The Life and Times of Coventry Patmore

London: Constable , 1949. First edition. Cloth. Very Good Indeed. 9" by 5.5". Not Stated . A signed first edition of this biography of English poet Coventry Patmore by his great grandson. The first edition of this biography of Coventry Patmore, English poet and literary critic. Written by his great grandson Derek Patmore. A biography exploring the life of the poet from the beginning through his marriages and literary career. Illustrated with a coloured frontispiece and eight full page plates. Collated, complete. Signed by the author to the front free endpaper, a presentation copy inscribed to Audrey Pleydell Bouverie, who also signed this book to the front free endpaper 'For dear Audrey, with all food wishes, love from her friend Dereck Patmore.'  From the library at Julian Park, Hertfordshire, belonging to Audrey Pleydell-Bouverie. Audrey was the youngest daughter of an Anglo-American lumber and steel millionaire, sister to Edward James, a key figure in the Surrealist movement, and the illegitimate granddaughter of King Edward VII. She was an English socialite known for her beauty and for charming various wealthy men, she was included in The Book of Beauty by Cecil Beaton. A patron of the arts, she assisted Viscount Carlow financially in the publication of limited editions of numerous works by leading literary figures such as T E Lawrence, James Joyce, Wyndham Lewis, and others. A hedonistic pursuer, she was recognised as one of the 'Bright Young Things'.  In the original publisher's full cloth binding. Externally very smart with only minor shelf wear and a minor bumping to the head and tail of the spine and extremities. Signed by the author to the front free endpaper, a presentation copy inscribed to Audrey Pleydell Bouverie, who also signed this book to the front free endpaper 'For dear Audrey, with all food wishes, love from her friend Dereck Patmore,' dated 1949. Internally, firmly bound. With a minor faint spotting to the fore edge, affecting only the first and last few leaves slightly, otherwise the pages are bright and clean throughout. Illustrated with a coloured frontispiece and eight full page plates. Collated, complete.  Very Good Indeed