Poetry and Plays and Music Scores

The True-born English-man: A Satyr – Daniel Defoe – This Copy Published in 1716

A rare item by Daniel Defoe. The scarce “enlarged” edition printed and sold by James Roberts, London in 1716.

Pocket sized 12 mo, 12, 26 pages, bound in contemporary calf backed boards, some age and wear but solid and rare in this original state.

First edition thus. After the accession of Hanover Defoe added a new passage of 49 lines satirising the English temper. It was hastily published and contains a number of hasty error which ironically confirm its pedigree

A True-born English-man, satirical poem of length about xenophobia … a few could learn from it today. Dutch born William of Orange has become King of England, and there was much tittle tattle about his lack of English-ness. Defoe, forever a wit, wrote this is support of old William of Orange, ridiculing the notion of English racial purity. Well the evidence is there.

Defoe … much quoted from his opening rant

“that het’rogeneous thing, an Englishman:
In eager rapes, and furious lust begot
Betwixt a painted Britain and a Scot
Whose gend’ring off-spring quickly learn’d to bow,
And yoke their heifers to the Roman plough:
From whence a mongrel half-bred race there came,
With neither name, nor nation, speech nor fame.
In whose hot veins new mixtures quickly ran,
Infused betwixt a Saxon and a Dane
While their rank daughters, to their parents just,
Receiv’d all nations with promiscuous lust.
This nauseous brood directly did contain
The well-extracted blood of Englishmen.”

Daniel Defoe and his True-born a delicious antiquarian rarity … over three hundred year old!

$280.00

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The Long Voyage Home [Nautical Plays] – Eugene O’Neil

Great Modern Library edition published in 1946 in very good condition.

Seven short plays by Eugene O’Neil. Includes … The Moon of the Caribees; Bound East for Cardiff; Isle; Where the Cross is Made; The Rope and our favourite “In the Zone” and of course the title play The Long Voyage Home.

Nautical Plays for Salty Dogs

$30.00

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Strange Interlude – Eugene O’Neil – A Pulitzer Prize Winning Play – 1928

Published in 1928 by the up market Boni & Liveright, New York. A reprint same year as the first.

Large thick octavo, 362 pages, decorative end papers, green cloth covered boards with simple gilt decoration and author’s faux signature. Striking Art Deco dust jacket – a few nibbles but really good. A super copy overall.

The great American play of its day. Later a film with Clark Gable. Pulitzer Prize Winner.

Experimental in nature, presented in nine acts, and uses the technique known as soliloquy [where the actor speaks directly to the audience about their inner thoughts. Nina, the main character looses her husband in World War I. She embarks on a series of relationships and her attitude / approach to life and desires and pains are explored.

A superb gift for the theatre lover - almost 100 years old.

$60.00

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Poems by Charles Kingsley – 1884 – Superb Fine Binding Deep Blue Leather

Published by Macmillan. London, the collected edition, in 1884. Octavo, 326 pages. Bound in deep blue polished calf with five raised bands to spine separate red leather title label and elaborate gilt work to each compartment, gilt outline to boards, marbled end papers and edges etc - really nice.

Starts with the drama "The Saints Tragedy" based on the life of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary ... who struggled with the dilemma of coming from and living a life of nobility whilst wishing to live a life of service to those that struggle ... and also, the deeply emotional, Andromeda, chained to the rocks until rescued by Perseus.

Charles Kingsley was a friend of Darwin and early supporter of the theory of evolution (Darwin mentions his view in later editions). Author of the Water Babies and Westward Ho and a collection of beautiful poems, songs and ballads beautifully presented here.

Victorian Poetry bound in blue

$60.00

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The Damon Runyon Omnibus [Including Guys and Dolls] – 1944

A first of kind published by Sun Dial Press, garden City, New York in 1994. High quality production despite the war years. Note this is the novel not the musical narrative …

Largish octavo, 505 pages, a few chips to what otherwise is a super dust jacket – very good copy overall.

Damon Runyon was the man behind “Guys and Dolls” and much more on Broadway here are three of his stories, first published in this form – “Money From home”, “Blue Plate Special” and the aforementioned all-time hit.

Much compared with P.G. Wodehouse … which is three stars to start ….

“When you see a sport and his cash has run short – Make a bet that he’s banking it with some doll
When a guy wears tails with front gleaming white – Who the hell do you think he’s tickling pink
… on Saturday night?”

A rarity that takes you back

$50.00

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The Ballad of Reading Gaol – Oscar Wilde [John Vassos Illustrated Edition First of Type - Special] – Published by Dutton New York 1930

Oscar Wilde was convicted of gross indecency in 1895 and spent two years in Reading jail in England. He was released in May 1897 and went into self exile in Berneval-le-Grand, France where he wrote this work the Ballad of Reading Gaol.

It was first published in 1898 and re-issued many times and still in print today. This edition is something special.

Published by Dutton, New York, 1930, a first of type. Quarto, 124 pages, with 16 striking monochrome plates by John Vassos (1898-1985). Vassos had designed promotional material for the Oscar Wild play “Salome” and had been spotted by Dutton who brought him in to add his special touch to the Ballad.

Black over blue papered boards, scarce dust jacket in black and gold. A very good copy.

Oscar Wilde – Ballad of Reading Gaol – Striking Presentation.

$290.00

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The True-born English-man: A Satyr – Daniel Defoe – This Copy Published in 1716

The Long Voyage Home [Nautical Plays] – Eugene O’Neil

Strange Interlude – Eugene O’Neil – A Pulitzer Prize Winning Play – 1928

Poems by Charles Kingsley – 1884 – Superb Fine Binding Deep Blue Leather

The Damon Runyon Omnibus [Including Guys and Dolls] – 1944

The Ballad of Reading Gaol – Oscar Wilde [John Vassos Illustrated Edition First of Type - Special] – Published by Dutton New York 1930

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