Scarce signed by the author

Lee, Laurie ~ My Many-Coated Man : Signed by The Author

Andre Deutsch Limited, London : 1955

The First UK Printing published by Andre Deutsch Limited, London in 1955. 8vo., cream publisher’s boards, ruled, decorated and lettered in pink and black; together in the repeat wrapper (6s net); The BOOK is a near-Fine copy, with light pushing to the head of spine, neat ownership name and date to the front blank end-paper; the Very Good++ WRAPPER evenly lightly toned to the panels and spine, with small nicks to spine ends and edges; and one closed tear/chip (2cm) to the lower panel, held to the verso of jacket by internal tape. The wrapper is protected in a removable Brodart archival cover. A very attractive copy of this collection of poems, boldly signed by Lee in blue ink to the title page. A collection of fifteen poems, compiled by Lee from those written since the war. Predominantly known for his autobiographical trilogy, beginning with Cider with Rosie (Hogarth Press, 1959), Lee was also an accomplished poet, and often called poetry his ‘first love’. In his poems, he drew much inspiration from the English countryside (here evident in pieces such as ‘Long Summer’, ‘Apples’, and ‘Town Owl’) and his work was sometimes compared to other pastoral poets such as Edward Thomas and John Clare. He published four collections of poetry in his lifetime, of which this was the third (preceded by The Sun my Monument in 1944 and The Bloom of Candles in 1947, and succeeded by Pocket Poets (1960). The poem ‘Twelfth Night’, which appears in this collection, was set for an acapella choral arrangement by the American composer Samuel Barber in 1968. “His poems shock the eye into a fresh, exact focus on the beautifully familiar” (Wrapper blurb).

BINDING: Hardcover
CONDITION: Near Fine
JACKET: Very Good++