's Wells theatre 28 May—9 June 1934 on behalf of the forty-five churches fund of the diocese of London. Book of Words by T.S. Eliot.
London: Faber & Faber Ltd., 1934. [Drama] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.86 [2]. Publisher's grey paper over boards with blue titles to spine. With the grey typographic dust-jacket, priced at 2/6. Also issued in soft covers, the hardback being the first of the two bindings. 1000..... More
Sweeney Agonistes, Fragments of an Aristophanic Melodrama.
London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1932. [Drama] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.31; [1]. Publisher's light blue paper to boards, red titles to spine. With the typographic dust-jacket priced at 3s 6d to lower. Interior bright and clean with the faintest bit of spotting to margins and edges. Spine..... 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
Introducing James Joyce. A selection of Joyce's prose.
London: Faber and Faber, 1942. [Excerpts] FIRST THUS. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.146 [2]. Publisher's yellow cloth with brown titles to spine. With the yellow typographic dust-jacket, priced at 3/6. Jacket toned, with rubbing and light chipping to edges, and heavier rubbing and browning to spine. Very good. Selected passages..... 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
Results 1 - 14 (of 14)