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True booklovers know the feeling of that treasured first edition by their favourite author, or a non-fiction work written on the subject closest to their heart. Imagine a magnification of that feeling with a vintage, or even an antique, version. Not only are you the owner of something special to you personally, but also something of rarity and quite possibly, appreciating value. We’ve selected a cross-section from the shelves of first edition books at Country House Library.
Published posthumously in 1977 by Tolkien’s son Christopher, The Silmarillion is a complex work by his father that explores a wide array of themes inspired by ancient and modern sources, including Finnish and Icelandic folklore, the Bible, Greek mythology, World War I, and Celtic myths. The various chapters in this magnificent first edition by publishers George Allen & Unwin describe the beginnings of the universes in which Tolkien’s masterpieces The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set. A rediscovered gem for fans of Middle Earth and The Ring.
Difficult to condense the achievements of children’s author Enid Mary Blyton (1897 – 1968) into a few hundred words. Worldwide sales from the 1930’s with over 600 million books sold, translated into 90 languages, sometimes producing over 50 books a year, and voted Britain’s most loved author in the 2008 Costa Book Awards. This wonderfully preserved first edition by publishers George Newnes, contains a collection of stories with the adventures of children and fairies, all beautifully illustrated by Horace J. Knowles. This is a collector’s piece for any home library and a lifetime treasure for the child (or grown-up) who loves fairy stories.
Arguably the most famous book ever written on life in an English village between the First and Second World Wars. First published in 1959, this autobiographical novel by Laurie Lee MBE (1914 - 97) recounts the author’s boyhood in the Gloucestershire village of Slad, near Stroud. Studied by generations of English Literature students, the work is prosaic, almost poetic in style, in which Lee describes himself as a chance witness of “the end of a thousand years’ life”. This 1959 first edition, third reprint, by publishers Hogarth Press is one to treasure for anyone who loves 20th century English literature at its best, and provides a unique social history of a vanished world.
The author of this important reference work (first edition, signed), Claire Culleton passed away prematurely only last year. At the time of her passing, she was professor of English at the Kent State University in Ohio, and president of the International James Joyce Foundation. As well as 20th century literature, Culleton studied culture, encompassing this work on the profound societal effect of working-class women during the First World War. Also containing a letter the author wrote to a friend, this collector’s edition will be of interest to anyone interested in the modern history of ordinary women at war, and in the workplace.
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (1881-1975) abandoned a lucrative banking career in Hong Kong for literature and began by writing short stories for boys’ magazines. He was later published extensively in the Strand Magazine and Punch, establishing himself as one of most widely read humourists of his day. His most famous Jeeves and Wooster stories were first published in 1919 with the title My Man Jeeves. This first edition of Company for Henry however, introduces Wodehouse fans to Henry – the impoverished squire of Ashby Hall. With an equal measure of upper-class jollity to any Jeeves and Wooster, this 1967 publication from Herbert Jenkins, is a rare find.
Romantic novelist, Daphne du Maurier (1907-89) had very different public and private personas. Many outside of her close circle saw her as a frosty recluse, aloof and distant to her three children. Once out of the public spotlight however, many remembered her as a warm and immensely funny person who was a welcoming hostess to guests at Menabilly, her imposing house overlooking the sea in Cornwall. This 1949 first edition from publishers Victor Gollantz tells the story of the successful Delaney family; the rich and famous parents becoming resentful of their offspring, the ‘parasites’ of the title.
Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923, Dublin born William Butler Yeats (1865 – 1939) was a deeply spiritual poet, dramatist and essayist, who dominated the early 20th century so-called ‘Irish Revival’.
"I believe in the practice and philosophy of what we have agreed to call magic, in what I must call the evocation of spirits, though I do not know what they are, in the power of creating magical illusions, in the visions of truth in the depths of the mind when the eyes are closed..."The above words from Yeats best sum up this valuable, 1903, first edition – a collection of essays on topics such as 'What is Popular Poetry', 'Symbolism in Painting' and 'Magic'. For the lover of one of Ireland’s most celebrated literary figures, this would make a wonderful addition to their collection.
Wife of writer Kingsley Amis, and stepmother to Martin Amis (who credited her with encouraging him to become a serious reader and writer), Elizabeth Jane Howard (1923 – 2014) was a celebrated writer in her own right. Her well-crafted and strongly evocative novels of 20th century, middle-class life, remain much admired by her followers. This 1951 first edition by publishers Jonathan Cape consists of six ghost stories with a rich mix of essential ingredients; romance, tragedy, the macabre, and the erotic. Wonderfully presented in a funereal black and silver cover, this would cast a shiver over any home library collection.
“You only live twice: Once when you are born And once when you look death in the face.” - Ian Fleming, You Only Live Twice
Born into a wealthy British banking family, Ian Lancaster Fleming (1908-64) was educated at Eton, and completed army officer training at Sandhurst. Before the war, he worked as a journalist for Reuters and The Times, serving in Moscow for both organisations. Fleming spent the war years working for Britain’s Naval Intelligence Division with the oversight of two intelligence units which, together with his journalistic experience, provided much of the background, detail and depth of the thirteen James Bond novels, the first of which being Casino Royale in 1952. This striking, 1964 first edition of You Only Live Twice, was Fleming’s 11th Bond novel and the last one published in the author’s lifetime. A desirable item for the fan of the world’s most famous spy.
Whether you’re treating yourself or a loved one, an experienced book collector or an enthusiastic amateur, a first edition book, new, vintage or antique, is an object to treasure for a lifetime. Here at Country House Library, we have an impressive selection of first editions including many from the finest authors, poets and thinkers in modern history. Top up your book collection with something you’ll never throw away.
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