Pharos and Pharillon. by FORSTER, E. M - 1923

Richmond, Surrey: The Hogarth Press,, 1923. First edition, first impression, one of 900 copies hand-printed by the Woolfs. This collection of articles and essays was written by Forster about his time in Alexandria and also includes the first appearance in English of poems by C. P. Cavafy, in the final chapter "The Poetry of C. P. Cavafy". It includes some of Cavafy's most famous poems, "The God Abandons Anthony", "The City", and "Ithaka", translated by George Valassopoulos. It is here that Forster's memorable first impression of Cavafy appears: "a Greek gentleman in a straw hat, standing absolutely motionless at a slight angle to the universe". The articles were originally published between 1921 and 1923 for the British newspaper, The Nation and Athenaum, owned by Leonard Woolf. The binding appeared in two states with no priority, the royal blue design running either horizontally or vertically. Octavo. Original blue cloth-backed horizontally patterned blue boards, printed paper title label on spine. Spine and extremities toned, spine ends bumped, covers rubbed with tiny loss to label, edges a little worn, contents toned. A good copy. Woolmer 29.