O'DONNELL, PEADAR
The Knife
Jonathan Cape, London: 1930
- $700
Original green cloth on boards, lettered in gilt to the spine. 8vo - 287,[1] pp. In a very nice example of the dust jacket. Some minor areas of rubbing along the hinges. Inscribed and signed by the author to the front free endpaper. Also, a small correction made by the author to the text on the front flap of the jacket and initialled by him. Cover art by Lee-Elliott. The jacket is price clipped. An important novel about race, politics and religion in Ulster, written by someone who lived there, fought there and ultimately imprisoned. A really nice copy of this now scarce title. Near Fine / Very Good.
More from First Place Books
The Brass Chills
Original yellow cloth boards, lettered and decorated in black. Illustrated "Red Badge Detective" endpapers. 8vo -242 pp. Both the book and jacket are in very good shape. The jacket is not price-clipped. Hugh Pentecost is a pen-name of Judson Philips. This title is from the Luke Bradley Series. A World War II era novel, set on a U.S. Navy warship on duty in the South Pacific. A very clean, bright and solid copy of this novel. Near Fine / Near Fine. The Giants’ Causeway
Now beautifully re-bound in 3/4 grained morocco with marbled paper insets. Lettered in gilt to the spine. A very clean, bright and solid copy. 8vo - xxvii, [1],errata, 204 pp. There are a total of 8 illustrations, including maps. Before the title page there is a fold-out map of County Antrim featuring the Giants' Causeway then another single page map of the Causeway. As a frontis to Book I there is a fold-out engraving of the Giants' Causeway. Opposite page 28 there is an engraved plate of Dunluce Castle. As another frontis to Book 2 there is a fold-out engraving of Pleaskin. Opposite page 37 there is an engraved plate of Carrick A Rede. As a frontis to Book 3 there is a fold-out engraving of Benmore or Fairhead. Opposite pag 88 there is an engraved plate of Doon Point. There are minor areas of offsetting on the pages opposite the engravings. Among Mr. Drummond's many virtues he was an ardent animal lover and spoke and wrote against any kind of animal abuse. Near Fine. Curfew & Other Eerie Tales
As new. Appears unopened and unread. From a limited edtion of 350 copies. With an introduction by Robert Lloyd Parry and signed by him to the title page. Curfew first appeared in an anthology in 1967. This book represents a collection of Lucy Boston's supernatural stories. The remaining stories appear here for the first time. Also included is a two-act play. Lovely wrap-around cover art. Fine / Fine. A History Of The County Of Down. From The Most Remote Period To The Present Day: Including An Account Of Its Early Colonization, Ecclesiastical, Civil, and Military Polity, Geography, Topography and Antiquities And Natural History
Original brick red cloth decorated in black to the front panel and lettered in gilt to the spine. This very large book remains solid. There is some scuffing to the external hinges. [viii], 724 pp. "Illustrated by woodcuts, and a coloured geographical and geological map, based on the research of the Ordinance and Geological Surveys." With the armorial book-plate of John Godfrey Echlin affixed to the front paste-down. Echlin comes from a long family line dating back to at least the early 17th century. The large fold-out map is present and bound-in at the rear of the book. A very nice copy and quite valuable as a research tool. Very good. Poems. The Tower Press Booklets Number Four
Original gray paper covers, lettered and decorated in black. 37pp. Ella Young's (1867-1956) first book. A clean and solid copy of this very fragile book. Ella Young has been gaining quite a bit of attention of late with lovers of Irish Mythology. A really nice copy of this scarce and quite lovely book. Near Fine. The Dublin Of Yesterday
Original green cloth, lettered in blind to the front panel and in gilt to the spine. 8vo - 205. Catalog of Methuen titles from 1929 laid in. Explores in detail aspects of Dublin life prior to 1914, focusing for the most part on art and artists; the theatre, literature and other visual arts. The book remains very tight and solid. A previous owner book-plate to the front paste-down. The fore-edge has foxing spots. The complete dust jacket shows minor wear to the spine ends. Near Fine / Very Good. The Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection
On offer here is a collection of 75 items, beginning in 1953 and ending in 1976, containing year-end reports on the status of this great research facility. There are many duplicates. Most are staple-bound booklets. Others remain without covers, and one paperbacked, flat-spine, copy of Dumbarton Oaks, July 1, 1977 - June 30, 1979. Also contained is a special memorial booklet celebrating the life of Robert Woods Bliss (1875 -1962), one of the co-founders of The Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. A unique archival treasure trove in superb condition. Fine. Bartholmew Fayre
Folio, [10],1-11, [12, 13 mis-numbered as 6,3], 14-30, [31 mis-numbered as 13], 32-88 pp. Top edge trimmed with no loss. Also, and not to be forgiven, Jonson is spelled "Johnson" on the title page. A rather imfamous publication as Jonson was trying to add three additional plays, Bartholomew Fair, The Devil Is An Ass, and The Staple of News, to the already published "Workes" (1616). These plays were to be issued by I.B. (John Beale) for Robert Allot. When Jonson saw the printed publications he was appalled at the poor quality and execution by Beale and aborted the project. The plays finally appeared in the 1640 Collected Works. The plays were never sold, or at least there is no record of such, but were probably distributed. The copy offered here has been re-bound in the 20th century in 1/4 leather with marbled boards. The leather spine is without text. On the front paste-down is the book-plate of George Speight. George Victor Speight (1914-2005), was a theatre historian, author, performer, bibliophile, and an authority on puppets, puppetry and mechanical toy theatre. In this original text, "Puppets" are listed in "The Persons Of The Play." From the Induction scene Jonson writes (I will use the text here as written) "Hee is loth to make Nature afraid in like Drolleries, to mixe his head with other mens heeles, let the concupisence of jigges and Dances, raigne strong as it will amongst you : yet if the Puppets will please any body, they shall be entreated to come in." Act V, scenes 1 - 3 are concerned with the puppet show - those looking forward to it and those opposed. In any case, we can see why Mr. Speight was intrigued with this title and wanted it added to his collection. "Bartholmew Fayre" is an important play, commonly regarded as among Jonson's best and, because of the tortured publishing history, extremely scarce in this edition. This is a clean bright and solid copy. Besides the pagination errors and the trimming along the top edge, there are only minor problems; two small holes (pp. 11 and 38), likely caused by glowing embers from a pipe. OCLC lists 11 copies. Pforzheimer - 560. STC - 14755 (14754*). Near Fine. The Cock And Anchor
Original black cloth, lettered and decorated in gilt to the front panel and spine. 8vo - 358,[2] pp. The Introduction by Le Fanu's son, Brinsley Le Fanu, explains the rather complicated publishing history of this novel. The introduction is dated 1895 but the Crawford bibliography states 1896. My copy of "Ireland in Fiction", by Stephen J. Brown, S.J., 1919, page 165, gives the date as 1895. This illustrated edition tells the story of love denied, a young couple of mixed means and social/religious standing face cruel bigoted opposition and criminal obstruction. A very nice copy, solid and bright. Some minor mottling to the rear board. Illustrated title page. Very Good. Aranmen All
Original pale green homespun linen on boards with a stamped image of a currach underway - all done in dark green. 8vo - [xi],9-192 pp. In a very nice example of the scarce dust jacket which shows only minor edge-wear. The original 6/' price is present on the front flap. Illustrated map endpapers showing the Aran Islands. Thomas O Flaherty (1891-1936) was the brother of acclaimed Irish author Liam O Flaherty. With 20 photographs throughout with 12 being still shots from the 1934 film, "Man Of Aran." A dated (1935) signature to the verso of the front free endpaper of Colm O'Lochlainn. Mr. O'Lochlainn (1892-1972) was, among other things, a printer, publisher, typographer and collector of Irish music, on the faculty of University College Dublin as well as a professor of Irish Language and Literature. In 1926 he founded the Three Candles Press, which produced this title. The liner notes on the jacket flaps were written by Colm O'Lochlainn. A very interesting provenance indeed. Near Fine / Very Good. The Bread We Eat In Dreams
As new. Appears unopened and unread. Large 8vo - 340 pp. From a limited edtion of 250 copies, this one being number 132. Signed by the author to the limitation page. "First Edition" statement to the copyright page. Interior illustrations and dust jacket cover art by Kathleen Jennings. Fine / Fine. Murder Of The Ninth Baronet
FLETCHER, J. S. Original navy blue cloth boards, lettered in orange to the front panel and spine. 8vo - 262, [1], [3 - colophon and ads] pp. The book is clean bright and solid. The jacket is equally bright and solid though price-clipped. A Roland Camberwell novel, Near Fine / Near Fine.- $200
- $200
Two New Tragedies: The Black Prince, and The Tryphon. The first Acted at the Theatre-Royal, by His Majestie’s Servants; The Other By His Highness The Duke Of York’s Servants. Both written by the Right Honourable The Earl Of Orrery
BOYLE, ROGER, [EARL OF ORRERY] Folio, now rebound in 3/4 morocco with marbled paper insets. pp, [ii], 61, [1], [v], 57, [ii]. The spine has six compartmets with two lettered in gilt on a red backing. A very solid copy of this very scarce early edition. On the verso of the title page is a long hand-written quote from the Diary's of Samuel Pepys where he discusses seeing the plays in question and offers some insights. This quote is signed by James Reid. Some of this writing is visible from the title page. Two pages later there appears the "Dramatis Persona" listing the characters, as well as the actors who appeared at the Theatre-Royal production of "The Black Prince." The lead female role was played by Nell Gwynn (spelled here as Guinn) famously known as a mistress of King Charles II. A secondary actress in the list is that of Mary Knepp (spelled here as Nepp), who was a mistress of the afore mentioned Samuel Pepys. There are very brief marginal notations in the same hand as the above mentioned Pepys quote, next to the actors names, providing the amorous details. "The Black Prince" is notable as being one of the earliest plays to be written in heroic rhymed couplets. Wing - 502.- $1,250
- $1,250
The Door To The Moor
VANDEBURG, MILLIE BIRD Original blue cloth, lettered in black to the front panel and spine. 8vo - 264 pp. A clean and solid copy. Some foxing spots along the edges. Millie Bird Vandeburg (1886-1953) was an American author of at least two books - both listed in Hubin.The dust jacket has art by "W.D." The jacket remains bright and very attractive. There is a small chip at the foot of the spine. A multi-faceted mystery novel involving a fight agains the slave trade and a hunt for buried treasure. Near Fine / Very Good.- $220
- $220
Parnassus On Wheels
MORLEY, CHRISTOPHER Original illustrated buff paper on boards with olive-green cloth spine lettered and decorated in gilt. 8vo - 190 pp. First edition, first state with the misprints on pages 4, line 8 and 169, line 11. A very nice example of this classic novel - the birth of the book-mobile. Near Fine.- $225
- $225
The Stories Of Red Hanrahan and The Secret Rose
YEATS, WILLIAM BUTLER Original red boards, lettered in black. Large 8vo - 182 pp. In a complete, bright and very lovely example of the dust jacket. Some very minor edge-wear to the spine ends and a wrinkled corner at the bottom left of the rear panel. From an un-numbered limited edtion of 1885 copies. The First trade book appearance of "Sailing To Byzantium." With two beautiful full color plates and numerous black and white illustrations throughout, all by Norah McGuinness. Appears in red cloth as well a blue, with no priority stated. Near Fine / Near Fine.- $600
- $600
R.M.S. Titanic
CRONIN, ANTHONY Original blue boards, lettered in gilt to the spine. 8vo - 22, [2] pp. In a complete and bright copy of the dust jacket, designed by Declan Buckley. The first edition of a stand-alone version of this long tragic poem. Earlier appearances were in journals and collections. A highly praised ambitious work. Signed by the author to the title page. Near Fine / Near Fine.- $200
- $200
Tales Of War
DUNSANY, LORD Original illustrated paper on boards with a blue cloth spine, lettered in gilt. 8vo - 155, [1] pp. A very clean, bright and solid example of this early title from Lord Dunsany (Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett - 18 Baron of Dunsany). The jacket has some minor edge-wear to the spine ends. Bottom edge is rough-cut. One explanation for the superior condition of this book is that many of the pages remain un-cut. Contains 32 short stories. Listed in Bleiler. Near Fine / Near Fine.- $120
- $120
The Big Windows
O'DONNELL, PEADAR Original light blue boards, lettered in dark blue to the front panel and spine. 8vo - 222pp. In a complete and bright example of the dust jacket. Dust jacket art by Robin Jacques. With a warm signed dated inscription on the front free endpaper in the author's hand in the year of publication. Now considered by many to be O'Donnell's finest novel. A really sharp copy. Fine / Near Fine.- $450
- $450
