Search Results: bright november by amis kingsley

The Fortune Press, London [1964] Book. Very Good. Hardcover. 2nd Edition. The second, unauthorised edition of the author's uncommon first book. Slim 8vo. 32pp. Asparagus-coloured boards lettered in gold at the spine. A tiny hint of wear to the head of the spine, and the upper board lifting just a fraction. One corner of front free endpaper clipped, presumably to remove a former owner name. A lovely crisp copy, internally flawless bar the aforementioned clipping. Housed in thin paper dust wrapper with the 12'6 price sticker to the front flap. The wrapper tanned at the spine panel, a little chafed at the rear flap joint, with some light sunning to some extremities and two small areas of loss from spine panel. Thirty-one poems. "The renown of the author prompted Caton to produce this second edition, but his omission to inform [Amis] of the existence or to benefit him from its sales must be construed as being rather more than forgetful-ness" - Timothy d'Arch Smith, 'R.A. Caton… Read More

London: The Fortune Press, 1947. Book. Very Good+. Hardcover. 12mo. An excellent ex-library copy with some sunning to crown and foot of backstrip. In priceclipped jacket with tape repair at crown and signs of tape to foot of jacket spine. Pages clean. Binding solid. [ Montreal Books rating system: 1. Fine 2. Near Fine 3. Very Good 4. Good 4. Fair ].

London: Fortune Press, 1943. First U.K. Edition. Hardcover. Fine. Fine first edition in black cloth of the author's scarce first book, a volume of poems. Lacking the rare dustwrapper. This copy INSCRIBED by Amis "To ____, Kingley Amis" Signed by Author.

London: The Fortune Press, 1947. First Edition. Hardcover. Very good. Presentation copy, inscribed and dated in the year of publication by Kingsley Amis to English crime writer Edmund Crispin (pseudonym of Bruce Montgomery, 1921-1978) on the front flyleaf. Amis and Crispin became friends while attending St. John's College, Oxford. The author's first book, a short collection of verse published by Reginald Ashley Caton's infamous Fortune Press. Octavo: 32 p. In the first issue black morocco-grain cloth with gilt titles. Minor scuff to the last page of the text, with a bit of mild rubbing to the corners and tips; otherwise very good.

London: The Fortune Press,, [1947]. First edition, first impression, later issue binding, of the author's first published book. The publisher R. A. Caton was an elusive one-man publisher who founded The Fortune Press, based at 12 Buckingham Palace Road, in 1924. He specialised in gay writing (several Fortune Press productions were burned after the 1934 obscenity trials), and in taking on new poets (whom he rarely paid - but could afford to publish due to judicious stockpiling of paper stock during the war years). He published Wallace Stevens, Dylan Thomas, and Philip Larkin, as well as Kingsley Amis, who delighted in the "Caton mystique" and wrote him into four of his novels as a thinly disguised rogue. Octavo. Rebound in near-contemporary red boards, spine lettered in gilt, edges uncut. With dust jacket. Slight smudge to p. 8, otherwise an excellent copy in the price-clipped jacket that has toned edges.

London: Fortune Press, 1943. First U.K. Edition. Hardcover. Fine. Fine first edition in black cloth of the author's scarce first book, a volume of poems. Lacking the rare dustwrapper. This copy INSCRIBED by Amis "To ____, Kingley Amis" Signed by Author.

London: The Fortune Press,, [1947]. First edition, first-issue binding, presentation copy inscribed in the month of publication "Best wishes from Kingsley Amis, November 1947" on the front free endpaper. Bright November was Amis's first published book. The publisher Reginald Ashley Caton (1897-1971) was an elusive one-man publisher who founded The Fortune Press, based at 12 Buckingham Palace Road, in 1924. He specialised in gay writing (several Fortune Press productions were burned after the 1934 obscenity trials), and in taking on new poets, whom he rarely paid but could afford to publish due to judicious stockpiling of paper stock during the war years. He published Wallace Stevens, Dylan Thomas, and Philip Larkin, as well as Kingsley Amis, who delighted in the "Caton mystique" and wrote him into four of his novels as a barely disguised rogue. Octavo. Original black morocco-grain cloth, spine lettered in gilt, edges untrimmed. Rubbing to ends, corners, and somewhat along joints, slight partial… Read More

London: The Fortune Press, 1947. 32pp, original boards in DJ. DJ professionally restored to spine, top edge of front panel and folds. Slight rubbing to spine ends and corners of book, light browning to endpapers, otherwise quite bright and clean. Inscribed and signed by Amis to front endpaper, 'Best Wishes from Kingsley Amis November 1947'. Signed by Author. First Edition. Hardback. Very Good/Good. 8vo.