Gardeners and Astronomers : New Poems

New York: Vanguard Press, 1953. First Printing. Hardcover. Fine-/Fine-. First Edition, American issue, one of only 2500 copies, published the same month (November) as the London edition, which had a print run of 4000. Demy 8vo (234 x 151mm): 60,[2]pp, with six full-page black and white illustrations (including frontispiece). Publisher's half-bound lime-green cloth, spine lettered in silver, violet paper-covered boards, upper board decorated in gilt and in blind with butterflies and stars; illustrated dust jacket priced $2.75. About Fine (dusty top edge, very lightly faded spine but lettering unaffected); about Fine jacket with moderately toned spine and back panels, but front panel vibrant. Fifoot EA48b. Collects eleven poems never before published (omitting "A Bird's Song," "The Stone-Breakers," "Out of School," and "A Love Song" from the London edition. "The religious symbolism that informs Sitwell's war poetry was further emphasized in Gardeners and Astronomers (1953) and The Outcasts (1962), works that brought her wide recognition as a poet of tragic grandeur and intensity." (Britannica) N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition, with dust jackets carefully preserved in archival, removable mylar sleeves. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed. (Fine Editions Ltd is a member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, and we subscribe to its codes of ethics.).