Between Here and Now

Publication: London, Macmillan London Limited, 1981 Formatting: 8vo, pp. 110. Condition Report: Near Fine. The publisher's original dark green cloth binding remains remarkably sharp and un-bumped, displaying bright, unoxidised gilt lettering to the spine. Internally, the book is exceptionally crisp; the binding is tight, and the text block is clean, save for the faintest hint of age-related toning along the page edges. The unclipped dust jacket exhibits vibrant, unfaded artwork with no discernible chips or tears, presently housed in a protective clear mylar sleeve to ensure its ongoing preservation. Catalogue Note: This is a true First Edition, first printing of Between Here and Now by the esteemed Welsh poet R. S. Thomas. The text includes the original copyright page designating Macmillan London Limited, 1981, with no indications of later printings. It was printed in Great Britain by Butler & Tanner Ltd. The volume is distinguished by its inclusion of thirty-three black-and-white reproductions of Impressionist paintings, originally housed in the Louvre and now at the Musà e d'Orsay. The frontispiece and the dust jacket notably feature Edgar Degas's celebrated work,ÂWomen Ironing (Les repasseuses). The book features a printed dedication to Marie-Thà rà se Castay. Unsigned copies of this edition in such a well-preserved state are becoming increasingly uncommon on the open market, particularly with the dust jacket retaining its full, vibrant colour and unclipped price. In Between Here and Now, R. S. Thomas takes a departure from his stark Welsh landscapes to meditate upon the nature of art and time through the lens of French Impressionism. The first half of the collection features thirty-three poems written as direct responses to masterpieces by artists such as Degas, Pissarro, Monet, and Cà zanne, exploring the "interval between here and now" where art offers recuperation from the relentless passage of time. A secondary section of original, non-ekphrastic verse follows, returning to Thomasâs profound theological inquiries and his characteristic grappling with spirituality, faith, and the modern condition.…