Original pencil self-portrait sketch with John Drinkwater.
The image, drawn in pencil by H.G. Wells and measuring 9 x 17 cm within a glazed frame, shows a head-and-shoulders profile self-portrait looking at fellow writer John Drinkwater who is atop a winged horse. The inscription by Wells reads, ''To John Drinkwater from an Unknown Admirer - H.G. Wells.'' Below this Drinkwater has written, ''Drawing of J.D. and H.G.W. done by H.G.W. at P.E.N. Club Dinner to Georges Duhamel November 6th 1923. JD''.International PEN (now known as PEN International) was founded in London in 1921 with Wells as one of its first members. From 1932 to 1935 he was its president. At his retirement it seems Duhamel pushed hard to replace him, only to be beaten by Jules Romains.Fine.
More from Peter Ellis, Bookseller
Chants & Prières pour des Pilotes.
First edition. Octavo. Unpaginated. Wrappers. One of 1700 numbered copies, out of a total edition of 1837 copies. Six poems, five of which had appeared in two pamphlets issued by the same publisher. Presentation copy from the author, inscribed on the dedication page: ''à mon camarade de la R.A.F. - le F-Lt. John Pudney, poète, ces vieux chants de l'épreuve et de l'espoir, avec l'amitié de Jules Roy. 11 déc. 43.'' The printed dedication reads: ''A Mes Camarades'' - so it can be claimed that this is a partial dedication copy, especially as the inscription is on the dedication page! The recipient was of course the author of one of the most famous World War Two poems "For Johnny" as well as being an intelligence officer for the R.A.F.Cover and page edges tanned. Covers a little marked and creased and a little worn at spine. Good. Very scarce. Manuscript poem: Elegy for a Photograph of William Carlos Williams (1883-1963).
The poem is written on an A4 sheet of the poet's headed writing paper. A printed version appeared in the June 1963 issue of the poetry magazine Books USA devoted to William Carlos Williams who had recently died. At the foot of the poem Williams has written, ''Jonathan Williams 1963 London the manuscript copy for Alan Clodd''. The recipient was the proprietor of the estimable Enitharmon Press and a fellow publisher of modern poetry. Williams spent part of every year in England.Fine in the original manila mailing envelope hand-addressed to Alan Clodd c/o Bertram Rota Ltd. The Importance of Being Earnest. A Trivial Comedy for Serious People.
Seventeenth edition. Octavo. pp x, 131.Loosely inserted is the original typescript (about 1000 words on five sheets) by John Drinkwater of his introduction to volume VIII of the 1925 edition of Wilde's complete works. He makes a strong case for this being by the greatest of Wilde's plays. There are several fairly minor corrections in Drinkwater's hand, as is the title, 'Introduction to ''The Importance of Being Earnest'' '.Insert: held with a rusting paperclip; some creasing and a few edge-nicks. Book: some sporadic foxing; free endpapers lightly tanned; covers a bit rubbed; very good. Bibliography of Oscar Wilde.
First edition. Introductory Note by Robert Ross. Octavo. Two volumes: pp xl, 1-237, [1]; 239-605, [3]. The illustrations include frontispiece caricatures by Aubrey Beardsley and Max Beerbohm. Cream buckram covers with gilt devices uniform with the fifteen-volume edition of Wilde's Collected Works. Top edge gilt.Edition de Luxe: number 23 of 100 copies signed by the bibliographer. Presentation set from the publisher, inscribed on the limitation page: ''To my friend Arthur Brentano - T. Werner Lawrie - July.30.14''. One each front pastedown is the recipient's pictorial bookplate designed by Haydon Jones. Brentano's was one of Wilde's New York publishers.Some discoloration to tail of spine of second volume, otherwise a fine set in the rare dustwrappers, that of the first volume having chips and closed tears, and that of the second volume being in pieces. View. Vol. I, Nos. 7-8
First edition. Double issue. Broadsheet format: 8 pages. Loosely inserted is the four-page poetry supplement. Interview with Breton, contributions by Masson, Seligmann, Brion Gysin et al.Two horizontal fold-creases. Short tear to fore-edge of front cover which is slightly marked. Very good. Scarce. Flush – a biography.
First edition. Octavo. 163 pages. The dustwrapper designates this as the Large Paper Edition, but only because it was a mere matter of weeks before the title was issued in the Uniform Edition. In other words, there is no small paper issue of the first edition. Illustrated with four drawings by Vanessa Bell and six other plates.The cloth almost always suffers from some darkening, probably caused by the binder's glue. Here there is the merest hint, at the top inner corner of the front cover. Some very faint spotting to the edges. Near fine in near-fine, slightly marked dustwrapper with some light rubbing and a couple of small nicks at top edge. Dramatis Personae.
First edition. Octavo. 89 pages. Linen-backed printed boards with title label on spine. 400 copies printed.On the front pastedown is the pictorial bookplate, designed by Jack B. Yeats, of Eleanor and Fred Reid.Fine in the scarce original glassine dustwrapper which is very slightly nicked. The Cubiculo Presents ”A”-24 – Celia’s L.Z. Masque. Plus excerpts from All, Autobiography, and Arise.
Information sheets for a run of six performances of Louis Zukofsky's poems set to harpsichord music by his wife Celia. Two mimeographed sheets, stapled.Signed and dated on the top sheet by Louis and Celia Zukofsky on June 19, 1973, during the run. Also inscribed ''For Roger Stoddard'', this being the rare books librarian at Harvard.Folded. Bottom edge of top sheet nicked and creased. Very good. The Woodcut. An Annual.
WOOD ENGRAVING. Furst, Herbert (edits). First editions. Complete set in four volumes. Quarto. Robert Gibbings writes on the Golden Cockerel Press, Eric Gill on intaglio printing from woodblocks, Paul Nash on woodcut patterns, Douglas Percy Bliss on the tools of the wood-engraver, etc. Generously illustrated with examples of the work of many of the great wood engravers of the time, including John Nash, Eric Ravilious, Käthe Kollwitz, Eric Gill, Blair Hughes-Stanton, Emil Nolde, Alexander Kravchenko, David Jones, Paul Nash, Rockwell Kent, Gwen Raverat, Gertrude Hermes, Aristide Maillol, Gordon Craig, Clare Leighton, Buckland Wright, Alexandre Alexeieff et al. Printed at the Curwen Press. Cloth-backed patterned Curwen Press paper boards designed by Paul Nash, Enid Marx, Althea Willoughby and Harry Carter, respectively.One of 450 sets for sale in the U.K. (there were a further 250 for America).Slight crease to front free endpaper of first volume. A bit of faint foxing to prelims of two volumes. Small dent to spine of fourth volume. A near-fine set with the scarce dustwrappers which are very good, slightly faded at the spines and with a couple of small chips.- $1,953
- $1,953
The Autobiography of Countess Sophie Tolstoi.
TOLSTOI, Countess Sophie. Spiridonov, Vassilii (edits) First edition. Translated by S.S. Koteliansky and Leonard Woolf. Octavo. pp 126, [2] adverts. Marbled boards with title-labels on front and spine.Endpapers faintly spotted. Spine faded and rubbed. Covers rubbed at the edges. Good only, internally fine.- $98
- $98
Plays and Controversies.
YEATS, W.B. First edition. Octavo. pp 461, [3]. Tissue-guarded portrait frontispiece from a drawing by John Singer Sargent and seven other plates. Six plays and what the author calls ''a long series of dramatic notes''. Green cloth decorated in blind, lettered in gilt.Front free endpaper very slightly spotted. Head and tail of spine very slightly pushed, otherwise fine in very good indeed, slightly nicked dustwrapper a bit tanned at the spine. Uncommonly bright.- $293
- $293
Democracy under Revision. A Lecture Delivered at the Sorbonne on March 15th, 1927.
WELLS, H.G. First edition. Octavo. 47 pages. Cloth-backed boards, title-label on spine. Free endpapers tanned. Some rubbing to title-label. Front cover partially faded and with two patches of abrasion. Good. No dustwrapper.- $59
- $59
Words for Music Perhaps and Other Poems.
YEATS, W.B. First edition. Octavo. 42 pages. Linen-backed printed boards with title label on spine. 450 copies printed. One of the poet's most significant collections.Traces of bookplate removal on front pastedown. Patch of slightly fading to top section of rear cover. Very good in the scarce original glassine dustwrapper which is slightly chipped and creased.- $814
- $814
Poetry (London). No. 1.
TAMBIMUTTU (edits). First edition. Quarto. pp [32]. Wrappers. The first issue of a poetry magazine which came to punch well above its weight, thanks to the heroic efforts of its editor. The contributors to this issue include Stephen Spender, Dylan Thomas, Louis MacNeice, Philip O'Connor, Herbert Read, Nicholas Moore, John Gawsworth, Laurence Whistler, et al. Wood engravings by Diana Gardner. Photograph by Edwin Smith. The cover design is by Hector Whistler, cousin of Rex and Laurence.Contributor's copy: inside the front cover is the pictorial bookplate, designed by John Craxton of John and Natasha Spender. Signed at their contributions by Spender (twice), Walter de la Mare, Clifford Dyment, Edwin Smith, Audrey Beecham, Herbert Read, Lawrence Durrell (twice), Philip O'Connor and Dorian Cooke.Some staining to covers. Very good.- $325
- $325
Stoneground Ghost Tales – Compiled from the recollections of the Reverend Roland Batchel, vicar of the parish.
SWAIN, E.G. First edition. Octavo. pp [viii], 187. Nine ghost stories. Pictorial blue cloth stamped in black and lighter blue.Bottom corners of covers a bit bumped. Spine faded. Very good.- $749
- $749
View. Vol. I, No. 6.
VIEW. FORD, Charles Henri (edits). First edition. Broadsheet format: 4 pages. Loosely inserted is the single-sheet View Poets folio 4. Contributions by Nicolas Calas (an attack on Dali), Parker Tyler and Troy Garrison. Drawings by Tanguy and Seligmann. Among the poets are Thomas James Merton, Norman McCaig and Tom Scott.Horizontal fold crease. Short tear to fore-edge of front page which is slightly marked. Very good.- $163
- $163
Some Day the Waiting Will End (from the musical play The Girl Behind the Gun).
WODEHOUSE, P.G., and Guy Bolton. CARYLL, Ivan (music). First edition. Printed sheet music for a song from the musical. Quarto. Eight pages. Wrappers. The front cover shows the girl aiming her gun at a heart-shaped target held by four suitors.Very near fine.- $98
- $98
