IN AN EARLY EDWARD BAWDEN DUSTWRAPPER

ELIOT, T. S ~ For Lancelot Andrews. Essays on Style and Order.

FIRST UK PRINTING. Faber & Gwyer, London: 1928.

8vo., publisher's blue cloth with paper label printed in blue and black to spine; outer edges untrimmed; together in the unclipped printed dustwrapper (6s. net to front flap) featuring very early decorative border designs to upper panel and spine by Edward Bawden; THE BOOK very good, lightly sunned to edges and spine, with some dust soiling to the upper edge and some spotting/offsetting to endpapers; THE WRAPPER, seldom found at all, is here good, clean and retaining much of its original colour, though the upper panel split from the spine, with some largeish chips to upper edge and to head of spine, just touching title lettering; spine and folds a little darkened; an uncommon example nonetheless, and completely unrestored. The wrapper is protected in a removable Brodart archival cover. First UK edition, one of just 1500 copies printed. A collection of eight essays, previously unpublished, the subject being a series of writers including Lancelot Andrews, Niccolo Machiavelli, Baudelaire and Thomas Middleton. The title subject was a 17th century Anglican Bishop, who Eliot singles out not only for his religious writings but also his prose and his philosophical thought. Similarly, in the final chapter on Irving Babbitt, Eliot reveals his disdain for secular humanism. Though each subject is considered separately, Eliot succeeds in publishing together a series of characters who represent his thoughts on religion, politics and philosophy. One of the earlier works in Eliot's canon of non-fiction writings, scarce in the dustwrapper. Gallup A12.

BINDING: Hardcover
CONDITION: Very Good
JACKET: Good