"Hungry man, reach for the book: it is a weapon. "
— Bertolt Brecht
Poetry & Drama
The Alphabet Annotated for Youth and Adults in Doggerel Verse by an Old Etonian.
London: Ackermann & Co., no date [1853]. [Illustrated Humour] FIRST EDITION. Folio (33 x 26cm), pp.64. With fine marginal engravings to every page by Terry. Publisher's brown cloth with an engraved paper title label to upper. All edges gilt; yellow-coated endpapers. Repairs to split hinges. Black ink ownership to verso..... More
The Vegetable, Or, From President to Postman.
New York, NY: Scribner's Sons, 1923. [Comedy 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;..... 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.[8] 145 [7]. Publisher's green cloth with gilt titles to spine and blind to upper. Fore-edge untrimmed. Gently toned throughout, as usual. Neat ownership to flyleaf, bookseller's labels to rear endpapers. Gilt a little rubbed..... More
Mr Mouth.
London: Ondt & Gracehoper, 2006. [Poetry] SIGNED FIRST EDITION. Octavo (21 x 16cm), pp.[8] 122 [2]. SIGNED by the author in blue pencil to title page, dated 28/11/08. Publisher's plain black soft covers, with black and orange illustrated dust-jacket, not priced. A fine, as-new copy. A large collection of contemporary..... More
Unfinished Poems. "Musings" by William Cullen Bryant, and "Godfrey of Boulogne" by Henry D. Thoreau.
Boston, MA: The Bibliophile Society, 1907. [American Poetry] LIMITED PRIVATE PRESS EDITION. Large octavo (25 x 19cm), pp.[4] xxviii [4]. With a double-sided facsimile plate of the manuscript of each poem, and an engraving for each, together with the printed texts. One of 470 copies thus, finely printed on Japanese..... More
Loser Wins (Les Séquestrés d'Altona). A Play in Five Acts.
London: Hamish Hamilton, 1960. [Drama] FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.152. Publisher's orange cloth with gilt titles to spine. With the simple typographic dust-jacket, priced at 15s. Bookseller's label to front pastedown. Some light spotting to edges and endpapers; a little musty. Spotting to jacket, with additional..... More
Paradise Lost. An Illustrated Edition with an introduction by Philip Pullman.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. [Epic Poetry] FIRST THUS. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.[6] 374 [4]. Text printed in red and black. With facsimile plates of twelve engravings from the first illustrated edition. Publisher's black cloth, with gilt titles to spine and red endpapers. With the dust-jacket priced at £16.99..... More
Air Force Poetry.
London: John Lane the Bodley Head, 1944. [Second World War Poetry] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.90 [2]. Publisher's blue cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper. With the blue and white dust-jacket designed by Foss, priced at 7/6. Cloth spine faded, with toning to jacket spine. Rubbing..... More
Poems by William Cowper, Of the Inner Temple, Esq.
London: Printed for J. Johnson, 1787. [Poetry] THIRD EDITION. Two volumes. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.[4] 367 [1]; pp.[8] 359 [1]. Contemporary full tan calf, recently rebacked with the original spines laid over. Gilt titles to red labels on spines. Armorial bookplate of Michael Pepper to front pastedown of each..... More
Austin Dobson: An Anthology of Prose & Verse.
London: J.M. Dent & Sons, 1922. [Miscellany] FINELY BOUND FIRST THUS. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.[6] xxii; 174 [6]. With a half-tone photographic portrait of the author, and a facsimile reproduction of his bookplate. Contemporary blue half morocco by RAMAGE of London, with raised bands, gilt titles and decoration to..... More
Blues for Mister Charlie.
London: Michael Joseph, 1965. [Drama] FIRST UK EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.124 [4]. Publisher's dark brown cloth with gilt titles to spine. With the dust-jacket designed from a photograph by Michael Rennie. Decorative bookplate of Irene Forbes Adam to front pastedown. Jacket price-clipped, with some light rubbing and chipping..... More
Doctors of Philosophy. A Play.
London: Macmillan & Co., 1963. [Drama] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.vi; 110. Publisher's blue cloth with gilt titles to spine. With the dust-jacket illustrated by Hutchinson Scott, priced at 18s. Some light signs of handling; essentially a fine copy. More
For All We Have and Are.
London: Methuen and Co., no date [1914]. [Poetry] FIRST SEPARATE EDITION. Octavo bi-fold pamphlet (17 x 11cm), one leaf folded with the poem inside. Advertisements to rear; priced at 1d. Light toning and handling to edges. Near fine. A rare survival of an ephemeral item. RICHARDS, David Alan, 'Rudyard Kipling..... More
The Complete works of robert burns. Including his Correspondence, etc., with a Memoir by William Gunnyon. The Text Carefully Printed, and Illustrated with Notes. With Portrait and Illustrations on Wood by Eminent Artists.
Edinburgh: William P. Nimmo, 1871. [Poetical Works] FINELY BOUND AND ILLUSTRATED. Octavo (23 x 16cm), pp.16; lxxviii; 405 [25]. With 10 engraved plates by various artists, including a frontispiece and vignette title page. Contemporary dark green half morocco with raised bands, gilt titles and decoration to spine, blue cloth over..... More
The Poetical Works of John Dryden. With Life, Critical Dissertation, and Explanatory Notes, by the Rev. George Gilfillan.
Edinburgh: James Nichol, 1855. [Poetical Works] FINELY BOUND FIRST THUS. Two volumes. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.[2] xxvi; 314 [2]; pp.[2] xxiv; 344 [2]. Reasonably-sized print on good paper. Very fine contemporary red full morocco by J. WRIGHT, with raised bands, gilt titles and decoration to spine, and very fine..... More
The Complete Poetical Works of William Wordsworth.
London: Macmillan and Co., 1895. [Poetical Works] FINELY BOUND FIRST THUS. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.[4] lxviii; 928 [4]. With an engraved frontispiece portrait of the author. Fairly small print in two columns. Contemporary blue half morocco, with raised bands, gilt titles and decoration to spine, and marbled paper over..... More
The Poetical Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. (Reprinted from the Revised American Edition) with Explanatory Notes. The "Albion" Edition.
London: Frederick Warne and Co., no date [circa 1900]. [Poetical Works] FINELY BOUND. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.x; 630 [2]. With an engraved frontispiece portrait of the author. Contemporary navy full calf with raised bands, gilt titles to red label, and further gilt decoration to spine. All edges and endpapers..... More
The Collected Works of Yeats, in Verse and Prose. Being the Writings, Plays and Poems.
Stratford-on-Avon: Shakespeare Head Press, 1908. FIRST COMPLETE WORKS. 8 volumes. octavo. Portrait frontispiece (including a Sargent charcoal drawing that makes Yeats look like Dr. Nikola without his cat) to four volumes (alternate: vol.I, III, V, and VII), title-page printed in red and black. Publisher's pale green linen spines with titles..... More
The Works of Alfred Tennyson. Poet Laureate.
London: Macmillan and Co., 1904. [Complete Works] FINELY BOUND, a later printing thus. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.[4] viii; 900 [6]. With an engraved frontispiece portrait of the author. Very fine contemporary brown full crushed morocco, possibly by Zaehnsdorf or similar, with raised bands and gilt titles to spine. All..... More
The Ingoldsby Legends. Or, Mirth and Marvels.
London: Macmillan and Co., 1926. [Strange Tales and Humour] FINE PRIZE BINDING, a later printing thus. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.[2] xvi; 546 [2]. With 20 engraved plates, including a frontispiece, by various artists. Contemporary full tree calf for Sherborne School by BICKERS & SON, with raised bands, gilt titles..... More
The Poetical Works of William Cowper.
Edinburgh: James Nichol, 1854. [Poetical Works] FINELY BOUND FIRST THUS. Two volumes. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.[2] xxx; 416 [2]; pp.[2] xxviii; 428 [2]. Reasonably-sized print on good paper. Very fine contemporary green full morocco by J. WRIGHT, with raised bands, gilt titles and decoration to spine, and very fine..... More
The Poetical Works of John Dryden; containing Original Poems, Tales, and Translations; with notes by the Rev. Joseph Warton, D.D.; the Rev. John Warton, M.A.; and Others.
London: Routledge, Warne, and Routledge, 1862. [Poetical Works] FINELY BOUND. Octavo (24 x 17cm), pp.[2] xii; lx; 445 [3]. With an engraved frontispiece and vignette title page. Very small print in two columns. Contemporary red full morocco by WISEMAN, with raised bands, gilt titles to spine, and gilt crest of..... More
Rhymes for Annie Rose.
London: The Bodley Head, 1995. [Children's Illustrated] SIGNED FIRST EDITION. Quarto (23 x 28cm), pp.[48]. With charming colour illustrations to every page by the author. SIGNED by the author in black ink to half-title. Publisher's glossy colour-illustrated paper over boards, and pink endpapers. With the matching dust-jacket. Jacket price-clipped, with..... More
The Poetical Works of Wordsworth. A New Edition.
London: Edward Moxon, 1845. [Poetical Works] FINELY BOUND. Large octavo (24 x 17cm), pp.[6] xxiv; 619 [7]. With an engraved frontispiece and vignette title page by William Finden. Text printed in two columns. Contemporary red full morocco, with raised bands, gilt titles and decoration to spine, and gilt symbols of..... More
Five Screenplays. The Servant; The Pumpkin Eater; The Quiller Memorandum; Accident; The Go-Between.
London: Methuen & Co., 1971. [Television Screenplays] FIRST COLLECTED EDITION. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.[6] 367 [3]. Publisher's dark green cloth with gilt titles to spine. With the orange dust-jacket priced at £3.75. Very light handling. A fine copy. Four television dramas adapted by Pinter from novels by other authors..... More