17
47 47. BetJeman, John. continual Dew. John Murray. 1937. £1,350
8vo., original cloth decorated and lettered in gilt with dust wrapper designed by McKnight Kauffer. Printed on blue and white paper with illustrations by osbert lancaster, McKnight Kauffer, de cronin hastings and gabriel Pippet. Wrapper a little chipped at head and more notably at foot of spine, spine a little darkened and rubbed, new 8/6 price sticker, otherwise a very good copy.
First edition.
With, loosely inserted, a manuscript copy of the poem Tea with the Poets, written in ink on a scrap of newspaper, signed by Betjeman under the pseudonym haverstock elliott. the sports news on the back of the piece of newpaper refers to a golfing event that will be happening in June and therefore we presume this poem was written in the early summer of 1937. the
paper is browned and there is a repaired tear in the final stanza.
there are some variations in the text from this manuscript copy to the printed version most notably in the third stanza where the third line
reads “Wystan auden brings his Wolf cubs/safe into the full
canteen”, rather than the printed “c. Day lewis brings his wolf cubs/safe into the full canteen”. Betjeman also finishes the poem
with “fun-freckled ursula West” in place of the printed “fun-freckled Primula guest”.
the substitution of c. Day lewis for W.h auden is open to interpretation.
it may simply reflect Betjeman and auden’s rekindled friendship in the run-up to the publication of Continual Dew; Betjeman choosing another of the “thirties Poets” - “the Friends of stephen spender” - indeed “the auden group” as they were variously known, to be the butt to his gentle irony. it may also be seen as a piece of auto-censorship with Betjeman replacing the homosexual auden with the hetrosexual c Day-lewis to be the guardian of his “wolf cubs”. this would seem to be reinforced by Betjeman’s use of the pseudonym haverstock elliott, possibly an oblique reference to the writer havelock ellis, who co-authored the first english medical textbook on homosexuality.
Petersen notes that Betjeman had revealed the name of the “fun-freckled” girl as ursula West, “a smashing Berkshire girl” in a note in Peggy ashcroft’s copy of the book.
We presume therefore that this manuscript copy was an early draft of the poem which Betjeman then changed both to make the poem free of any potential sexual slander towards auden and also to provide ursula West with anonymity in the printed version. this would appear to be corroborated by a presentation copy of the book that was given by Jock Murray to Betjeman in which Betjeman had made some amendments, but without changing the variants in this manuscript.
48
49
48. BetJeman, John. cornwall illustrated, in a series of Views… The Architectural Press 1934
£95
small 4to. (240 x 189 mm.). original spiral bound, photo-illustrated card wrappers; pp. 63, illustrated throughout with b/w photograph figures, line drawings and 3ff. of coloured maps; wrapper a lttle creased to front, very good.
second edition correcting a number of errors in the first edition.
49. BetJeman, John. summoned by Bells. John Murray. 1960.
£98
8vo. original green cloth with bell motif and gilt lettering on spine and with buff dust jacket. each chapter of this verse autobiography is prefaced by a drawing by michael tree. ink inscription on front-free endpaper otherwise a fine copy.
First edition.
50. BisHoP, nathaniel Holmes. the Pampas and the andes. a thousand Miles’ Walk across south america ... With an introduction by edward a. samuels ... third edition. Boston and New York: Boston Stereotype Foundry for Lee and Shepard and Lee, Shepard and Dillingham, [circa 1869].
£295
8vo (188 x 118mm). original terracotta cloth, boards blocked in black with decorative bands at head and foot, upper board with central publisher’s device in black, spine with decorations blocked in black around panel blocked in gilt with lettering in relief, lemon-yellow endpapers; pp. [4 (title, publication information on verso, dedication, verso blank)], 310, [2 (blank l.)]; wood-engraved frontispiece by John andrew and son retaining tissue guard and 3 wood-engraved plates by John andrew and son; extremities very lightly rubbed, spine very slightly darkened, otherwise a very good, fresh copy.
third edition. an account of an intrepid expedition across south america, undertaken by Bishop (1837-1902) whilst a teenager; in his preface, edward a. samuels explains that, ‘My friend [i.e. Bishop] was but
seventeen years of age when he entered upon his
difficult undertaking; but by dint of perseverance, backed by an enthusiastic love for nature, he accomplished a task that would have seemed insurmountable to many older and more experienced than himself. to use the language of Dr. Brewer, the able author of the oölogy of north america, he was “a young and enthusiastic naturalist, whose zeal in the study of natural history prompted him, alone, unaided, and at the risk of his life, to explore the arid plains of south america, while yet a mere lad in years and stature, though his observations there exhibit the close and careful study of maturer years.” the young traveller started on his journey of upwards of twelve thousand miles, by sea and land, with a cash capital
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