Work for the Winter – More or Less for Christmas (The First State)

Privately printed for the author (n.d.) circa 1933 - The First State. The pamphlet is in Very Good++ or better condition. pp. 8, crown 8vo, original stapled off white wrappers printed in black ; some faint toning and spotting to the covers. Spine a touched rubbed and staples lightly rusted. The booklet is protected in a Secol archival sleeve. The text has very noticeable typographical differences affecting three of the six poems which differentiate this presumably trial copy from those later presented to a few of the author’s friends and family members. The text is identical. The poems ‘The Redshanks’ and ‘Pascal’ in this copy are printed rather awkwardly in parallel columns opposed to the final single column format ; the printed device is missing which later adorns the end of each poems; and the star devices punctuating the poem ‘The River Flows’ are missing entirely. A smattering of poems printed as a Christmas greeting by the son of Clive and Vanessa Bell. A collection with a similar title, but differing contents, was printed at the Hogarth Press of his aunt and uncle in 1936. The author's promising career was curtailed by his participation as a volunteer ambulance driver in the Spanish Civil War; he died from shrapnel wounds soon after his arrival at the Front. A very scarce and often unrecorded publication. It is hard to imagine that Bell had more than 100 copies printed of the final revised format. This first state, possibly unique copy being one he retained for himself. More images available on request. Ashton Rare Books welcomes direct contact.…