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157 WILKINSON, Sir J. Gardner, & Samuel Birch. The Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians. London: John Murray, 1878 “a restoration to life of the ancient pharaohs” The best edition of this keystone work of British Egyptology, carefully revised by Samuel Birch, this copy in an attractive contemporary binding. The Quarterly Review, first published in 1837, referred to Wilkinson’s minutely detailed and superbly illustrated work as a “restoration to life, as it were, of the ancient Pharaohs, and their subjects”. 3 volumes, octavo (219 × 134 mm). Contemporary tree calf, spines with gilt raised bands, lettering and elaborate gilt decoration in compartments, brown morocco labels, covers bordered with a foliate gilt roll, blind decoration to turn-ins, marbled endpapers and sides, board edges gilt. With 75 plates, some coloured, some folding, text profusely illustrated with woodcuts. Christmas 1883 gift inscription on first blank. Couple of corners lightly worn, minor scuffs to sides, one recoloured, short closed tear to one leaf in vol. II, foxing to endpapers and occasionally to contents, but generally bright and clean. A very good set. £1,250 [157319]
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158 WILLIAMS, William Carlos. Paterson. New York: A New Directions Book, 1946–48–49–51–58 “say it! no ideas but in things” First editions of Williams’s epic poem, Book 2 a review copy from the library of Ruth and Mark Schorer, with their bookplate on the front pastedown and a typed letter signed by the publisher Hubert Creekmore loosely inserted. This is an excellent association, sent to a significant friend and colleague of the author with a request for his comments. Mark Schorer (1908–1977) was a writer and critic, who earned his MA at Harvard and went on to chair the University of California’s Department of English from 1960 to 1965. He was a witness during the 1957 obscenity trial for Allen Ginsberg’s Howl , testifying in defence of the poem. He was one of Williams’s “teaching pals” (quoted in Mariani, p. 546), and in his autobiography, Williams recalls attending a two- week English conference in 1946 in Salt Lake City, Utah, where “Walter Van Tilburg Clark, Caroline Gordon, Mark Schorer, all swam with us in a nearby pool evenings, and at Alta we rode in the ski-lift (specially connected for us) over the snowless ground now blossoming profusely on the slopes between the
tall firs . . . thrilling to be lifted that way above the mountainside, feet dangling, high over the earth to the shoulder of the slope”. In his letter, Creekmore acknowledges this friendship, despite misspelling Schorer as “Shorer”, a fairly common error: “knowing you are a friend of Williams, I wonder if you would read this new section of his longest and most mature poem and send us, as soon as possible, some comments on it”. 5 volumes, octavo. Original buff cloth, front covers lettered in gilt, thin rectangle stamped across front covers, spines, and rear covers in various colours, fore and lower edges untrimmed. With dust jackets. Ticket of the Holiday Bookshop, New York, on rear pastedown of Book 5. Spine and lower rear cover of Book 1 slightly foxed, a few marks to front cover, one corner bumped, a little offsetting to pastedowns; spine of Book 5 a little cocked; tiny bump to top edge of front cover of Book 4. A near-fine set, extremities occasionally toned, in lightly toned jackets, a little soiled, spine ends and corners occasionally chipped and nicked, a few short closed tears to panels of final three books, tiny damp stain to rear panel of Book 3, a very sharp and attractive set. ¶ Wallace A24a; A25a; A30a; A34a; A44a. Margaret Glynne Lloyd, William Carlos Williams’s Patterson, A Critical Reappraisal , 1980; Paul Mariani, William Carlos Williams, A New World Naked , 1981; William Carlos Williams, The Autobiography , 2017. £2,500 [157372]
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All items are fully described and photographed at peterharrington.co.uk
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