Eliot, T.S

Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.

London : Faber and Faber Limited, 1960.

Later printing of Eliot’s beloved collection of whimsical feline poems which served as the basis for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1981 megamusical phenomenon Cats. Octavo, original yellow pictorial cloth, illustrated by T. S. Eliot. Association copy, inscribed by the author to portrait painter Sir Gerald Kelly on the front free endpaper, “For Gerald Kelly with theContinue reading "Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats."

Taggard, Genevieve; Robert Frost; Vachel Lindsay; Edwin Arlington Robinson; Louis Untermeyer; Alfred Kreymborg; 'H. D.'; Elinor Wylie; Theodore Dreiser; William Rose Benét; Conrad Aiken; Witter Bynner

The Poetry Quartos: Monologue for Mothers, The Lovely Shall Be Choosers, Rigamarole Rigamarole, The Prodigal Son, Adirondack Cycle, Body and Stone, Red Roses for Bronze, Birthday Sonnet, The Aspirant, Sagacity, Prelude, and Roots.

Silvermine, Connecticut : Random House, May, 1929.

Complete collection of The Poetry Quartos, containing twelve first edition poetry brochures, each a new poem by an American poet. Octavo, twelve brochures, original illustrated wrappers by Paul Johnston. One of 475 copies printed for Random House. Fine in the original folding box cover also designed by Paul Johnston which is in very good condition.Continue reading "The Poetry Quartos: Monologue for Mothers, The Lovely Shall Be Choosers, Rigamarole Rigamarole, The Prodigal Son, Adirondack Cycle, Body and Stone, Red Roses for Bronze, Birthday Sonnet, The Aspirant, Sagacity, Prelude, and Roots."

Pasternak, Boris

Zemnoi Prostor. [Earthly Space].

Moscow : Sovietskiy Pistatel, 1945.

Rare first edition paperback of this collection of poems. Duodecimo, original wrappers with embossed titles to the front panel. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front pastedown, “To the deeply respected Nikolai Sergeyevich Bartenev, for a good memory B. Pasternak May 10, 1946.” The recipient, Bartenev, is recorded as serving in the RussianContinue reading "Zemnoi Prostor. [Earthly Space]."

Cohen, Nathan; Ringuet; F. E. Sparshott; Mary McAlpine; John Sutherland; A. J. M. Smith; Louis Dudek; Diana Goldsborough; Murdo Mackinnon; Ronald Bates; Leonard Cohen; Beatrice Corrigan; Robert McCormack; F. R. Scott; Louis de Niverville

The Tamarack Review Issue Six: Winter 1958.

Toronto : University of Toronto Press, 1958.

First edition of this mixed-genre Canadian literary magazine. Octavo, original blue pictorial wrappers, illustrated. Signed and dated by Leonard Cohen on the table of contents, “Leonard Cohen 2002.” Scarce early Cohen appearance from 1958 when he was 24 years old. Four of his poems are included, some of which do not appear elsewhere: ‘Before theContinue reading "The Tamarack Review Issue Six: Winter 1958."

Robinson, Edwin Arlington

Tristram.

New York : The Macmillan Company, 1927.

Signed limited edition of this popular Pulitzer prize-winning Arthurian narrative poem. Octavo, original publisher’s half cloth, top edge gilt. One of three hundred and fifty copies signed by Edwin Arlington Robinson on the limitation page, this one is number 167. In near fine condition, bookplate to the front pastedown. From the library of Frank IrvingContinue reading "Tristram."

Silverstein, Shel

The Missing Piece Meets the Big O.

New York : Harper & Row, Publishers, 1981.

First edition of this work of poetry by the author on The Giving Tree. Small quarto, original cloth, illustrated throughout. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author with a large drawing of a hand with a pen on the front free endpaper continuing to the front pastedown, “For Daniel With Love Shel Silverstein.” Near fine inContinue reading "The Missing Piece Meets the Big O."

Thomas, Dylan

Death and Entrances.

London : J.M. Dent & Sons, 1946.

First edition of Thomas’ most well-known collection of poetry. Small octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “To Charles Fox from Dylan Thomas.” Near fine in a near fine dust jacket, recipient name to the front free endpaper.

Thomas, Dylan

In Country Sleep.

New York : New Directions, 1952.

Signed limited edition, one of 100 copies of this collection of poems, including the first book appearance of “Do not go gentle into that good night,” published the year before his death,  Octavo, original cloth. Signed by Dylan Thomas. Fine in a fine slipcase. An exceptional example.

Warren, Robert Penn

You, Emperors, and Others: Poems 1957-1960.

New York : Random House, 1960.

First edition of the collected poems of Robert Penn warren written in the years 1957 to 1960. Quarto, original publisher’s cloth. Association copy, inscribed by the author to poet and editor William Claire on the front free endpaper, “To William Claire in friendship Robert Penn Warren.” Very good in a good dust jacket. Housed inContinue reading "You, Emperors, and Others: Poems 1957-1960."

Bishop, Elizabeth

North Haven: In Memoriam Robert Lowell.

Northridge, CA : Richard Bigus for the Lord John Press, 1979.

Memorial broadside, signed by Elizabeth Bishop, one of only 150 examples. It measures 21 inches by 14.5 inches. Framed, signature lightly faded, small stain to the bottom edge. Rare.

Select Poetry: Chiefly on Subjects Connected with Religion. [Fore-Edge Painting].

London : R. B. Seeley, 1830.

Finely bound poetry collection decorated with a concealed fore-edge painting. 18mo, bound in full morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine, gilt fleuron cornerpieces to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, all edges gilt, decorated with a concealed fore-edge painting of St. Saviour’s church in London. In very goodContinue reading "Select Poetry: Chiefly on Subjects Connected with Religion. [Fore-Edge Painting]."

Lewis, C.S

The Problem of Pain.

London : The Centenary Pres, 1941.

Early printing of Lewis’s classic discussion of the nature of good and evil; inscribed by him with a quotation from Coventry Patmore’s poem The Angel in the House which had a profound influence on the development of Lewis’s Christian beliefs. Octavo, original publisher’s cloth. Signed by C.S. Lewis with a quotation from Coventry Patmore’s poemContinue reading "The Problem of Pain."

Merrill, James

First Poems.

New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 1951.

First edition of the author’s first regularly published book. Octavo, original maroon cloth. One of 990 numbered copies printed, this is number 912. Association copy, signed and inscribed by the author on the title page with a four-line stanza from his poem White Stag, Black Bear, “…We called the autumn night his lair, Yet knewContinue reading "First Poems."

Milosz, Czeslaw

Native Realm: A Search for Self-Definition.

Garden City, NY : Doubleday & Company, 1968.

First edition of the re-issue of the Nobel Prize-winning author’s classic work. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Czeslaw Milosz on the front free endpaper. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Lewis Friedman. Author photograph by Thomas Victor.

Whitman, Walt

Leaves of Grass.

Camden, New Jersey : Author's Edition [Walt Whitman], 1882.

The Author’s edition of the most important and influential volume of poetry written in America; one of probably fewer than 100 copies produced with the inclusion of the “sexual odes” at Whitman’s insistence. Octavo, original publisher’s cloth, illustrated with two full-page engraved portraits of Whitman at different ages. Boldly signed by Walt Whitman on theContinue reading "Leaves of Grass."

Stevens, Wallace

The Auroras of Autumn.

New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 1950.

First edition of this classic National Book Award winning collection. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell and chemise box. An exceptional presentation, rare in this condition.

Ali, Muhammad

“The President” Muhammad Ali Signed Manuscript Poem.

.

Manuscript poem signed by famed American boxer Muhammad Ali. One page, the poem is titled, “The President” and reads in part, “The face of the Pres is open, The eyes of the Pres are bright, The lips of the Pres are now closed, The head of the Pres is upright, The breast of the Pres slantsContinue reading "“The President” Muhammad Ali Signed Manuscript Poem."

Lowell, Robert

History.

New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1973.

First edition of this classic work. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket, name to the front free endpaper. Jacket design by Charles Skaggs. Housed in a custom half morocco slipcase.

Lowell, Robert

Near The Ocean.

New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1971.

First Noonday printing of Lowell’s renowned collection of poems, including his famous Waking Early on Sunday Morning. Octavo, original pictorial wrappers. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, “For Sebastiano In the time of my crisis Robert Lowell Jan. 6, 1976 Greenways Nur[s]ing Home Robert.” In very good condition with  a fewContinue reading "Near The Ocean."

Eliot, T.S

Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.

New York : Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1939.

First American edition of Eliot’s beloved collection of whimsical feline poems which served as the basis for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1981 megamusical phenomenon Cats. Octavo, original cloth. Very good in a good price-clipped dust jacket. Jacket illustration by T.S. Eliot.

Gray, Thomas

The Poetical Works of Thomas Gray. [Fore-edge Painting].

London : Bell and Daldy, 1857.

Finely bound collection of the collected poetical works of Thomas Gray decorated with a concealed fore-edge painting of Eton College. Octavo, bound in full straight grain morocco with gilt titles to the spine, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, decorated with a concealed fore-edge painting of Eton College. In very good condition. Armorial bookplate.

White, Henry Kirke

Remains of Henry Kirke White, with a Memoir of the Author. [Fore-edge Painting].

Glasgow : Printed for Richard Griffin & Co, 1844.

Finely bound collection of the letters and poems of Henry Kirke White. 12mo, finely bound in full morocco elaborately decorated in gilt, marbled endpapers, tissue-guarded frontispiece portrait of White, all edges gilt, decorated with a concealed fore-edge painting. In very good condition. Ownership inscription. A unique example.

Plath, Sylvia

The Colossus and Other Poems.

London : Heinemann, 1960.

First edition of the first complete volume of poetry to be published by Plath and the only volume published in her lifetime. Octavo, original cloth. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco slipcase. An exceptional example.

Bryant, William Cullen

William Cullen Bryant Autograph “The Voice of Autumn” Poem Signed.

November 21, 1853 .

Rare autograph poem in the hand of William Cullen Bryant sent by him to magazine publisher George R. Graham for inclusion in his literary periodical Graham’s Magazine with the accompanying transmittal letter from Bryant to Graham. Quarto, two pages. Addressed to George R. Graham, the letter reads in part, “New York Monday Nov. 21, 1853Continue reading "William Cullen Bryant Autograph “The Voice of Autumn” Poem Signed."

Shakespeare, William

The Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare. With A Glossary.

Chiswick : Printed by C. Whittingham, 1825.

Finely bound example of the collected dramatic works of William Shakespeare. 12mo, bound in full pebbled dark green morocco with gilt titles and elaborate gilt tooling to the spine, gilt tooling to the front and rear panels withing triple gilt ruling to the spine and front panels, gilt turn-ins and wide gilt inner dentelles, allContinue reading "The Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare. With A Glossary."

Byron, George Gordon Noel. [Lord Byron]

Don Juan.

London : Thomas Davison [i.e., John Murray], 1819-1821 (Cantos I-V, Volumes I-II)/John Hunt, 1823-24 (Cantos VI-XVI, Volumes III-VI).

Scarce complete first edition set of Byron’s great work which was widely criticized as immoral upon publication and is now considered one of the greatest poems of the Romantics; from the library of American writer Erica Jong. Volume one was produced in quarto format and the subsequent 5 volumes in octavo (Davison abandoned the quartoContinue reading "Don Juan."

Sackville-West, Vita

Collected Poems.

London : Published by Leonard and Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press, 1933.

First edition of Sackville-West’s collected poems including “The Land” and “Sissinghurst” (which was dedicated to Virginia Woolf), as well as 28 new poems published here for the first time. Octavo, complete in one volume (Volume I was the only volume published). Signed by the author on the front free endpaper. From the library of EricaContinue reading "Collected Poems."

Heaney, Seamus

Beowulf: A New Verse Translation.

London : Faber and Faber, 1999.

First edition of this work by the Nobel Prize-winning author. Octavo, bound in full morocco by the Harcourt Bindery, gilt titles and ruling to the spine, raised bands, gilt ruled to the front and rear panels, inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. In fine condition. An exceptional example.

Heaney, Seamus

Poets from the North of Ireland.

1979 : Blackstaff Press, Belfast.

First edition of this collection of poems. Octavo, original illustrated wrappers. Boldly signed by Nobel Prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney on the half-title page. In near fine condition. Edited by Frank Ormsby.

Shelley, Percy Bysshe

The Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley.

London : Edward Moxon, 1854.

Finely bound example of the works of Percy Bysshe Shelley. Royal octavo, bound in three quarters vellum over marbled boards, elaborate gilt tooling to the spine, morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers, illustrated, tissue-guarded frontispiece. In near fine condition. Armorial bookplate.

Kipling, Rudyard

Collected Verse of Rudyard Kipling.

New York : Doubleday, Page & Co, 1910.

Signed limited edition of the collected verse of Rudyard Kipling, beautifully illustrated by W. Heath Robinson. Quarto, bound in three quarters crushed levant morocco over marbled boards, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, top edge gilt with others untrimmed, illustrated by W. Heath Robinson with nine mounted color plates. One of one hundred andContinue reading "Collected Verse of Rudyard Kipling."

Tennyson, Alfred

The Works of Alfred Tennyson, Poet Laureate.

London : Macmillan and Co, 1884.

Finely bound example of the works of Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Octavo, bound in a full contemporary polished emerald green calf prize-binding, gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, morocco spine label lettered in gilt, gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, all edges marbled, tissue-guarded frontispiece. In very good condition. Presentation inscription.

Gluck, Louise

The House on Marshland.

New York : The Ecco Press, 1975.

First edition of the Nobel Prize-winning author’s second book. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, “For Larry Louise Gluck.” Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Loretta Li.

Select Poetry. Chiefly on Subjects Connected with Religion. [Fore-Edge Painting].

London : Printed for L. B. Seeley and Son, 1825.

Finely bound poetry collection decorated with a concealed fore-edge painting. 18mo, bound in full morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine, double gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, all edges gilt, decorated with a concealed fore-edge painting. In very good condition.

Burns, Robert

The Complete Works of Robert Burns.

London : Blackie, 1888.

The works of Robert Burns, finely bound. Octavo, 5 volumes, bound in full morocco, gilt titles and elaborate tooling to the spine, front and rear panels, inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, illustrated throughout. Edited by Charles Annandale. In near condition. An exceptional set.

Collins, Billy

Pokerface.

Los Angeles : Kenmore Press, 1977.

First edition of Collins’ first collection of poetry. Oblong octavo, original wrappers. One of 400 numbered copies, this is number 302. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, “To Joanne once again Billy Collins 2016.” In near fine condition.

Poe, Edgar Allan

Eureka: A Prose Poem.

New York : George P. Putnam, 1848.

First edition, first issue of Poe’s classic work. Duodecimo, original publishers blind stamped black cloth with gilt lettering to the spine. First issue, without the review for Eureka on page 2 of the 16 page catalogue at the end of the book, but reads simply: “Poe. — Eureka, A Prose Poem: Or the Physical andContinue reading "Eureka: A Prose Poem."

Willmott, Robert Aris [Editor]

The Poets of the Nineteenth Century. [Fore-Edge Painting].

London : Frederick Warne and Co, 1869.

Finely bound example of Willmott’s compilation of the great nineteenth century poets. Octavo, bound in full pebbled morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, central gilt emblem and fleuron cornerpieces within triple gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbledContinue reading "The Poets of the Nineteenth Century. [Fore-Edge Painting]."

Goldsmith, Oliver

The Poetical Works of Oliver Goldsmith, M.B. and Professor of Ancient History in the Royal Academy of the Arts. [Fore-edge Painting].

London : Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1846.

Finely bound example of Goldsmith’s complete poetical works, decorated with a fore-edge painting of a golfing scene. Octavo, bound in full pebbled morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt scrolling and fleuron cornerpeices to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, illustratedContinue reading "The Poetical Works of Oliver Goldsmith, M.B. and Professor of Ancient History in the Royal Academy of the Arts. [Fore-edge Painting]."

Wilde, Oscar

Ave Imperatrix! A Dirge of Empire by Oscar Wilde.

Washington : Snohomish, 1902.

First edition of Wilde’s classic Hellenic poem. Octavo, original boards, illustrated with engravings and hand painted initials embellished in gilt, frontispiece by John Dennis Clancy. In very good condition.

Thomas, Dylan

The Map of Love: Verse and Prose.

London : J. M. Dent and Sons Ltd, 1939.

First edition, first issue of Thomas’s third book with “Dent” blind-stamped on spine. Octavo, original purple cloth with gilt titles to the spine and front panel, with the frontispiece portrait of Thomas after the painting by Augustus John. Presenation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “Leo & John… From Dylan Thomas OxfordContinue reading "The Map of Love: Verse and Prose."

Rodd, Rennell. Introduction by Oscar Wilde

Rose Leaf and Apple Leaf.

Philadelphia : J. M. Stoddart & Co, 1882.

First edition of Rodd’s first book of verse which was published with the assistance of Oscar Wilde. 12mo, original publisher’s vellum with gilt inner dentelles, silk watered endleaves, top edge gilt with others untrimmed, illustrated. In near fine condition. Neat ownership inscription. Rare.

Wilde, Oscar. With Woodcuts by Frans Masereel

The Ballad of Reading Gaol.

London : Methuen & Co. Ltd, 1925.

First illustrated edition of this rare Wilde title. Royal octavo, original half cloth, illustrated with woodcuts by Frans Masereel. One of 450 numbered copies, this is number 16. Fine in the rare original dust jacket which is in very good condition.

Wilde, Oscar

Oscar Wilde: Recollections by Jean Paul Raymond & Charles Ricketts.

Bloomsbury : The Nonesuch Press, 1932.

First edition of Ricketts’ recollections of Wilde, published posthumously with a design reminiscent of the Vale Press. “The only Nonesuch book linked in a personal way with the private press movement of those years” (Dreyfus, 81). Royal octavo, original publisher’s cloth decorated in gilt, top edge gilt with others untrimmed. One of 800 numbered copies,Continue reading "Oscar Wilde: Recollections by Jean Paul Raymond & Charles Ricketts."

Whittier, John Greenleaf

Snow-Bound. A Winter Idyl.

Boston : Ticknor and Fields, 1866.

First edition, first issue of this poetic description of the pleasant isolation of “the inmates of the family at the Whittier homestead” with the final page properly numbered 52. Octavo, original cloth with gilt titles and tooling to the spine, pale yellow endpapers, tissue-guarded frontispiece portrait and title page vignette, headpiece and initial letter byContinue reading "Snow-Bound. A Winter Idyl."

William, Oscar [Editor]; Dylan Thomas; Wallace Stevens; W.H. Auden; Marianne Moore; Robinson Jeffers; Randall Jarrell; Delmore Schwartz; Conrad Aiken; Muriel Rukeyser; Stephen Spender; Robert Penn Warren

New Poems 1942: An Anthology of British and American Verse.

Mount Vernon, N.Y : Peter Pauper Press, 1942.

First edition, signed limited issue of the second in a series of wartime poetry anthologies selected by Oscar Williams, this being the first to be issued as a signed limited edition. Octavo, original three quarter buckram over marbled boards, top edge gilt. One of 26 lettered copies available for sale and signed by 31 ofContinue reading "New Poems 1942: An Anthology of British and American Verse."

Emerson, Ralph Waldo

The Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Cambridge : Riverside Press, 1903.

The Autograph Centenary edition of the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of 600 numbered copies containing a double sided manuscript in Emerson’s hand bound into volume one. Octavo, 12 volumes, publisher’s original three quarter morocco over marbled boards with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised bands, top edgeContinue reading "The Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson."

Whitman, Walt

Leaves of Grass.

Boston : James R. Osgood and Company, 1881-82.

The “suppressed Boston edition” (seventh edition overall) of the most important volume in American poetry, one of 1,010 copies printed. Octavo, original publisher’s mustard cloth with gilt titles and tooling to the spine and front panel, tissue-guarded engraved portrait of the author by Hollyer after the daguerreotype by Gabriel Harrison opposite page 29. BAL 21418.Continue reading "Leaves of Grass."