Books

Paris: Shakespeare and Company, 1927. First trade edition. Stiff card wraps. Fine. 16mo. Unpaginated, Pale green paper over boards printed in black. A fine copy. The poems were previously published in an edition of 13 copies on handmade paper. Slocum A24 .

Pomes Penyeach is a collection of thirteen short poems by James Joyce. It was originally published on July 7, 1927 by Shakespeare and Company for the price of one shilling (twelve pence) or twelve francs. The poems were written over a twenty-year period from 1904 to 1924, and two of the pieces ('Tilly' and 'A Prayer') had already appeared in James Joyce's earlier published work, 'Chamber Music'.

Identifying a first edition of 'Pomes Penyeach' may involve checking the publisher's imprint for the 1927 Shakespeare and Company publication details, including the publication date and the price of twelve francs.