Seamus Heaney, Poems and a Memoir

New York: The Limited Editions Club [printed at The Wild Carrot Letterpress], 1982. First and Limited Edition. Hardcover. Fine. Pearson, Henry. First edition (so stated), one of 2000 copies, signed by Seamus Heaney, Thomas Flanagan, and Henry Pearson. Seamus Heaney (1939-2013) was an eminent Irish poet best known for his lyrical poems about the local areas of Ireland; his work throughout his long career demonstrates his alternating visions of disillusionment and hope for the world. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995, and has been described as "the most important Irish poet since Yeats" (Robert Lowell, per Wikipedia); upon his death in 2013, "The Independent" spoke of him as "probably the best-known poet in the world".

This publication by the Limited Editions Club is a collection of Heaney's poems and a brief memoir, exemplifying his poetic prowess and illuminating the influences and development of his career. Included at the beginning of each section are relief engravings by Henry Pearson (1914-2006), an abstract artist associated with the Op Art movement; his illustrations create a dizzying geometric rhythm and are adapted from prehistoric carvings found near Dublin in the Boyne Valley.

The introduction delves into the life and work of Heaney, and is written by Thomas Flanagan (1923-2002), a professor at University of California, Berkeley, who specialised in Irish literature.

___DESCRIPTION: Full dark brown aniline leather, blind-embossed relief engraving by Henry Pearson on the front board, gilt lettering on the spine, top edge gilt, fore- and bottom edges uncut, title page in brown and black, relief engravings printed in brown by Pearson at the beginning of each section; linotype Janson and Hammer's American Uncials, cream-tone Mohawk laid paper, folio size (12.5" by 7.5"), pagination: [i-viii] ix-xviii [1-2] 3-153 [154] [1 colophon], one of 2000 copies, this number 1369, signed by Seamus Heaney, Thomas Flanagan, and Henry Pearson on the colophon. Housed in a slipcase covered in brown paper, with gilt lettering on the spine.

___CONDITION: A fine copy overall; the leather smooth and supple and the covers clean, the corners straight and unrubbed, the binding tight with solid hinges, the interior clean and bright, and free of prior owner markings; the spine lightly sunned, else fine. The slipcase is near fine, strong and sturdy, clean overall, with extremely slight wear to the paper at the corners of the opening and light sunning to one side.

___CITATION: LEC no. 530.

___POSTAGE:  International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details.

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