The Old Bachelor and Other Poems by Justice, Donald - 1951

Oxford: Thos. Shrimpton and Son, 1878. First edition. First edition. 12mo. 16pp. Original grey-green printed wrappers. Exceedingly scarce first edition with the publisher's printed crest appearing on the cover of the wrappers as well as on the title page and a vignette woodcut appears on the last page. The prestigious Newdigate Prize, Oxford's top award for poetry, dates to early 1800's and the winner for 1878 was the young Oscar Wilde. The pamphlet was issued in the same year, as was common with many of the early prize winners, and is considered Wilde's first publication in book form. He worked on the poem a few years earlier while touring Greece as a student at Oxford. An exemplary copy, with no wrinkling or central creases as was commonly seen from folding to place in a pocket. Very small nick out of two corners, very slight (barely detectable) browning to covers, else extremely clean and bright. 16pp.

Paris: K éditeur, 1948. Fine. K éditeur, Paris 1948, 16,5x22,5cm, broché. - Edition originale, un des exemplaires numérotés sur alfa du Marais, le nôtre non justifié. Précieux envoi autographe daté et signé de Aimé Césaire à Raymond Queneau : ""... très sympathique hommage de ces bucoliques de sang et de soleil..."" Dos et plats légèrement et marginalement insolés sans gravité. [ENGLISH TRANSLATION FOLLOWS] Soleil cou coupé [Solar Throat Slashed] K éditeur | Paris 1948 | 16.5 x 22.5 cm | original wrappers First edition, a numbered copy on alfa du Marais paper, this one not included in the justification. Handsome autograph inscription signed and dated by Aimé Césaire to Raymond Queneau: ""Très sympathique hommage de ces bucoliques de sang et de soleil... [a very affectionate homage of these bucolics of blood and sunshine...]"" Covers and spine slightly sunned at edges (but not seriously).

London: Leonard Smithers, 1899. First Edition. Very Good. First Edition, first printing. One of 800 copies originally printed, which sold out immediately. Very Good. Covers soiled, corners and spine ends softened. Endsheets offset from binder's glue. Previous owner name partially effaced from front paste down. Slight odor to pages. Clipping with apparently forged signature of Oscar Wilde tipped in on recto of final blank sheet, by no means assumed to be authentic.

San Juan Capistrano, California:: Inkswine Press,, 2020.. Edition of 8. 15 x 11.5" (38 x 29.25 cm); 20 pages. Collagraphs. Chine collé. Letterpress printed with debossed running text. Screen printing. Bound in paper over boards with leather spine. Front cover with printed titles and black glyph illustration. Signed and numbered by the artist. Dirk Hagner: "This large format case-bound book reflects on COVID-19 and is based on a poem by Emily Dickinson which she wrote in 1880, 'Apparently with no surprise'. "This time around the 'blonde assassin' on stage is played by the red-crested corona virus upstart. The sun proceeds but is unmoved. Life is often cruel and death can be random and unexpected, with God paring her fingernails while it all happens. "The book's pages follow the 8 lines of the poem, cutting up the words in several ways, and reassembling the pieces with collagraphs and chine collé, employing debossed running text… Read More

San Juan Capistrano, California:: Inkswine Press,, 2020.. Edition of 14. 18 x 4.5 inches when folded (44.7 x 11.5 2.5cm); displays to 18 inches tall x 58.5 inches long (44.7 x 148.5 cm). Accordion structure. Gold paper chine collé, screen printing, and letterpress. Screen printed on gold Mulberry paper and rag. Signed and numbered by the artist. The work features a poem by Frank Bolles - "The crow". Bolles (b?lz) (1856-1894) was an American essayist and poet.  Dirk Hagner: "The book's title is given in three languages, all meaning the same thing. 'Tripod' in English, 'Dreifuss' in German, and 'SanZuWu' in Chinese. "The interest in this piece arises from mixing far Eastern mythology with Western poetic sentiment, and avoiding the Western notion of associating crows with bad tidings. The project combines a traditional dividing screen look with contemporary typography. "In Chinese mythology and culture, the three-legged… Read More

London: Faber and Faber, 1959. First Edition. Near Fine/Near Fine. First British edition, first printing. Signed by Robert Lowell and inscribed to a former owner on the front free endpaper. Bound in publisher's plum-colored cloth with gilt spine lettering. Near Fine with faint rubbing at the tips, in a Near Fine unclipped dust jacket with minor shelf wear. This edition preceded the much more common American edition; quite scarce signed.

London: Basil Montagu / Pickering, 1872. Two volumes, RARE First Edition, 1872. Bust frontispiece in Vol. I and portrait frontispiece Vol. II. Half titles, ccxcv, 322 pp., errata, 496 pp. Bound in dark brown full crushed morocco, wide ornate gilt decorations on covers, richly gilt spine in six panels, red leather labels, wide ornate gilt inner dentelles, all edges gilt, marbled end papers, signed on inner dentelles "Bound by F. Bedford". An exceptional set, Near Fine, light shelfwear bottom edges, morocco rear cover Vol. I lightly rubbed. The first collected edition of this noted English diplomat and man of letters. Last time at auction for the 1872 first edition was 1919 according to auction search results. . First Edition. Morocco. Near Fine/No Jacket, As Issued. Royal Octavo .

London: John Murray, 1914. Presentation Copy SIGNED AND INSCRIBED by Harry Gordon Selfridge front end page of Vol. 1 - "To Mrs. Skidmore With best wishes from H. Gordon Selfridge Wed. April 6, 1921". Harry Gordon Selfridge was the founder of Selfridges department store in London whose innovations revolutionized English merchandising and created a fortune for him. His life is the subject of the popular PBS TV series "Mr. Selfridge" starring Jeremy Piven. This set contains eight volumes bound as four from the Edition in 17 Volumes ( lacking Vols. 13 and 17), as follows: Pauline-Sordello, Vols 3 & 4 bound in Vol. I, Vols. 5 &6, and 7 bound in Vol. II, Vols. 8-10 and Vols. 12 & 13 bound in Vol. III, and Vols. 14 & 15 and Vol. 16 with General Index bound in Vol. IV. In signed Riviere & Son fine binding of half vellum over powder blue buckram, the backs richly gilt, top edges gilt, marbled end pages, Near Fine, light soiling to vellum, scant toning at illustrations.… Read More

Tavinorum ( Turin): Ex Typis Viduae Pomba et Filiorum , 1822. SCARCE edition. Frontispiece portrait Vol.I. viii, 486, (2), 454, lvi, 490, (1), 565, (1), 508, xii, 505, (2), 445, 763. Eight volumes published in Turin, Italy 1822-1827. Text and notes in Latin. Armorial bookplates of John Timbrell Milward Pierce. Vols. 2-7 at front or rear paste downs. A beautifully bound set in later 19th c. full vellum, the backs with red morocco label in gilt and intricate gilt decorations, marbled end papers. Very Good Plus, light soiling, 1/2"red mark fore edge Vol. I. Pieter Burman (1668 - 31 March 1741), also known as Peter or Pieter Burmann, "the Elder" to distinguish him from his nephew, was a Dutch classical scholar. His first publication of the works of Ovid was in 1713. A heavy set, please be advised added shipping charges will be requested for international orders. . First Edition Thus. Vellum. Very Good Plus/No Jacket, As Issued. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.

London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1815. SCARCE. SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY AUTHOR at half-title page -" (???) ministre des Etats Unis de la (? )de l'auteur. Rome Avril 1819 ( author's initials)". Two volumes rebacked in 20th c. quarter leather with gilt lettering over original paper covered boards. Eight page publisher's catalogue at front of Vol. I, frontispiece portrait of bust of author, xl, (2), 388, frontispiece map of Plan of Rome Vol. II, 419 pp. Very Good, 1st signature Vol. ! loose but holding, boards worn at edges and lightly soiled, end pages browned, light spotting throughout both volumes, some pages yet uncut. Lucien Bonaparte, Prince of Canino, (1775-1840), was a younger brother of Napoleon and a French statesman who played an indispensable role in Napoleon’s rise to power. He wrote this heroic poem on Charlemagne while living in exile in England, where he was forced to stay after attempting to obtain a passport to go to America. SIGNED copies of… Read More