"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them."
— Mark Twain
Poetry & Drama
Terence Rattigan: The Man and His Work.
London: Quartet Books, 2010. [Literary Biography] INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR, revised third edition. Octavo (24 x 15cm), pp.[2] 534. INSCRIBED by the author in black ink to title page: 'For Edward | with best wishes | Michael Darlow | 1st August 2011. Publisher's soft covers priced at £22.50. Light wear..... More
![The Tale of Mr. Tootleoo [and] Tootleoo Two. Bernard DARWIN, and Elinor](/pictures/thumb/49527.jpg?v=1510764925)
The Tale of Mr. Tootleoo [and] Tootleoo Two.
London: The Nonesuch Press, n.d. [1925 and 1927]. [Children's Illustrated]. FIRST EDITIONS. In two volumes. Oblong (19 x 26cm), unpaginated. With bright colour illustrations by Elinor Darwin facing every page of text. In publisher's original paper-covered card covers, with red decoration to volume I and blue to volume II. Some..... More
The Botanic Garden, A Poem. In Two Parts. Part I containing The Economy of Vegetation. Part II The Loves of Plants. With Philosophical Notes.
London: Printed for J. Johnson, 1799. [Botany]. FINE CONTEMPORARY BINDING, the fourth edition. In two volumes. Octavo (22 x 14cm), pp.[2] xiv; xvii-xx; 492 [2]; pp.[4] xii; xv-xvi; 282 [6]. With 21 etchings and copper engraved plates, including a frontispiece to each volume. Contemporary navy full diced calf with gilt..... More
The Guardsman and Cupid's Daughter. And Other Poems.
London: Humphrey Toulmin, 1930. LIMITED EDITION, this being number 289 of 500 copies SIGNED by the Author and Artist. Octavo. Frontispiece and further black and white illustrations by John Austen. Publisher's green cloth, gilt title to spine and pictorial title label laid to upper. Top edge gilt, all other edges..... More
Collected Poems 1954.
London: Jonathan Cape with the Hogarth Press, 1954. [Modern Poetry] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.370. Publisher's cloth, top edge tinted blue, printed blue dust-wrapper priced at 21s. Book is fine; jacket sunned and a little worn/toned to lower panel. Overall near fine. More
This Year: Next Year.
London: Faber and Faber, 1937. SIGNED LIMITED EDITION. Small Quarto, unpaginated. SIGNED by both artist and author in black ink to verso of front free endpaper; hand-numbered 100 of 100 copies. Brightly illustrated throughout with lithographs by Jones. In publisher's colour-illustrated cloth boards, with matching jacket and illustrated endpapers. Some..... More
![Playbill for] The Exquisites. Telesforo DE TRUEBA](/pictures/thumb/52512DeTruebaExquisites.jpg?v=1547505478)
[Playbill for] The Exquisites.
London: Printed by W. Reynolds, Friday, June 17, 1831. [Musical Theatre] ORIGINAL PLAYBILL. A single sheet of paper (36 x 20cm), backed and mounted with cream card. Advertising a performance of the new Comedy by Telesforo de Trueba, featuring the brilliantly named Madame Pasta and Mademoiselle Taglioni. Lightly browned. A...... More
Nouns and Pronouns.
Peterborough, NH: Windy Row Press, 1974. [Poetry]. INSCRIBED FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 15cm), pp.79; [1]. Publisher's brown leather effect cloth, gilt titles to spine, in pictorial dust-jacket designed by Fran Hall. Warmly signed and inscribed by the author on the flyleaf. Some offsetting along the gutter, a few marks..... More
![The King of the Foxes [and] The Destroyers [in] The Windsor Magazine. Volume VIII. Arthur Conan...](/pictures/thumb/49910.jpg?v=1512569739)
The King of the Foxes [and] The Destroyers [in] The Windsor Magazine. Volume VIII.
London: Ward, Lock and Co., 1898. [Literary Magazine]. FIRST APPEARANCES. Octavo (25 x 18cm), pp.vi; 3-716. With numerous in-text lithographic illustrations. In publisher's green cloth with red titles to spine and upper board. Brown floral endpapers. With a PSA Book Fund bookplate to front pastedown. Some gatherings a little loose;..... More
The Crown Diamond. An Evening with Sherlock Holmes. A Play in One Act.
New York, NY: Baskerette Press [The Baker Street Irregulars], 1958. FIRST EDITION in book-form, limited to 59 numbered copies (this being out-of-series). Slim octavo, unpaginated, with woodblock illustrations, two of which are printed in colour. Publisher's black quarter cloth over pink paper-covered boards with title label to upper. Internally very..... More
The Poetical Works of John Dryden. The Globe Edition: Edited with a Memoir, Revised Text, and Notes.
London: Macmillan and Co., 1873. [Poetical Works] FINELY BOUND, a new edition. Octavo (18 x 13cm), pp.lxxxviii; 662. Contemporary red half morocco by MUDIE, with raised bands, gilt titles to spine and marbled paper over boards. All edges and endpapers marbled. Lightly browned throughout. Pencil ownership to first blank dated..... More
The Venus Touch.
London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1971. [Poetry] SIGNED LIMITED EDITION. Tall octavo (22 x 13cm), pp.63; [1]. Illustrated with drawings by Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt. Number 15 of 500 copies SIGNED by the author in blue ink to the limitation page. Publisher's peach cloth with gilt titles and illustration to..... More
Lyrics Pathetic And Humorous From A To Z.
London: Frederick Warne and Co., 1908. First Edition. Quarto. Illustrated grey paper boards, with beveled edges, and cream cloth spine. A lavishly illustrated alphabet book, it includes twenty four plates, as XYZ are represented by a single plate. Edges of boards are rubbed, worn at corners, with some fading, and..... More
Grandmama's Nursery Stories.
Tunbridge Wells: Lewis Hepworth, n.d. RARE. PRINTED AND BOUND IN TUNBRIDGE WELLS. Octavo, pp.46. Bound in blue-green cloth, with title in bright gilt to centre of front board. Blank endpapers. In very good condition, with several light marks to front board, and a split in rear board. Nonetheless, the binding..... More
Nature-Poems. (And Others).
Tunbridge Wells: Lewis Hepworth and Morriss, 1893. First Edition. Octavo. Bound in russet cloth, with titles to front board, and decorative ruling to both front and rear boards. Decorative foliate endpapers. Binding shows minimal signs of wear. Internally clean, excepting some darkening to front and rear free endpapers from binder's..... More
The Spanish Gypsy. A Poem.
William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh and London, 1868, FIRST EDITION. 8vo., 223 x 147mm., pps. 358 + 8-page publisher's catalogue. Bound in original blue cloth, gilt motif to upper, gilt titles and decoration to spine, grey-coloured coated endpapers.Some minor wear, spine a touch darkened, rubbed to extremities. Very good indeed..... More
After Strange Gods. A Primer of Modern Heresy.
London: Faber and Faber, Ltd., 1934. [Literary Criticism] FIRST EDITION, SIGNED by the author in blue ink to title page. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.68. Blue cloth hardcovers with gilt titles to spine, in typographic dust-jacket priced at 3/6. Faint erasure to pastedown, minor spotting, jacket with old tape to..... 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 Waste Land.
New York, NY: Boni and Liveright, 1922. LIMITED SECOND EDITION. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.64. Number 518 of 1000 copies printed. Publisher's dark grey cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper board. Edges untrimmed. Text block lightly browned, as expected. Some rubbing to fore-edges and spine; a few marks..... More
Specimens of the Early English Poets, to which is prefixed an Historical Sketch of the Rise and Progress of the English Poetry and Language, in 3 volumes. Together with: Specimens of Early English Metrical Romances, chiefly written during the early part of the Fourteenth Century; to which is prefixed an Historical Introduction, intended to Illustrate the Rise and Progress of Romantic Composition in France and England.
London: Published for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1811. 6 volumes, 8vo., in a lovely contemporary full speckled calf with gilt raised bands, green and brown title labels and gilt tooling to spines, decorative gilt border to boards, grey end papers. Internally sound and clean. Binding a little rubbed..... More
The Art of H. Davis Richter.
Benfleet: F. Lewis. 1935; 1944. SIGNED FIRST EDITION subscribers' copy, number 94 of 200 copies, with associated signed first edition of 'Paintings and Poems'. Text by Fell; poems by Lady Sackville. pp. xx, 55, (44 plates in colour and monochrome); 35, (colour plates to each facing page). 'The Art' in..... More
The Vegetable, Or, From President to Postman.
New York, NY: Scribner's Sons, 1923. [Drama] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[8] 145 [7]. With the original green cloth cover and spine bound in at rear. Recent green full morocco with raised bands, gilt titles to spine, and a gilt autograph stamped to upper board. Marbled endpapers; fore-edge..... More
The Vegetable. Or, From President to Postman.
New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1923. [Comedy Drama] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.145; [1]; [2], publisher's advertisements. Recent green full morocco, raised bands and gilt titles to spine, top edge gilt, green marbled endpapers, original green cloth upper and spine bound in at rear. Internally clean. Very..... More
Don Juan, A Play in Three Acts.
London: William Heinemann, 1926. LIMITED EDITION. Octavo, pp.xiv, 160. With a frontispiece photograph of the author. Number 150 of 380 copies printed on hand made English paper. In publisher's orange cloth with gilt titles to spine. Top edge gilt, others untrimmed. Spine sunned; good overall. Flecker was inspired to write..... More
Off Course.
London: Turret Books, 1969. SIGNED Limited Edition (First). Small Octavo, pp. 16 [1]. No. 47 of 250 copies signed by the author. In publisher's brown cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper board. As new. 15 short poems. More