Hitchcock, Amherst MA, 1891. First printing. Octavo, 197 pp. bound in dark-green silk with gilt stamping on cover. Originally intended as a guidebook to Amherst and the surrounding area, the volume has acquired distinction as being Emily Dickinson's third book appearance. (The first two were A Masque of Poets, which printed one poem, and the first volume of her poems, 1890). In the Amherst handbook, lines from two poems are printed on p. 21: one quartrain from "The Murmuring of Bees Has Ceased" and two from "Besides the Autumn Poets Sing." At the time this volume was published, in 1891, neither poem had been printed; the latter poem was reprinted in Poems: Second Series, which came out later in the year. One clue as to how lines from these two poems found their way into this volume may be found in the Introduction, where William A. Dickinson, Emily's father, is listed as among those "who have aided in collecting material." Besides the lines from the poems, there are two other references to the poet. On p. 23: "to Amherst belongs the posthumus fame of Emily Dickinson and her strange, strong poems." On p. 71: "The residence of William A. Dickinson, treasurer of Amherst College, is situated upon the opposite end of the street. The estate adjoining has long been in the possession of the Dickinson family, and is now the home of Miss Lavinia Dickinson, whose sister, Emily Dickinson, left, at her death, the wonderful poems which have since been published and widely read." The volume is well preserved: the covers and the gilt lettering are bright; the hinges are sound; the binding is tight; pages are clean. Graded very good plus in spite of tiny flaws (two mild dents at bottom edge; one on front cover; very small area of discoloration on back cover; light wear to corners).
Dutton, NY, 1941. First edition of a relatively scarce Margot Austin title. This is a review copy, with the notice attached to the front free endpaper by a paper clip (indentations from the paper clip are visible on the fixed endpaper and on the title page). Square octavo, VG-, no dust jacket--edges are rough, corners are bumped, and a small dent is visible at the top of the back cover. Pages are clean, story is a page-turner.
Boriswood, London, 1937. First edition of this portrait of the first master of English tragedy, Christopher Marlowe, with a critical estimate of his work, and a portrayal of the Elizabethan scene. Octavo, 352 pages. Very Good/Very Good (pages darkened, as is dust jacket; red lettering on dj spine faded).
