LARKIN, Philip (1922-1985) — The North Ship

London Fortune Press Early Reprint Second (unauthorized) Edition, originally published by the Fortune Press in 1945. Tall, slim 8vo: [4],36pp. Publisher's smooth maroon buckram (some copies bound in brownish-orange buckram, no priority known), spine lettered in gilt, bottom edge untrimmed; beige dust jacket (Bloomfield calls it pale orange, but to my eye there is very little, if any, orange in it) printed in black, priced 21s. Possibly run off from the same plates as the first edition, with the copyright page still reading "First Published 1945," though this edition appeared in a larger format than the original (9 1/8'' x 5 5/8'' vs. 7 1/8" x 5"). A virtually pristine, unread copy, completely free of foxing and wear, in Fine jacket. Bloomfield A1(b). Fine Fine This pirated edition, limited to 500 copies, was issued in advance of the authorized Faber & Faber release (on Sepember 15,1966), but was swiftly withdrawn when Larkin discovered its existence. By 1972, according to Bloomfield, the publisher still had 220 copies in stock, but these had no dust jackets, which "had inadvertently been destroyed." Larkin's first major collection of [31] poems, "The North Ship is often criticised for its high-flown Yeatsian rhetoric, but it is, essentially, a wartime collection of poems and its significance lies primarily in its elegiac lyricism and withdrawn but tenacious sense of survival." (Literary Encyclopedia) N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition, with dust jackets carefully preserved in archival, removable mylar sleeves. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed. (Fine Editions Ltd is a member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, and we subscribe to its codes of ethics.)