Poems.

GRAY, Thomas (1716-1771).

London: Privately printed for Eton College in The Riccardi Press Fount of The Medici Society, 1928. [Poetry] FINE PRIZE BINDING, ex libris Sir Martin Gilliat. Small quarto (26 x 20cm), pp.[4] viii; 87 [9]. With two black and white plates from another book, showing Gray's Summer House and Stoke Poges Church, loosely inserted. Bound in full vellum, with gilt titles to spine, the arms of Eton College stamped to upper, and machine-marbled endpapers. Top edge gilt; others untrimmed. A school leavers gift, inscribed from Cyril Alington, Head Master of Eton College, to Martin Gilliat, dated 1931. Some spotting to preliminaries and final leaves. Some minor marks to binding. Boards bowed, as usual with vellum. Near fine. Gilliat was a decorated career-soldier who was captured at Dunkirk in 1940, spending much of the Second World War at Colditz Castle. After the war he served under Mountbatten in India, and under Slim in Australia, before spending 37 years as the private secretary to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother from 1956. Item #61370

Price: £175.00