Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats
London, Faber and Faber Limited, September 1939.
Large octavo, 45 pages (first leaf blank).
Yellow cloth lettered in red on the spine, with an illustration in red on the front panel; leading and bottom edges uncut; covers a little bumped at the front top corner and on both bottom edges, with a slight bruise to the cloth near the middle of the rear joint; endpapers and top edge lightly foxed; tiny paper label of 'F.W. Preece Ltd. Booksellers. Adelaide' on the front pastedown; an excellent copy with the price-clipped dustwrapper a little creased, marked and sunned on the spine, slightly nibbled and chipped along the top edge, with one small patch of loss near the middle of the rear joint (now stabilised, with minimal conservation).
The first edition of Eliot's popular book of poems for children. The illustrations and lettering on the dustwrapper and boards are after designs by the poet. Gallup: 'T.S. Eliot. A Bibliography' A34a ('Published 5 October 1939 at 3s. 6d.; 3005 copies printed. On verso of title-leaf: First published in September [sic] Mcmxxxix').
Item #124355
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