The Poetical Works of John Keats — 1939 Oxford Edition with Handwritten Poetry & Original Dust Jacket

A wonderfully atmospheric 1939 edition of The Poetical Works of John Keats, edited by H. W. Garrod and published by Oxford at the Clarendon Press.

This is a substantial hardback volume in deep Oxford-blue covered boards, with gilt lettering to the spine and the Oxford device impressed into the front board. The original cream dust jacket has remarkably survived with the book, although it is now very distressed and incomplete.

What makes this particular copy especially interesting, however, is what a previous reader has left behind.

Written by hand on the front endpaper in blue ink is a short verse beginning:

“Then read from the treasured volume
The poem of thy choice…”

Tucked inside the book is also a folded sheet containing a handwritten poem headed “Byron’s Grave at Hucknall Torkard”, reflecting upon Lord Byron’s burial and literary reputation.

The handwriting on the loose sheet appears very similar to that of the verse written inside the book and may be by the same person, although I have been unable to establish the writer’s identity.

I have also been unable to trace the Byron poem to a published source. It may therefore be an original composition or a handwritten transcription from a less readily traceable source; I make no claim as to its authorship.

The folded manuscript will remain with the book exactly as found.

Condition

A characterful vintage copy showing its age and history.

The original dust jacket is heavily distressed, with substantial loss to the lower front, tears, edge losses, foxing, discolouration and general wear. I have deliberately left it untouched rather than attempting any repair.

The hardback beneath remains handsome, with age-related rubbing and wear. There is foxing and spotting to the endpapers and some age-related marking, while the pages internally are generally clean and the binding remains a substantial, usable volume.

There is handwritten poetry to the front endpaper, as described above, together with the separate folded handwritten poem retained inside the book.

Please study all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description.

Details

Title: The Poetical Works of John Keats
Author: John Keats
Editor: H. W. Garrod
Publisher: Oxford at the Clarendon Press
Date: 1939
Format: Hardback
Pages: 572 pages, plus introductory material
Dust jacket: Original, heavily distressed/incomplete
Additional material: Handwritten verse to endpaper and separate folded handwritten poem headed Byron’s Grave at Hucknall Torkard

This is not a pristine collector’s copy, but something I find rather more appealing: a book which still carries traces of the person who once read and treasured it, with the handwritten verses adding a small and mysterious piece of private literary history.

A lovely find for a reader of Keats and the Romantic poets, a collector of literary ephemera, or anyone drawn to old books which have acquired stories of their own.

A handmade Moss & Maye bookmark will be tucked inside the book.