[Rarebooks] Offering Walter de la Mare, many signed / limited / unusual
Michael John Thompson
mjt at mjtbooks.com
Wed Jun 16 19:01:18 EDT 2010
A selection of books by Walter de la Mare, many
signed and limited. Prices in US $, post extra. Terms as usual.
1...... DE LA MARE, Walter [writing as: Walter
Ramal]. SONGS OF CHILDHOOD. With
Frontispiece. London: Longman's, Green, and Co.
1902. First edition. Small octavo, original blue
cloth with parchment spine titled and decorated
in gilt, publisher's device in gilt on upper
cover. 106 pp., photogravure frontispiece
reproducing the Richard Doyle watercolour "Under
the Dock Leaves", tissue guard. Ink inscription
on front free endpaper to a Mrs. Kitter from
"A.P.S."; dated 1906 & with the quote "The best
in this kind are but shadows, the worst are no
worse, if imagination amend them." Spine panel
slightly tanned, one small scuff. An excellent
copy of the author's rare first book, issued
under the pen name "Walter Ramal". Accompanying
the book is a holograph manuscript leaf by de la
Mare, one sheet, 20 x 25 cm, written on both
sides, titled 'Songs of Childhood / Walter de la
Mare and bearing the text of five poems: 'Song',
'The Sleeping Beauty', 'The Rainbow', 'The
Buckle' and 'Lullaby'. All of the poems with the
exception of 'The Rainbow' are included here,
'The Rainbow' was included in later editions. The
text of 'Lullaby' is significantly different in
this manuscript form then it is in any published version. $850.00
http://www.mjtbooks.com/images/books/5543.jpg
2...... DE LA MARE, Walter. BROOMSTICKS & Other
Tales. With Designs by Bold. London: Constable &
Company Ltd. 1925. First edition. Octavo,
original brown cloth stamped in gold on spine and
front cover. 378 pp. Woodcut illustrations by
Bold throughout the text. Slight mottling to the
cloth, a very good, attractive copy. ¶ Collection
of twelve short fantasy stories. $45.00
http://www.mjtbooks.com/images/books/5684.jpg
3...... DE LA MARE, Walter. DING DONG
BELL. London: Selwyn & Blount Ltd. April,
1924. First trade edition. Octavo, original
brick-red cloth, paper label on spine. 76 pp + 8
pp publishers ads at rear, spare label tipped in
at rear. Lower front corners bumped, otherwise a
fine copy in dust jacket, minor rubbing and
soiling. ¶ Three stories, each one based on
graveyard epitaphs. Includes the subtle ghostly
tale 'Winter'. De la Mare "make[s] a significant
contribution to the supernatural genre by
exploring new areas of the relationship between
the everyday world, the magical and the macabre."
- Neil Wilson, Shadows in the Attic [2000]. $60.00
http://www.mjtbooks.com/images/books/5682.jpg
4...... DE LA MARE, Walter. DING DONG
BELL. London: Selwyn & Blount Ltd. April,
1924. First edition., one of 300 numbered copies
signed by the author. Octavo, original brown
paper-covered boards with white cloth spine, gilt
titles to spine. 76 pp. Bookplate on inner front
cover (University of Nevada Library gift label),
a fine copy, unopened throughout, in a nearly
fine dust jacket (lightly browned, one small
tear). From the University of Nevada British and
American Literature collection, now
deaccessioned. ¶ Three stories, each one based on
graveyard epitaphs. Includes the subtle ghostly
tale 'Winter'. De la Mare "make[s] a significant
contribution to the supernatural genre by
exploring new areas of the relationship between
the everyday world, the magical and the macabre."
- Neil Wilson, Shadows in the Attic [2000]. $150.00
http://www.mjtbooks.com/images/books/5683.jpg
5...... DE LA MARE, Walter. LISPET, LISPETT AND
VAINE. London: [The Morland Press]. 1923. First
edition. 200 copies printed of which 175 copies
are for sale, this being copy number 15 and
signed by the author. Quarto, original full
vellum titled in gilt on spine panel, top edges
gilt. Issued as number three of The Vine Books
offered to subscribers from 'The Book Man's
Journal'. Decorated with three original
wood-blocks designed and cut by W.P. Robbins.
Printed by hand on hand-made paper by The Morland
Press. A fine copy, the vellum binding wrapped in
the original (?) tissue paper which has kept it
surprisingly fresh and clean. An excellent copy
of a beautiful book. $150.00
http://www.mjtbooks.com/images/books/5688.jpg
6...... DE LA MARE, Walter. SELECTED POEMS.
Chosen by R.N. Green-Armytage. London: Faber &
Faber Ltd. [1954]. First edition. Octavo,
original purplish-brown cloth stamped in gilt on
spine. 208 pp, Index of First Lines at rear.
About a fine copy in like dust jacket. $30.00
http://www.mjtbooks.com/images/books/5691.jpg
7...... DE LA MARE, Walter. SELF TO SELF.
Wood-engravings by Blair Hughes-Stanton. London:
Faber & Gwyer. No date [1928]. First edition.
Small octavo, original yellow printed wrappers,
French folded, sewn at spine. [8] pp, inclusive
of covers. Issued as Number 11 of The Ariel
Poems. Mild browning and a tiny nick, a fine
copy, in a custom folding cloth chemise, titled
in gilt on the spine. A nice example of a
delicate item, with two handsome wood-engravings
by Blair Hughes-Stanton. $45.00
http://www.mjtbooks.com/images/books/5693.jpg
8...... DE LA MARE, Walter. THE FLEETING And
Other Poems. London: Constable and Co Ltd.
[1933]. First edition. Octavo, original green
cloth stamped in gilt on spine and front panel.
179 pp. Spine slightly tanned, a nearly fine copy
in a slightly dusty dust jacket. A very nice copy. $40.00
http://www.mjtbooks.com/images/books/5686.jpg
9...... DE LA MARE, Walter. THE PRINTING OF
POETRY. A Paper read before The Double Crown
Club, London, in February 1927. Cambridge:
Printed for the Club at the University Press by
W. Lewis. 1931. First edition. 90 copies printed
of which this is copy #4. 12mo, original blue
cloth, leather spine label titled in gilt, top
edges gilt. [33] pp. Miniscule chip to bottom of
spine label not affecting anything, mild tanning
to cloth, a fresh copy, about fine. Extremely scarce. $175.00
http://www.mjtbooks.com/images/books/5687.jpg
10..... DE LA MARE, Walter. THE RETURN. London:
Faber & Faber. [1955]. First printing of this
revised edition; originally published in
1910. The large paper issue, limited to 250
copies numbered and signed by the author. Crown
octavo, original grey cloth with buckram spine,
leather label on spine titled in gold.
Small mark to lower edge of title leaf, front
free endpaper glued down; a few small marks to
the cloth. Very good copy. ¶ A weird supernatural
story. A man is possessed by the spirit of a
long-dead 18th-century pirate, a suicide. The man
begins to take on the pirate's physical
appearance. One of de la Mare’s finest occult
tales. De la Mare "make[s] a significant
contribution to the supernatural genre by
exploring new areas of the relationship between
the everyday world, the magical and the
macabre." - Neil Wilson, Shadows in the Attic [2000]. $150.00
http://www.mjtbooks.com/images/books/5517.jpg
11..... DE LA MARE, Walter. THE RIDDLE And Other
Stories. London: Selwyn & Blount Limited.
1923. First edition, one of 310 large-paper
copies numbered and signed by the author. Octavo,
original brown cloth stamped in gold on spine and
front cover. 303 pp. Bookplate on inner front
cover (University of Nevada Library gift label),
some mottling to the cloth (an inhierant problem
with this book); otherwise a fine copy. From the
University of Nevada British and American
Literature collection, now deaccessioned. ¶
Collection of fifteen excellent short stories,
including one of de la Mare's best known
supernatural tales, 'Seaton's Aunt'. De la Mare
"make[s] a significant contribution to the
supernatural genre by exploring new areas of the
relationship between the everyday world, the
magical and the macabre." - Neil Wilson, Shadows
in the Attic [2000]. $200.00
http://www.mjtbooks.com/images/books/5685.jpg
12..... DE LA MARE, Walter. THE WIND BLOWS
OVER London: Faber and Faber. [1936]. First
edition. Octavo, original gray cloth stamped in
gold and peach on spine panel. 326 pp. Bookplate,
a very good copy in a slightly worn dust wrapper,
minor internal tape mends to spine tips. ¶ Short
stories, including six supernatural tales. De la
Mare "make[s] a significant contribution to the
supernatural genre by exploring new areas of the
relationship between the everyday world, the
magical and the macabre." - Neil Wilson, Shadows
in the Attic [2000]. $75.00
http://www.mjtbooks.com/images/books/5516.jpg
13..... DE LA MARE, Walter. THE WIND BLOWS
OVER. London: Faber and Faber Limited.
[1936]. First edition, large paper copy, limited
to 75 numbered copies printed on hand-made paper
and signed by the author, this being copy number
5. Tall octavo, original yellow buckram stamped
in gold on spine, top edges gilt. 326 pp.
Unfortunate dampstain alonmg the bottom edge of
the front and rear covers, extending about 1/2
inch up from the bottom edge, also affecting the
endpapers in the same way and the final blank
leaf; the text and bottom page edges are
unaffected. A good copy. ¶ Short stories,
including six supernatural tales. De la Mare
"make[s] a significant contribution to the
supernatural genre by exploring new areas of the
relationship between the everyday world, the
magical and the macabre." - Neil Wilson, Shadows
in the Attic [2000]. $95.00
http://www.mjtbooks.com/images/books/5694.jpg
14..... DE LA MARE, Walter. WALTER DE LA MARE. A
Selection from his Writings made by Kenneth
Hopkins. London: Faber and Faber.[1956]. First
edition. Octavo, original blue cloth titled in
gold on spine. 312 pp. Nearly fine copy in a nice
clean dust jacket, slightly tanned on the spine
panel and with one short closed tear to top edge
of front flap fold. An attractive
copy. ¶ Selections of prose and poetry. $25.00
http://www.mjtbooks.com/images/books/5692.jpg
15..... DE LA MARE, Walter. W. Heath Robinson
[illustrator]. PEACOCK PIE. A Book of Rhymes by
Walter de la Mare with Illustrations by W. Heath
Robinson. New York: Henry Holt and Company. No
Date [1924] First American edition, from British
sheets. Octavo, original publisher's marbled
paper boards, leather spine label, top edges
gilt. A curious binding which we have never
encountered before. With Heath Robinson's
delicate black & white line drawings throughout,
some of which are full-page. Bookplate on inner
front cover (University of Nevada Library gift
label). The spine label has perished, there is a
touch of wear to the corner tips; a very good
clean copy. From the University of Nevada British
and American Literature collection, now
deaccessioned. ¶ Poems for children, with Heath
Robinson's lovely and sensitive illustrations. $65.00
http://www.mjtbooks.com/images/books/5689.jpg
16..... JOHNSON, M.M. De La Mare, Walter
[introducer]. THESE ALSO. An Anthology. Selected
and Arranged by M.M. Johnson, with an
Introduction by Walter de la Mare. Cambridge; At
the University Press. 1945. First edition.
Octavo, original brown cloth stamped in gilt on
spine. 248 pp, Index of Authors at rear. Woodcut
half-title leaf reproducing the dust jacket
design. Corners bruised and an ink name on the
front free endpaper, otherwise a fresh clean copy
in the dust jacket which is slightly browned and
with a few tiny closed tears. A very nice
copy. ¶ Anthology of poetry on animals from ancient times to modern. $40.00
http://www.mjtbooks.com/images/books/5690.jpg
---
Michael John Thompson
ABAC / ILAB
5275 Jerow Road
Hornby Island, BC
Canada V0R 1Z0
250-335-1182
http://www.ThompsonRareBooks.com
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http://www.Mjtbooks.com
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