Beowulf

New York: Random House, 1932. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. 8 black and white lithoghraphs (including title-page and the circular lithograph on the unnumbered colophon page), 145, (3)p. Original grey (in appearance, but actually woven black and white) cloth. 34 cm. Inked on front pastedown Modest cover wear, including a few brown spots. Former owner's name (Allison ... ??) in upper right corner of front free endpaper, possibly written in what may be Elmer Adler's hand. Contents may be slightly age-toned but otherise fine. No jacket. INSCRIBED on front pastedown ("This copy specially inscribed for Steve Patterson by the printer Elmer Adler Princeton, 1 February 1945"). This edition of Beowulf was printed for Random House at Pynson Press, the private press founded by Adler in 1922. Copy #637 of 950 numbered copies which are signed by Rockwell Kent's thumbprint on the colophone page. Laid in is a Typed and Signed Letter (on Kent's letterhead stationery) to Adler from Kent which is dated August 10, 1944 and signed by Kent (as "Rockwell"). Kent apologizes in the letter for not having filfilled (and still being unable to fulfill) an otherwise undescribed "little request" from Adler) which Kent is keeping on his desk and "will as soon as he can." The letter is wrinkled and creased in the (blank) lower right corner. Also laid in is a folded legal size mimeo broadside announcment (letterheaded News from Random House) announcing Kent's Beowulf with a February 20, 1932 Publication Date. Patterson, the inscribee, came from a well-to-do family and was a graduate student in linguistics at Princeton where he was also the student head or just heavily involved in the Princeton Print Club. He later worked for a while in intelligence but was mostly an unpublished poet.