"Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it."
— P.J. O'Rourke
Poetry & Drama
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? A Play.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1962. [Drama] UK PROOF COPY. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.[10] 242 [4]. Publisher's pink monogrammed card wraps with a type-written label showing title, price and testimonials pasted to front cover. Very light wear and sunning to spine; some marks to edges. Near fine. More
The Rocky Horror Show: Mask of Columbia.
Los Angeles: Michael White Productions, n.d. [1974]. EPHEMERA FROM ROCKY HORROR SHOW U.S. OPENING. Card cut out mask of Columbia, approximately 26cm x 19cm with removable eyes and mouth, printed with production notes printed on the rear. Produced as a promotional item for the U.S. opening at the Roxy Theatre..... More
The Metropolis. And the Second Part of the Metropolis.
Dublin: John Barlow, 1805 and 1806. SECOND EDITION. Duodecimo. pp. 69, 87. In recent marbled paper-covered boards with navy titles to cream paper label on spine. Top right corner of title page to part two damaged and repaired. Text unaffected. Otherwise a near-fine example in an attractive new binding. An..... More
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
Poetical Works of Matthew Arnold.
London: Macmillan, 1913. [Poetry]. Octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.[xii]; 510. Riviere binding of contemporary brown half morocco over purple cloth boards, with raised bands, gilt title and extra gilt to spine, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers. Presentation note to "Miss D.M. Lapage", the commandant of the Kent 142 Volunteer Ambulance..... More
Collected Longer Poems.
London: Faber and Faber, 1968. [Poetry] FIRST EDITION THUS. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.356. Publisher's blue cloth, gilt titles to spine, typographic dust-jacket, repriced by Faber at £2.50 net with a sticker over the original printed price of 45s / £2.25 net. First and last leaves faintly creased at the..... More
Letters From Iceland.
London: Faber and Faber, 1937. [Poetry and Travel] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.268. With 15 double-sided black and white photographic plates, as well as a frontispiece, seven charts and diagrams, and a folding map at rear. Publisher's green cloth with red and blue titles to spine. Top edge..... More
Academic Graffiti.
London: Faber and Faber, 1971. [Illustrated Clerihews] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 16cm), unpaginated. 60 poems with an illustration by Sanjust to each facing leaf. Publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine. With the dust-jacket also illustrated by Sanjust, priced at £2.00. Light handling; a fine copy. More
About the House.
London: Faber and Faber, 1966. [Poetry] FIRST EDITION, with the errata slip at p.7. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.94 [2]. Publisher's blue cloth with gilt titles to spine. With the green and pink dust-jacket, priced at 15s. South African bookseller's ticket to pastedown. The lightest of offsetting to endpapers. Spine..... More
Thank You, Fog: Last Poems by W.H. Auden.
London: Faber and Faber, 1974. [Poetry] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.[2] 57 [5]. Publisher's blue quarter cloth with gilt titles to spine and light blue paper over boards. With the black and grey dust-jacket, priced at £1.75. Jacket lightly toned to spine, with the lightest of handling to..... More
Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers and Other Poems.
Edinburgh: William Blackwood and Sons, 1870. [Poetry] FINELY BOUND AND ILLUSTRATED, a later edition. Quarto (26 x 19cm), pp.[12]; 268. With frequent wood engraved vignettes by the Patons. Contemporary green full morocco by R. and A. SUTTABY of London, with raised bands, gilt titles and decoration to spine, and gilt..... More
The Amen Corner.
London: Michael Joseph, 1969. [African-American Drama] FIRST UK EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.132. Publisher's brown cloth with silver titles to spine. With the photographic dust-jacket priced at 25s. Light handling; a fine copy. Bladwin's first play, written shortly after his first novel 'Go Tell It on the Mountain' (1953)..... More
The Plays of J.M. Barrie. In One Volume [Peter Pan, The Admirable Crichton, Quality Street, etc.]
London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1928. [Dramatic Works] FINE PRIZE BINDING, the second impression thus. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.[8] 844 [4]. Contemporary red full calf for Cheltenham College, with gilt titles to green label and further gilt decoration to spine, as well as the school arms stamped in gilt to..... More
![Scrapbook]. Mary BATES](/pictures/thumb/51119.jpg?v=1592497803)
[Scrapbook].
[Privately produced]. 1892- circa 1903. LATE VICTORIAN SCRAPBOOK. Small quarto (26 x 19cm), pp.[16]; 1-2; 9-68. With three leaves removed near the beginning, and two from the back. Containing a great panoply of decorative monograms, crests and printed signatures and addresses belonging to the English gentry, cut from letters or..... More
![En Attendant Godot [Waiting For Godot]. Samuel BECKETT](/pictures/thumb/54808.jpg?v=1569253767)
En Attendant Godot [Waiting For Godot].
Paris: Les Editions De Minuit, 1952. [Drama] FIRST TRADE EDITION. Octavo (18 x 11cm), pp.163; [1], blank; [1], note; [3], blank. White card covers printed in black and blue, advertisements for 'Malloy' and 'Malone Meurt' to rear cover, with photo of the author. Title and rear leaves unopened (uncut edges)..... More
The Hostage.
London: Methuen and Co. Ltd., 1958. [Modern Drama] FIRST EDITION of the play in book form. Octavo (18 x 12cm), pp.92. Publisher's black cloth lettered in gilt to spine, photographic dust-wrapper priced at 10/6. Top edge dusty, jacket with a few chips and tears, sunned to spine; very good... More
State of the Nation: British Theatre since 1945.
London: Faber and Faber, 2007. [Theatre] INSCRIBED FIRST EDITION. Octavo (24 x 16cm), pp.viii; 435; [5]. With a suite of four double-sided colour photographic plates. INSCRIBED by the author in blue ink to title page: "For Edward | Best Wishes | Michael Billington | 19th November 2007". Publisher's orange cloth..... More
Auguries.
London: William Heinemann, 1913. [Poetry] FIRST EDITION, first impression. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.[8] 97 [3]. Publisher's brown cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper. Some offsetting to endpapers, and faint signs of a label or bookplate removed from front pastedown. Light wear to cloth. Near fine. More
The Horkey.
London: Macmillan and Co., 1882. [Children's illustrated] ILLUSTRATED BY GEORGE CRUICKSHANK (the younger). Slim quarto (25 x 21cm), pp.48. Printed with colour illustrations to every page. Illustrated paper-covered boards, green cloth spine, all edges green. Blind stamp of W.H. Smith Library to flyleaf, some toning and light spotting. Boards rubbed..... More
![Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs [and] The Farmer's Boy, A Rural Poem. Robert BLOOMFIELD](/pictures/thumb/49899.jpg?v=1512736293)
Rural Tales, Ballads, and Songs [and] The Farmer's Boy, A Rural Poem.
Paris: Parsons and Galignani, 1804. [Poetry]. FINELY BOUND, early editions, two volumes bound as one. Octavo (16 x 10cm), pp.75-146 [2]; pp.74 [4]. With an etched vignette title page for each volume. In contemporary marbled boards, recently re-backed in light brown calf with black titles to cream paper label on..... More
After the Bombing. And other short poems.
London: Macmillan and Co. Ltd., 1949. [Poetry] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.viii; 51; [1]. Publisher's red cloth, gilt titles to spine, dust-jacket with printed price of 6s. net. Internally fine, some toning to rear endpapers. Cloth lightly rubbed to bottom edge. Wrapper darkened to spine, some bruising along..... More
Pit-Head Poems.
London: J.M. Dent & Sons, 1927. [Poetry] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.xii; 80 [4]. Publisher's cream cloth with brown titles to spine, and brown wheel device to upper. Top edge brown. With the matching cream dust-jacket, priced at 3s. Toning and spotting to edges, with a strong tobacco..... More
A Rough Walk Home, and Other Poems
London: Jonathan Cape, 1946. [Poetry] FIRST EDITION. Octavo pamphlet (20 x 14cm), pp.[2] 31 [3]. Publisher's colour-decorated paper covers, priced at 2/6. Light handling, with some additional rubbing and toning to spine. Near fine. More
Poetry of the Magyars, preceded by a Sketch of the Language and Literature of Hungary and Transylvania.
London: Printed for the Author, and sold by Robert Heward [etc.], 1830. [Hungarian Poetry] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (21 x 13cm), pp.xvi; lxxxiii; 312 [4]. Recent plain grey pasteboards, with a plain hand-written title label to spine. All edges untrimmed. Preliminary leaves very poorly opened. Light spotting throughout. Minimal wear to..... More
Varied Verse.
London and Tunbridge Wells: The Reliance Press, no date [1925]. [Kent and Sussex Poetry] INSCRIBED FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.63 [1]. INSCRIBED by the author in blue ink to title page: 'To Major Heron, with the author's | kindred regards & in remembrance | of many a hearty..... More