Prelude. by MANSFIELD, Katherine - [1918]

Richmond: Printed and Published by Leonard & Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press, [1918]. An exceptional copy First edition, sole printing, one of 300 copies hand-printed by the Woolfs. Woolmer notes that a few copies only were issued with a line block by J. D. Fergusson on the front wrapper. The block had been selected by Katherine Mansfield, but Virginia Woolf disliked it and it was dropped from the great majority of copies, as in this copy.
This is a copy in exceptionally good condition: this scarce and fragile early Hogarth Press title is usually found rebound, repaired, or otherwise in less than ideal state.
The original intention was that Prelude would be the second publication of the Hogarth Press, but they set it aside to publish Poems by C. N. Sidney Woolf, so that it was the third book published by the press. Octavo. Original blue wrappers, titles to front wrapper in black, untrimmed. Housed in a customer blue cloth chemise and blue quarter morocco slipcase. Spine a touch sunned and overlapping edges creased as usual, else a fine copy, two negligible nicks, the wrappers strikingly vivid, internally fresh. Woolmer 2.