Books

Inscribed by Ann Thwaite, whose husband Anthony - Larkin's great friend and the editor of his letters - was one of the original subscribers listed at the rear. First edition, first issue - one of 300 copies bound from a total impression of 700 - this copy with a rounded spine. Barry Bloomfield was a very nice man and an excellent bibliographer but his description of this (A6) appears to contradict itself: he notes that "A later binding has no strip of stiffening mull inserted" - implying a flat, rather than a rounded spine - but also that "The early copies . . . are bound with flat spines". I have seen copies of the stated "second edition" (which is, in fact, the second issue of the first impression, being the 400 copies bound after the first 300 had been sold) with both flat and rounded spines. While I'm at it, another dubious point suggests that only the 120 `subscribers' copies' has the list of those individuals on pp. [44-45] at the rear - whereas it appears to be common to the whole impression of 700 copies. Dustwrapper deeply price-clipped and missing tiny chips from extremities of spine else a nice copy.