The Richard Burton Museum's Dylan Thomas Collection
'The Young Dylan Thomas' by Dame Edith Sitwell
And so he remained, to the last day when I saw him, about three months before his death.
He was about to go to America, and he, his wife, and a great friend of his, the American poet Theodore Roethke, and his wife, lunched with me, to say good-bye. Alas, seeing him so gay (he spent most of the time teasing me about ridiculous remarks he had invented and put into my mouth) and looking so well, how could one have guessed for how long that good-bye would be.
I keep no diary, and have but little memory, so I cannot recollect the exact date when I saw him first. But it was in the autumn following his twenty-second birthday.
I had not seen his first book - I was living in Spain when it appeared, and it received few reviews, so I did not hear of it. But immediately on seeing the second book, I wrote to him, and, shortly afterwards, reviewed it at great length in the Sunday Times. the review was followed by about two months of virulent abuse of him in letters to the Sunday Times, which I had the pleasure of answering. The attackers got at least as good as they gave, and the air still echoes with the sound of numskulls being soundly hit.
As I say, I do not remember exactly on what day he came to see me first. It seems to me now, although I was much his senior, that he and his great poetry were always a part of my life.
Poetry is, to some degree, the etheric body of the poet (though to some degree only) - so I will try to describe him physically.
He was not tall, but was extremely broad, and gave an impression of extraordinary strength, sturdiness, and superabundant life. (His reddish-amber curls, strong as the curls on the brow of a young bull, his proud, but not despising, bearing, emphasized this).
In full face he looked much as William Blake must have looked as a young man. He had full eyes - like those of Blake - giving, at first, the impression of being unseeing, but seeing all, looking over immeasurable distances. To my mind, the only representation of him that gives his true likeness, his true character, is the photograph taken by the American photographer Mrs. R. Thorne McKenna, that forms the cover of the February 1954 Atlantic Monthly.
I have never known anyone more capable of endearing himself to others. And this was not only the result of his great warmth, charm, and touching funniness. (He was a wonderful mimic, though never an unkind one).He loved humanity, and had contempt only for the cruel, the unkind (these are not always identical), and the mean. He was most generous in his enthusiasms.
I never heard him say an unkind thing. (I admit that once, when a lady had kindly try to teach him and me how to recite, he did, as soon as she left the room, draw his hand across his throat with a swift and most menacing gesture, making, at the same time, a face of terrifying savagery).
His death was followed by the most disgusting exhibition of mass hysteria it has ever been my misfortune to encounter. I do not, naturally, refer to the nation-wide mourning for him. That was proper, and to the nation's credit. I refer to the nauseating attempts of people who had, perhaps, once sat next to him in a bar, to pretend they were his great friends, and to the output of bad verse addressed to him by incompetent versifiers who hoped, thus, to muscle in on his fame. I refer still more to what has come to be known as 'the Dylan legend'.
It is no doubt comforting to a certain kind of mind to see a great poet dragged down to their level, but it is not an agreeable sight. I do not for a moment deny that he sometimes 'went wild', but I, personally, never saw him behave in any way unbecoming a great poet - never saw him behave with anything but dignity.
All this hysteria, and 'the Dylan legend', alternates with such exquisite taste as that of a person (I am, perhaps luckily, unable to remember his name) who, writing in a recent number of the American Saturday Review of Literature devoted to recent English literature, told us of 'The Refusal to mourn the Death of Dylan Thomas' by another person of an equal eminence. (I do not mean of an eminence equal to that of Dylan Thomas).
That was written within eighteen months of Mr. Thomas's death. And his wife, mother, and three children are living.
This beautifully written piece, used here as an introduction to the 'Dylan Thomas Collection' page, first appeared as a tribute, in a longer and more detailed format, on the back covers of the two Argo Records vinyl releases, 'Homage To Dylan Thomas' and 'Richard Burton Reads Fifteen Poems by Dylan Thomas', released in 1954 and 1955 respectively. It was published, in the format transcribed above, as the foreword to the J. Rolph Alexander book 'Dylan Thomas - A Bibliography' which was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited in 1956. The image of Dame Edith Sitwell above was captured by Society photographer Cecil Beaton in July 1962, two years before her death. The portrait now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
He was about to go to America, and he, his wife, and a great friend of his, the American poet Theodore Roethke, and his wife, lunched with me, to say good-bye. Alas, seeing him so gay (he spent most of the time teasing me about ridiculous remarks he had invented and put into my mouth) and looking so well, how could one have guessed for how long that good-bye would be.
I keep no diary, and have but little memory, so I cannot recollect the exact date when I saw him first. But it was in the autumn following his twenty-second birthday.
I had not seen his first book - I was living in Spain when it appeared, and it received few reviews, so I did not hear of it. But immediately on seeing the second book, I wrote to him, and, shortly afterwards, reviewed it at great length in the Sunday Times. the review was followed by about two months of virulent abuse of him in letters to the Sunday Times, which I had the pleasure of answering. The attackers got at least as good as they gave, and the air still echoes with the sound of numskulls being soundly hit.
As I say, I do not remember exactly on what day he came to see me first. It seems to me now, although I was much his senior, that he and his great poetry were always a part of my life.
Poetry is, to some degree, the etheric body of the poet (though to some degree only) - so I will try to describe him physically.
He was not tall, but was extremely broad, and gave an impression of extraordinary strength, sturdiness, and superabundant life. (His reddish-amber curls, strong as the curls on the brow of a young bull, his proud, but not despising, bearing, emphasized this).
In full face he looked much as William Blake must have looked as a young man. He had full eyes - like those of Blake - giving, at first, the impression of being unseeing, but seeing all, looking over immeasurable distances. To my mind, the only representation of him that gives his true likeness, his true character, is the photograph taken by the American photographer Mrs. R. Thorne McKenna, that forms the cover of the February 1954 Atlantic Monthly.
I have never known anyone more capable of endearing himself to others. And this was not only the result of his great warmth, charm, and touching funniness. (He was a wonderful mimic, though never an unkind one).He loved humanity, and had contempt only for the cruel, the unkind (these are not always identical), and the mean. He was most generous in his enthusiasms.
I never heard him say an unkind thing. (I admit that once, when a lady had kindly try to teach him and me how to recite, he did, as soon as she left the room, draw his hand across his throat with a swift and most menacing gesture, making, at the same time, a face of terrifying savagery).
His death was followed by the most disgusting exhibition of mass hysteria it has ever been my misfortune to encounter. I do not, naturally, refer to the nation-wide mourning for him. That was proper, and to the nation's credit. I refer to the nauseating attempts of people who had, perhaps, once sat next to him in a bar, to pretend they were his great friends, and to the output of bad verse addressed to him by incompetent versifiers who hoped, thus, to muscle in on his fame. I refer still more to what has come to be known as 'the Dylan legend'.
It is no doubt comforting to a certain kind of mind to see a great poet dragged down to their level, but it is not an agreeable sight. I do not for a moment deny that he sometimes 'went wild', but I, personally, never saw him behave in any way unbecoming a great poet - never saw him behave with anything but dignity.
All this hysteria, and 'the Dylan legend', alternates with such exquisite taste as that of a person (I am, perhaps luckily, unable to remember his name) who, writing in a recent number of the American Saturday Review of Literature devoted to recent English literature, told us of 'The Refusal to mourn the Death of Dylan Thomas' by another person of an equal eminence. (I do not mean of an eminence equal to that of Dylan Thomas).
That was written within eighteen months of Mr. Thomas's death. And his wife, mother, and three children are living.
This beautifully written piece, used here as an introduction to the 'Dylan Thomas Collection' page, first appeared as a tribute, in a longer and more detailed format, on the back covers of the two Argo Records vinyl releases, 'Homage To Dylan Thomas' and 'Richard Burton Reads Fifteen Poems by Dylan Thomas', released in 1954 and 1955 respectively. It was published, in the format transcribed above, as the foreword to the J. Rolph Alexander book 'Dylan Thomas - A Bibliography' which was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited in 1956. The image of Dame Edith Sitwell above was captured by Society photographer Cecil Beaton in July 1962, two years before her death. The portrait now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
The Gower Society Journal 'Dylan Thomas Memorial' Issue
An original copy of the rare Gower Society Journal dating from November, 1953 and published, in part, as a tribute to Dylan Thomas, who had died in New York, so far away from home, earlier that month.
The Gower Society wrote in their tailpiece for this delightful vintage booklet;
"Dylan Thomas died as we were going to press. His death at thirty-nine has fallen heavily on his contemporaries and friends in Swansea. he will be talked of in this journal for many years to come but at this time it became a necessity to add the current feature on his death. Mr. Augustus John's portrait of Dylan as a young man is well known but Mr. Alfred Janes' portrait - the last painted before he died, has never been published before and we greatly appreciate the artist's kindness in allowing us to reproduce it and especially for the accompanying note which we publish."
The journal opens with an extremely detailed biography of Dylan Thomas, focusing mainly on the rural life Dylan lived in his beloved Wales rather than the tawdry stories of his escapades which were filtering back from America since his untimely death.
The artist, and great friend of Dylan's, Alfred Janes, contributed a beautifully written piece entitled, 'World's End', which reads in its entirety;
"Like all Dylan Thomas 's many, many friends I feel his death as a very great personal loss; the quality of living will be poorer, a bright light has stopped shining on the things one gropes for endlessly.
What can I say about him in a few words? Shall I describe nature in a sentence or two or write a hundred-word precis on life itself? All would be ass untruthful as they were incomplete because there is no truth that is not a whole truth.
About his work, others are qualified to give their views on that, and I - although I see it as the simplest and clearest statement of his complex being - am not.
This much i do feel qualified to say: to him a personality was a world - a wide world in which some stay at home and others walk abroad. He, in his span took it upon himself to climb every mountain, to go down every pit and to turn up every stone; he was at home in the jungles and familiar with the poles, and when he died it was not the first time he had reached his own world's end.
What he learned was hammered into his work and it is there that one had best look for his true merit. It takes great courage and honesty and faith to tell what one has found, not only in the bright places, but also in the holes and corners of one's soul.
Some may ask, was his search with all its dangers really necessary. That question has echoed down the ages and a thousand great names come to mind. How much poorer and meaner we would be without them."
This copy of the Gower Journal, which was volume six, was published by Mr. Teilo Thomas of Cwmgwyn, Swansea and was printed by Swansea Printers Limited. The price of the journal, at the time of publication, was three shillings.
The Gower Society wrote in their tailpiece for this delightful vintage booklet;
"Dylan Thomas died as we were going to press. His death at thirty-nine has fallen heavily on his contemporaries and friends in Swansea. he will be talked of in this journal for many years to come but at this time it became a necessity to add the current feature on his death. Mr. Augustus John's portrait of Dylan as a young man is well known but Mr. Alfred Janes' portrait - the last painted before he died, has never been published before and we greatly appreciate the artist's kindness in allowing us to reproduce it and especially for the accompanying note which we publish."
The journal opens with an extremely detailed biography of Dylan Thomas, focusing mainly on the rural life Dylan lived in his beloved Wales rather than the tawdry stories of his escapades which were filtering back from America since his untimely death.
The artist, and great friend of Dylan's, Alfred Janes, contributed a beautifully written piece entitled, 'World's End', which reads in its entirety;
"Like all Dylan Thomas 's many, many friends I feel his death as a very great personal loss; the quality of living will be poorer, a bright light has stopped shining on the things one gropes for endlessly.
What can I say about him in a few words? Shall I describe nature in a sentence or two or write a hundred-word precis on life itself? All would be ass untruthful as they were incomplete because there is no truth that is not a whole truth.
About his work, others are qualified to give their views on that, and I - although I see it as the simplest and clearest statement of his complex being - am not.
This much i do feel qualified to say: to him a personality was a world - a wide world in which some stay at home and others walk abroad. He, in his span took it upon himself to climb every mountain, to go down every pit and to turn up every stone; he was at home in the jungles and familiar with the poles, and when he died it was not the first time he had reached his own world's end.
What he learned was hammered into his work and it is there that one had best look for his true merit. It takes great courage and honesty and faith to tell what one has found, not only in the bright places, but also in the holes and corners of one's soul.
Some may ask, was his search with all its dangers really necessary. That question has echoed down the ages and a thousand great names come to mind. How much poorer and meaner we would be without them."
This copy of the Gower Journal, which was volume six, was published by Mr. Teilo Thomas of Cwmgwyn, Swansea and was printed by Swansea Printers Limited. The price of the journal, at the time of publication, was three shillings.
The table of contents and Alfred Janes' portrait of Dylan, for the 1953, Dylan Thomas Memorial edition of The Gower Journal.
The Dylan Thomas Poetry and Prose Collection
Presented here, and listed in no particular chronological order, are the Richard Burton Museum's collection of Dylan Thomas's poetry and prose publications, including first and early published editions, collections, anthologies, biographies and critical studies which were published both during his lifetime and posthumously.
'18 Poems' The Fortune Press, Circa 1936
Dylan Thomas's first collection of poetry, which he simply entitled '18 Poems' was first published and printed by the Sunday Referee and Parton Bookshop on, or around, the 18th of December, 1934 in an initial run of just two hundred and fifty copies.
This copy, held in the Richard Burton Museum collection, is a later, first edition published by The Fortune Press based in the Buckingham Palace Road, London, which was printed by J. Looker Limited, based in Poole, Dorset.
The poems which Dylan Thomas chose to include in his first collection of poetry were;
I See The Boys Of Summer / When Once The Twilight Locks No Longer / A Process In The Weather Of The Heart / Before I Knocked / The Force That Through The Green Fuse Drives The Flower / My Hero Bares His Nerves Along My Wrist / Where Once The Waters Of Your Face / If I Were Tickled By The Rub Of Love / Our Eunuch Dreams / Especially When The October Wind / When Like A Running Grave / From Love's First Fever To Her Plague / In The Beginning / Light Breaks Where No Sun Shines / I Fellowed Sleep / I Dreamed My Genesis / Half Of The Fellow Father As He Doubles / If All And All The Dry Worlds Lever.
This copy was published by The Fortune Press on black boards with gilt lettering, unfortunately this copy is incomplete having lost the original dust-jacket.
In April of 1934 Dylan Thomas won the Sunday Referee Poet's Corner Prize. As well as a substantial cheque, also included as part of the prize was the sponsorship of his first book, which turned out to be '18 Poems'.
Dylan Thomas oversaw the publication, staying in London to ensure that the publication went smoothly and also to ensure that there were no typographical errors to his text.
An initial run of two hundred and fifty copies were printed, which are now exceedingly rare, which were published by The Sunday Referee and The Parton Bookshop in December, 1934. These later copies of '18 Poems' were produced by The Fortune Press and were published on boards of a variety of colours and although they clearly state that they are the first edition, they were in fact printed after 1936 and onwards. This copy is one such example.
Dylan Thomas's first collection of poetry, which he simply entitled '18 Poems' was first published and printed by the Sunday Referee and Parton Bookshop on, or around, the 18th of December, 1934 in an initial run of just two hundred and fifty copies.
This copy, held in the Richard Burton Museum collection, is a later, first edition published by The Fortune Press based in the Buckingham Palace Road, London, which was printed by J. Looker Limited, based in Poole, Dorset.
The poems which Dylan Thomas chose to include in his first collection of poetry were;
I See The Boys Of Summer / When Once The Twilight Locks No Longer / A Process In The Weather Of The Heart / Before I Knocked / The Force That Through The Green Fuse Drives The Flower / My Hero Bares His Nerves Along My Wrist / Where Once The Waters Of Your Face / If I Were Tickled By The Rub Of Love / Our Eunuch Dreams / Especially When The October Wind / When Like A Running Grave / From Love's First Fever To Her Plague / In The Beginning / Light Breaks Where No Sun Shines / I Fellowed Sleep / I Dreamed My Genesis / Half Of The Fellow Father As He Doubles / If All And All The Dry Worlds Lever.
This copy was published by The Fortune Press on black boards with gilt lettering, unfortunately this copy is incomplete having lost the original dust-jacket.
In April of 1934 Dylan Thomas won the Sunday Referee Poet's Corner Prize. As well as a substantial cheque, also included as part of the prize was the sponsorship of his first book, which turned out to be '18 Poems'.
Dylan Thomas oversaw the publication, staying in London to ensure that the publication went smoothly and also to ensure that there were no typographical errors to his text.
An initial run of two hundred and fifty copies were printed, which are now exceedingly rare, which were published by The Sunday Referee and The Parton Bookshop in December, 1934. These later copies of '18 Poems' were produced by The Fortune Press and were published on boards of a variety of colours and although they clearly state that they are the first edition, they were in fact printed after 1936 and onwards. This copy is one such example.
The table of contents for this early edition of Dylan Thomas's '18 Poems' as published by the Fortune Press soon after 1936.
'Twenty-Five Poems' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, Second Impression, December 1936
Dylan Thomas's second poetry collection, which he entitled 'Twenty-Five Poems', was first published by J.M. Dent And Sons Limited on the 10th of September, 1936 and was printed by The Temple Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
This beautifully preserved, pristine copy is a first edition, second impression edition which was published in the December of 1936 as soon as the initial run of seven hundred and fifty copies had been sold. The original price in 1936 for this second impression was two shillings and sixpence.
This second impression was published by J.M. Dent and Sons Limited on grey boards with blue lettering. This copy, dating from December, 1936, is complete with a stunning example of the original dust-jacket.
The first proof of this collection of poetry which Dylan Thomas submitted to his publishers, J. M. Dent, contained twenty-three poems and was originally intended to be entitled either 'Poems In Sequence' or 'Poems In Progress'. It was only after the insistence of Vernon Watkins that Dylan Thomas decided to include two more poems, one of which was the powerful and moving poem, 'And Death Shall Have No Dominion'.
The initial run of seven hundred and fifty copies soon sold out and three further reprints that year were needed. Twenty-Five Poems became one of the best selling poetry collections of the 1930's. In a contemporary review for The Sunday Times, written by Dame Edith Sitwell, which features in the cover notes for this edition, she states that;
"The work of this young man is on a huge scale, both in theme and structurally, and the form of many of the poems is superb. The images have a poignant and moving beauty. I could not name a poet of this, the youngest generation, who shows so great a promise and even so great an achievement."
The Times Literary Supplement went on to comment;
"That Mr. Thomas is essentially a poet is certainly proved by the symbolical quality of his language, and it is in the simpler of his poems that the highly original quality of his idiom and of his vision may be best appreciated."
The Richard Burton Museum is indebted to Mr. Jeff Towns for securing this beautiful copy of this first edition, second impression, of 'Twenty-Five Poems' for the Richard Burton Museum's Dylan Thomas collection.
Dylan Thomas's second poetry collection, which he entitled 'Twenty-Five Poems', was first published by J.M. Dent And Sons Limited on the 10th of September, 1936 and was printed by The Temple Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
This beautifully preserved, pristine copy is a first edition, second impression edition which was published in the December of 1936 as soon as the initial run of seven hundred and fifty copies had been sold. The original price in 1936 for this second impression was two shillings and sixpence.
This second impression was published by J.M. Dent and Sons Limited on grey boards with blue lettering. This copy, dating from December, 1936, is complete with a stunning example of the original dust-jacket.
The first proof of this collection of poetry which Dylan Thomas submitted to his publishers, J. M. Dent, contained twenty-three poems and was originally intended to be entitled either 'Poems In Sequence' or 'Poems In Progress'. It was only after the insistence of Vernon Watkins that Dylan Thomas decided to include two more poems, one of which was the powerful and moving poem, 'And Death Shall Have No Dominion'.
The initial run of seven hundred and fifty copies soon sold out and three further reprints that year were needed. Twenty-Five Poems became one of the best selling poetry collections of the 1930's. In a contemporary review for The Sunday Times, written by Dame Edith Sitwell, which features in the cover notes for this edition, she states that;
"The work of this young man is on a huge scale, both in theme and structurally, and the form of many of the poems is superb. The images have a poignant and moving beauty. I could not name a poet of this, the youngest generation, who shows so great a promise and even so great an achievement."
The Times Literary Supplement went on to comment;
"That Mr. Thomas is essentially a poet is certainly proved by the symbolical quality of his language, and it is in the simpler of his poems that the highly original quality of his idiom and of his vision may be best appreciated."
The Richard Burton Museum is indebted to Mr. Jeff Towns for securing this beautiful copy of this first edition, second impression, of 'Twenty-Five Poems' for the Richard Burton Museum's Dylan Thomas collection.
The table of contents for the 1936 J.M. Dent publication of 'Twenty-Five Poems', printed by The Temple Press, Hertfordshire
'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, Fourth Edition, 1956
A copy of Dylan Thomas' collection of short stories, 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog'. This copy is a fourth edition dating from 1956 published by J. M. Dent and Sons and printed by Lowe and Brydone (Printers) Limited on behalf of the Aldine Press, at that time based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, on green cloth boards with gilt lettering. This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The short stories contained in this delightful volume include;
The Peaches / A Visit to Grandpa's / Patricia, Edith and Arnold / The Fight / Extraordinary Little Cough / Just Like Little Dogs / Where Tawe Flows / Who Do You Wish Was With Us? / Old Garbo and One Warm Saturday.
The cover notes for this posthumous 1956 edition read;
"Dylan Thomas showed in the 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' how the startling originality of his work was deep-seated, native to his whole personality. Though the form is fiction, the young poet is himself here seen as a child, a schoolboy, and a young man during his life in Wales before he came to London".
The original price of this edition, upon publication in 1956, was twelve shillings and sixpence.
A copy of Dylan Thomas' collection of short stories, 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog'. This copy is a fourth edition dating from 1956 published by J. M. Dent and Sons and printed by Lowe and Brydone (Printers) Limited on behalf of the Aldine Press, at that time based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, on green cloth boards with gilt lettering. This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The short stories contained in this delightful volume include;
The Peaches / A Visit to Grandpa's / Patricia, Edith and Arnold / The Fight / Extraordinary Little Cough / Just Like Little Dogs / Where Tawe Flows / Who Do You Wish Was With Us? / Old Garbo and One Warm Saturday.
The cover notes for this posthumous 1956 edition read;
"Dylan Thomas showed in the 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' how the startling originality of his work was deep-seated, native to his whole personality. Though the form is fiction, the young poet is himself here seen as a child, a schoolboy, and a young man during his life in Wales before he came to London".
The original price of this edition, upon publication in 1956, was twelve shillings and sixpence.
'A Prospect Of The Sea' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, July 1955
Published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Bedford Street, London and printed by The Aldine Press, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, this is a first edition copy of 'A Prospect Of The Sea', which was published on the 28th of July, 1955 as part of an initial run of eight thousand copies.
This first edition was published by J.M. Dent and Sons on blue cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The original price of this edition in 1955 was ten shillings and sixpence.
This collection of stories and essays had been chosen by Dylan Thomas to be published in one volume shortly before his death. Most of the stories, apart from those previously published in 'The Map Of Love', had not appeared in book form before. The contents range from early stories from the 1930's which had appeared in such literary publications as New English Weekly, Picture Post and The Criterion and also includes 'A Story' (more affectionately known as 'The Outing') which appeared in 'The Listener' shortly before Dylan Thomas's death.
The Stories: A Prospect Of The Sea / The Lemon / After The Fair / The Visitor / The Enemies The Tree / The Map Of Love / The Mouse And The Woman / The Dress / The Orchards / In The Direction Of The Beginning.
The Essays: Conversation About Christmas / How To Be A Poet / The Followers / A Story.
Published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Bedford Street, London and printed by The Aldine Press, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, this is a first edition copy of 'A Prospect Of The Sea', which was published on the 28th of July, 1955 as part of an initial run of eight thousand copies.
This first edition was published by J.M. Dent and Sons on blue cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The original price of this edition in 1955 was ten shillings and sixpence.
This collection of stories and essays had been chosen by Dylan Thomas to be published in one volume shortly before his death. Most of the stories, apart from those previously published in 'The Map Of Love', had not appeared in book form before. The contents range from early stories from the 1930's which had appeared in such literary publications as New English Weekly, Picture Post and The Criterion and also includes 'A Story' (more affectionately known as 'The Outing') which appeared in 'The Listener' shortly before Dylan Thomas's death.
The Stories: A Prospect Of The Sea / The Lemon / After The Fair / The Visitor / The Enemies The Tree / The Map Of Love / The Mouse And The Woman / The Dress / The Orchards / In The Direction Of The Beginning.
The Essays: Conversation About Christmas / How To Be A Poet / The Followers / A Story.
The frontispiece photographic portrait from the J.M. Dent first edition publication of 'A Prospect Of The Sea' which features Dylan, Caitlin and Aeronwy Thomas photographed at home in Laugharne.
'A Prospect Of The Sea' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, Sixth Impression, October 1964
A sixth impression edition of the posthumous collection of Dylan Thomas's short stories and essays entitled, 'A Prospect Of The Sea'.
This copy was published with a different cover design yet the book itself was published in the same format as the first edition, on blue cloth boards with gilt lettering and including the same short stories and essays.
This copy was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited based in Bedford Street, London and was printed by the Aldine Press at Letchworth, Herfordshire in October 1964.
A review, taken from the Sunday Times contemporary to this 1964 publication, reads;
"In his happiest line of fantasticated autobiography Thomas really found himself as an artist who could achieve poetry in prose."
David Leitch, also of the Sunday Times, wrote, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Dylan Thomas's death; "Since 1953 the popularity that came so slowly to his pinch- penny lifetime has turned into a flood."
A sixth impression edition of the posthumous collection of Dylan Thomas's short stories and essays entitled, 'A Prospect Of The Sea'.
This copy was published with a different cover design yet the book itself was published in the same format as the first edition, on blue cloth boards with gilt lettering and including the same short stories and essays.
This copy was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited based in Bedford Street, London and was printed by the Aldine Press at Letchworth, Herfordshire in October 1964.
A review, taken from the Sunday Times contemporary to this 1964 publication, reads;
"In his happiest line of fantasticated autobiography Thomas really found himself as an artist who could achieve poetry in prose."
David Leitch, also of the Sunday Times, wrote, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Dylan Thomas's death; "Since 1953 the popularity that came so slowly to his pinch- penny lifetime has turned into a flood."
'Deaths And Entrances' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, Fourth Impression, 1954
'Deaths And Entrances' was first published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, based in Bedford Street, London and printed by The Aldine Press, Letchworth, Hertfordshire on the 7th of February, 1946 in an initial run of just three thousand copies.
The copy held in the Richard Burton Museum collection is a later fourth edition, which dates from 1954, and which was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited on orange cloth boards with gilt lettering. This later edition is complete with an original 1954 deep-red dust-jacket.
The original price on publication of this 1954 edition of 'Deaths And Entrances' was six shillings.
The earlier original 1946 editions of 'Deaths And Entrances' were printed on rather inferior woven paper, due to wartime paper restrictions, but from the fourth edition onwards the pages were printed on Antique Laid paper with the edges neatly cut and with the colour of the outer cloth boards changed from deep orange to a rich red, the price was also drastically increased from three shillings and sixpence in 1946 to six shillings in 1954.
Probably the best known of Dylan Thomas's poetry collections, this small volume containing just twenty-four poems was first published in February, 1946 and within the first month had sold out of it's initial run of just three thousand copies, proving beyond any doubt the growing reputation and demand for Dylan Thomas's work.
Although many of the poems in this volume deal with the effects of war, such as 'Ceremony After A Fire Raid' and 'A Refusal To Mourn The Death, By Fire, Of A Child In London', Deaths And Entrances also included some of Dylan Thomas's most celebrated, beautifully crafted and most famous poems which included the titles; 'Fern Hill', 'Poem In October', 'This Side Of Truth', 'In My Craft And Sullen Art', 'Love In The Asylum' and 'Lie Still, Sleep Becalmed'.
Contemporary reviews of 'Deaths And Entrances' included such praise as..."Original and traditional, imperfect but outstanding, with the unmistakable fire and power of genius."
Walter Allen, writing for 'Time And Tide', Vita Sackville-West of 'The Observer' and G. W. Stonier of 'The New Statesman' all praised this poetry collection in their respective publications with the following reviews;
"Deaths And Entrances represents a new maturity in Mr. Dylan Thomas. His use of language and his imagery are as striking and felicitous as ever. He has added a mastery of intricate metrical forms. Half a dozen poems in this volume are, quite simply, entrancing".
"A rare combination of vigour and vitality."
"Deaths And Entrances makes it's impact as a whole, as the new peaks of the writer's poetry...Three at least of the of the poems in this volume - 'A Winter's Tale', 'Poem In October' and 'The Ballad Of The Two- Legged (sic) Bait' - must be placed among the outstanding poems written in our time; and there are half a dozen others on a hardly inferior level. If they were remarkable for nothing else, their grandeur would remove them from the current trends."
'Deaths And Entrances' was first published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, based in Bedford Street, London and printed by The Aldine Press, Letchworth, Hertfordshire on the 7th of February, 1946 in an initial run of just three thousand copies.
The copy held in the Richard Burton Museum collection is a later fourth edition, which dates from 1954, and which was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited on orange cloth boards with gilt lettering. This later edition is complete with an original 1954 deep-red dust-jacket.
The original price on publication of this 1954 edition of 'Deaths And Entrances' was six shillings.
The earlier original 1946 editions of 'Deaths And Entrances' were printed on rather inferior woven paper, due to wartime paper restrictions, but from the fourth edition onwards the pages were printed on Antique Laid paper with the edges neatly cut and with the colour of the outer cloth boards changed from deep orange to a rich red, the price was also drastically increased from three shillings and sixpence in 1946 to six shillings in 1954.
Probably the best known of Dylan Thomas's poetry collections, this small volume containing just twenty-four poems was first published in February, 1946 and within the first month had sold out of it's initial run of just three thousand copies, proving beyond any doubt the growing reputation and demand for Dylan Thomas's work.
Although many of the poems in this volume deal with the effects of war, such as 'Ceremony After A Fire Raid' and 'A Refusal To Mourn The Death, By Fire, Of A Child In London', Deaths And Entrances also included some of Dylan Thomas's most celebrated, beautifully crafted and most famous poems which included the titles; 'Fern Hill', 'Poem In October', 'This Side Of Truth', 'In My Craft And Sullen Art', 'Love In The Asylum' and 'Lie Still, Sleep Becalmed'.
Contemporary reviews of 'Deaths And Entrances' included such praise as..."Original and traditional, imperfect but outstanding, with the unmistakable fire and power of genius."
Walter Allen, writing for 'Time And Tide', Vita Sackville-West of 'The Observer' and G. W. Stonier of 'The New Statesman' all praised this poetry collection in their respective publications with the following reviews;
"Deaths And Entrances represents a new maturity in Mr. Dylan Thomas. His use of language and his imagery are as striking and felicitous as ever. He has added a mastery of intricate metrical forms. Half a dozen poems in this volume are, quite simply, entrancing".
"A rare combination of vigour and vitality."
"Deaths And Entrances makes it's impact as a whole, as the new peaks of the writer's poetry...Three at least of the of the poems in this volume - 'A Winter's Tale', 'Poem In October' and 'The Ballad Of The Two- Legged (sic) Bait' - must be placed among the outstanding poems written in our time; and there are half a dozen others on a hardly inferior level. If they were remarkable for nothing else, their grandeur would remove them from the current trends."
The table of contents as they appear in this later 1954 J. M. Dent publication of 'Deaths And Entrances'.
'Quite Early One Morning' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, 1954
A copy of 'Quite Early One Morning', which was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Bedford Street, London and printed by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
This is a first edition copy, which was published on the 4th of November, 1954 as part of an initial run of ten thousand copies.
The original price of this edition in 1954 was ten shillings and sixpence and was published by J. M. Dent and Sons on blue cloth boards with gilt lettering. This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket.
Published the year after Dylan Thomas's death, 'Quite Early One Morning' is a collection in print of some of Dylan Thomas's radio broadcasts which he made for the B.B.C. Divided into two parts and edited by Aneirin Talfan Davies, who also wrote the preface, the first part consists of Dylan Thomas's autobiographical and personal radio scripts such as; 'Return Journey', 'Memories Of Christmas', 'Holiday Memory' and 'Reminiscences Of Childhood'. The second half of the book consists of scripts which are of a more critical nature with Dylan Thomas dealing with such topics as Wilfred Owen, Wales And The Artist, A Visit To America, Laugharne, Welsh Poets and Walter de la Mare as a Prose Writer.
The transcript of 'Quite Early One Morning' which appears in this volume is taken from the broadcast from the 17th of June, 1953 and differs considerably from the earlier version which was originally broadcast in August, 1945, in particular the ending and the addition of the 'missing verse'.
This edition includes extensive notes which include all the dates of the original broadcasts and the later repeats. The first edition was also notable for the many errors in the text, mainly punctuation, which were amended for later editions.
A further, later copy of the J. M. Dent publication of 'Quite Early One Morning' is held in the Richard Burton Museum collection. A third impression dating from 1955, complete with amendments. This copy is also complete with the original dust-jacket.
A copy of 'Quite Early One Morning', which was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Bedford Street, London and printed by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
This is a first edition copy, which was published on the 4th of November, 1954 as part of an initial run of ten thousand copies.
The original price of this edition in 1954 was ten shillings and sixpence and was published by J. M. Dent and Sons on blue cloth boards with gilt lettering. This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket.
Published the year after Dylan Thomas's death, 'Quite Early One Morning' is a collection in print of some of Dylan Thomas's radio broadcasts which he made for the B.B.C. Divided into two parts and edited by Aneirin Talfan Davies, who also wrote the preface, the first part consists of Dylan Thomas's autobiographical and personal radio scripts such as; 'Return Journey', 'Memories Of Christmas', 'Holiday Memory' and 'Reminiscences Of Childhood'. The second half of the book consists of scripts which are of a more critical nature with Dylan Thomas dealing with such topics as Wilfred Owen, Wales And The Artist, A Visit To America, Laugharne, Welsh Poets and Walter de la Mare as a Prose Writer.
The transcript of 'Quite Early One Morning' which appears in this volume is taken from the broadcast from the 17th of June, 1953 and differs considerably from the earlier version which was originally broadcast in August, 1945, in particular the ending and the addition of the 'missing verse'.
This edition includes extensive notes which include all the dates of the original broadcasts and the later repeats. The first edition was also notable for the many errors in the text, mainly punctuation, which were amended for later editions.
A further, later copy of the J. M. Dent publication of 'Quite Early One Morning' is held in the Richard Burton Museum collection. A third impression dating from 1955, complete with amendments. This copy is also complete with the original dust-jacket.
The title page of the 1954 J. M. Dent edition of 'Quite Early One Morning' featuring a photograph of a young Dylan Thomas at the B.B.C. credited to Newnes and Pearson.
'Quite Early One Morning' New Directions, First Edition, 1954
A first edition copy of the American edition of the posthumous collection of Dylan Thomas's radio broadcasts entitled, 'Quite Early One Morning'.
This edition was published by New Directions Books based on Sixth Avenue, New York on the 15th of December, 1954 in a limited run of just three thousand two hundred copies. This first edition copy was published on grey cloth boards with white lettering on the spine and issued with the American Library of Congress number 54-12907.
This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket which features a lovely portrait of Dylan Thomas standing by his writing shed overlooking Sir John's Hill, Laugharne, as captured by American photographer Rollie McKenna.
The cover notes for this American edition of 'Quite Early One Morning' read;
"Many thousands have responded to the unique and exciting poetry of Dylan Thomas, whose tragic death at the age of thirty-nine abruptly ended one of the great careers of contemporary poetry. Few have known until now the wide range of his genius as a master of prose.
'Quite Early One Morning' collects, for the first time in book form, twenty-five stories, autobiographical sketches, and essays - that are alive with his verbal magic, his intense perception of life, and his Gargantuan humour.
Included, in addition to pieces only just discovered, are such favourites as the hilarious 'Visit To America', the account of a small boy's fabulous outing called 'A Story', and the memorable 'A Child's Christmas In Wales' which Thomas recorded before his tragic death and which bids fair to usurp the place of Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' in modern affections. Other pieces show Thomas' powers as a sensitive critic of the poetry of his contemporaries and as an expounder of his own intent as a poet.
'Quite Early One Morning' will recall to many readers the unforgettable experience of hearing the rich music of the poet's voice."
A first edition copy of the American edition of the posthumous collection of Dylan Thomas's radio broadcasts entitled, 'Quite Early One Morning'.
This edition was published by New Directions Books based on Sixth Avenue, New York on the 15th of December, 1954 in a limited run of just three thousand two hundred copies. This first edition copy was published on grey cloth boards with white lettering on the spine and issued with the American Library of Congress number 54-12907.
This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket which features a lovely portrait of Dylan Thomas standing by his writing shed overlooking Sir John's Hill, Laugharne, as captured by American photographer Rollie McKenna.
The cover notes for this American edition of 'Quite Early One Morning' read;
"Many thousands have responded to the unique and exciting poetry of Dylan Thomas, whose tragic death at the age of thirty-nine abruptly ended one of the great careers of contemporary poetry. Few have known until now the wide range of his genius as a master of prose.
'Quite Early One Morning' collects, for the first time in book form, twenty-five stories, autobiographical sketches, and essays - that are alive with his verbal magic, his intense perception of life, and his Gargantuan humour.
Included, in addition to pieces only just discovered, are such favourites as the hilarious 'Visit To America', the account of a small boy's fabulous outing called 'A Story', and the memorable 'A Child's Christmas In Wales' which Thomas recorded before his tragic death and which bids fair to usurp the place of Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' in modern affections. Other pieces show Thomas' powers as a sensitive critic of the poetry of his contemporaries and as an expounder of his own intent as a poet.
'Quite Early One Morning' will recall to many readers the unforgettable experience of hearing the rich music of the poet's voice."
'The Map Of Love' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, 1939
A copy of Dylan Thomas's collection of poetry and prose which he entitled, 'The Map Of Love'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent And Sons Limited, Aldine House, London and was printed by the Temple Press, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
This is a first edition copy, which was published on the 24th of August, 1939, one of an initial run of just one thousand copies.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent on purple cloth boards with gold lettering on the front and spine. This copy is unfortunately incomplete, having lost its original dust-jacket.
This volume of poetry and prose was first published in the August of 1939 to decidedly mixed reviews and lack of public interest due to the imminent outbreak of the Second World War. Written mostly in the early years of his marriage to Caitlin and the birth of his first child, Llewellyn, the poetry contained within this book are some of the most personal which Dylan Thomas ever wrote. A perfect example of this is the poem entitled 'If My Head Hurt A Hair's Foot', in which Dylan Thomas imagines a conversation between a mother and her unborn child. In contrast to this, also contained in this volume were poems dealing with death and personal loss, such as 'After The Funeral' and 'The Tombstone Told Where She Died', two very personal and touching poems which were written about, and dedicated to, his aunt Ann Jones.
One contemporary review of 'The Map Of Love' stated that this was;
"A unique book, it contains the most absolute poetry that has ever been written in our time, and one can only pray that this poet will not be forced in any way to surrender the subtle course of his genius."
A copy of Dylan Thomas's collection of poetry and prose which he entitled, 'The Map Of Love'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent And Sons Limited, Aldine House, London and was printed by the Temple Press, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
This is a first edition copy, which was published on the 24th of August, 1939, one of an initial run of just one thousand copies.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent on purple cloth boards with gold lettering on the front and spine. This copy is unfortunately incomplete, having lost its original dust-jacket.
This volume of poetry and prose was first published in the August of 1939 to decidedly mixed reviews and lack of public interest due to the imminent outbreak of the Second World War. Written mostly in the early years of his marriage to Caitlin and the birth of his first child, Llewellyn, the poetry contained within this book are some of the most personal which Dylan Thomas ever wrote. A perfect example of this is the poem entitled 'If My Head Hurt A Hair's Foot', in which Dylan Thomas imagines a conversation between a mother and her unborn child. In contrast to this, also contained in this volume were poems dealing with death and personal loss, such as 'After The Funeral' and 'The Tombstone Told Where She Died', two very personal and touching poems which were written about, and dedicated to, his aunt Ann Jones.
One contemporary review of 'The Map Of Love' stated that this was;
"A unique book, it contains the most absolute poetry that has ever been written in our time, and one can only pray that this poet will not be forced in any way to surrender the subtle course of his genius."
The frontispiece to this rare first edition copy of 'The Map Of Love', which features the first use of Augustus John's portrait of Dylan Thomas.
'Letters To Vernon Watkins' J.M. Dent & Sons / Faber & Faber Limited, First Edition, Signed by Gwen Watkins, 1957
Published in conjunction with J. M. Dent And Sons, Bedford Street, London and Faber And Faber Limited based on Russell Square and printed by the Western Printing Services Limited based in Bristol, this is a first edition copy of 'Dylan Thomas - Letters To Vernon Watkins', which was first published in 1957.
This edition was published on green cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with a pristine example of the original dust-jacket.
This first edition copy was originally priced, on publication, at fifteen shillings.
Vernon Watkins, one of Dylan Thomas's closest and certainly most loyal friends, was born in Wales in 1906. Vernon first met Dylan Thomas in 1935 and the two remained close friends until Dylan Thomas's death in 1953.
Vernon Watkins was himself an aspiring poet and became the one person from whom Dylan Thomas sought literary advice and was usually the first person Dylan Thomas sent any poetry to which he had just completed, or was working on for his appraisal and opinion. This collection of personal letters span the years between 1936-1952 and clearly show the warmth and closeness which Dylan Thomas felt towards Watkins, as well as revealing Dylan Thomas's stark honesty, humour and self criticism.
The complete text from the publishers cover notes reads;
"Dylan Thomas had the gift of expressing his genius as memorably and as unerringly in his letters as in his published writings. Perhaps no writer, certainly no writer of this age, could communicate his presence so immediately in writing to his friends. He combined a fertility of ideas and downright common sense with a boundless capacity to entertain. This presence he communicated was the opposite of pompous. free from the grander impediments to self-expression, he turned to himself when no other target of affectionate ridicule was offered. He warmed towards life in everything he wrote, yet his observations were never blurred or undisciplined; they were made from an honesty which was complete.
This volume of letters written to Vernon Watkins would have been more complete but for the war, during which many letters were lost. There remain, however, a large number of letters, particularly from the years preceding the war, which provide a consecutive picture of that time time, and of himself in that time, as authentic in their self-examination as they are vivid.
Although all the letters have the warmth of their writer's personality, they have also an impersonal character which makes them a part, not of private, but of public statement. Where the poems are examined, it is certain the poet listened to himself and tested every word on the pulse of his own artistic judgement. A closer commentary on the poems is not likely to emerge, as Dylan Thomas was in this respect uncommunicative. For this alone these letters would be uniquely valuable, but their full richness is not to be assessed, so variously yet unmistakably do they reveal the poet and the man."
Published in conjunction with J. M. Dent And Sons, Bedford Street, London and Faber And Faber Limited based on Russell Square and printed by the Western Printing Services Limited based in Bristol, this is a first edition copy of 'Dylan Thomas - Letters To Vernon Watkins', which was first published in 1957.
This edition was published on green cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with a pristine example of the original dust-jacket.
This first edition copy was originally priced, on publication, at fifteen shillings.
Vernon Watkins, one of Dylan Thomas's closest and certainly most loyal friends, was born in Wales in 1906. Vernon first met Dylan Thomas in 1935 and the two remained close friends until Dylan Thomas's death in 1953.
Vernon Watkins was himself an aspiring poet and became the one person from whom Dylan Thomas sought literary advice and was usually the first person Dylan Thomas sent any poetry to which he had just completed, or was working on for his appraisal and opinion. This collection of personal letters span the years between 1936-1952 and clearly show the warmth and closeness which Dylan Thomas felt towards Watkins, as well as revealing Dylan Thomas's stark honesty, humour and self criticism.
The complete text from the publishers cover notes reads;
"Dylan Thomas had the gift of expressing his genius as memorably and as unerringly in his letters as in his published writings. Perhaps no writer, certainly no writer of this age, could communicate his presence so immediately in writing to his friends. He combined a fertility of ideas and downright common sense with a boundless capacity to entertain. This presence he communicated was the opposite of pompous. free from the grander impediments to self-expression, he turned to himself when no other target of affectionate ridicule was offered. He warmed towards life in everything he wrote, yet his observations were never blurred or undisciplined; they were made from an honesty which was complete.
This volume of letters written to Vernon Watkins would have been more complete but for the war, during which many letters were lost. There remain, however, a large number of letters, particularly from the years preceding the war, which provide a consecutive picture of that time time, and of himself in that time, as authentic in their self-examination as they are vivid.
Although all the letters have the warmth of their writer's personality, they have also an impersonal character which makes them a part, not of private, but of public statement. Where the poems are examined, it is certain the poet listened to himself and tested every word on the pulse of his own artistic judgement. A closer commentary on the poems is not likely to emerge, as Dylan Thomas was in this respect uncommunicative. For this alone these letters would be uniquely valuable, but their full richness is not to be assessed, so variously yet unmistakably do they reveal the poet and the man."
This pristine example of a first edition copy of 'Letters To Vernon Watkins' has the added bonus of having being personally signed and dedicated to myself by Vernon Watkins' widow, the lovely and gracious Gwen Watkins, whom I had the pleasure of meeting on a beautiful and memorable summer afternoon at her home in Mumbles on July the 28th, 2016.
A further, first edition copy of 'Dylan Thomas - Letters To Vernon Watkins' is also held in the Richard Burton Museum's Dylan Thomas collection. This edition of the book was the personal copy owned by writer, critic and poet, Julian Symons.
This copy was originally sent to Symons by the editor of the esteemed publication, 'The Times Literary Supplement' in November 1957 in order that Symons could write a seven hundred word review of Vernon Watkins' fascinating book for the paper. Interestingly, upon coming into my possession, some of Symons fascinating original notes were found to be still contained within the pages of this pristine, first edition copy.
This first edition copy also has the delightful addition of having been signed by Gwen Watkins after a wonderful evening spent in her company at her home in Mumbles in August, 2017.
This copy was originally sent to Symons by the editor of the esteemed publication, 'The Times Literary Supplement' in November 1957 in order that Symons could write a seven hundred word review of Vernon Watkins' fascinating book for the paper. Interestingly, upon coming into my possession, some of Symons fascinating original notes were found to be still contained within the pages of this pristine, first edition copy.
This first edition copy also has the delightful addition of having been signed by Gwen Watkins after a wonderful evening spent in her company at her home in Mumbles in August, 2017.
'Vernon Watkins Selected Poems' Faber & Faber Limited, First Edition, 1967 Signed by Vernon Watkins
A highly important, historic and wonderful addition to the Richard Burton Museum's Dylan Thomas Collection of publications is this signed Faber edition of Vernon Watkin's 'Selected Poems 1930 - 1960'.
This paperback edition was published by Faber and Faber Limited, Russell Square, London in 1967 and was printed by R. MacLehose and Company Limited, The University Press, Glasgow.
This beautiful collection of some of the finest poetry written by Vernon Watkins has the poignant addition of being signed by the poet just two months prior to his untimely death in Seattle, America on the 8th of October, 1967.
The poet Philip Larkin, writing in The Guardian, commented on this collection with the words;
"Vernon Watkins has himself made this selection from his published verse up to 1960, excluding the longer ballads. It provides a fully representative introduction to his work. The themes of Mr. Vernon Watkins's poems, as by now is well known, are of the widest; birth, death, creation, renewal, the cycle of the seasons, life outside time...Mr. Watkins's romanticism remains serious and sincere; he is an alert and conscious artist.
A highly important, historic and wonderful addition to the Richard Burton Museum's Dylan Thomas Collection of publications is this signed Faber edition of Vernon Watkin's 'Selected Poems 1930 - 1960'.
This paperback edition was published by Faber and Faber Limited, Russell Square, London in 1967 and was printed by R. MacLehose and Company Limited, The University Press, Glasgow.
This beautiful collection of some of the finest poetry written by Vernon Watkins has the poignant addition of being signed by the poet just two months prior to his untimely death in Seattle, America on the 8th of October, 1967.
The poet Philip Larkin, writing in The Guardian, commented on this collection with the words;
"Vernon Watkins has himself made this selection from his published verse up to 1960, excluding the longer ballads. It provides a fully representative introduction to his work. The themes of Mr. Vernon Watkins's poems, as by now is well known, are of the widest; birth, death, creation, renewal, the cycle of the seasons, life outside time...Mr. Watkins's romanticism remains serious and sincere; he is an alert and conscious artist.
Vernon Watkins' lovely clear signature as it appears on the title page of this first edition Faber paperback of his 'Selected Poems'.
Vernon Watkins, 'Fidelities', Faber & Faber Limited, First Edition, 1968 Signed by Gwen Watkins
Also held in the Richard Burton Museum's Dylan Thomas collection is this pristine, first edition, hardback copy of Vernon Watkins' collection of poems entitled, 'Fidelities'.
This beautiful collection of poetry was completed shortly before his death on the 8th of October, 1967 in Seattle where he held the post of Visiting Professor of Poetry at the University of Washington, and was published posthumously in 1968 by Faber and Faber Limited, London and printed by The Bowering Press based in Plymouth.
Although there are no direct references to Dylan Thomas in the poems included in this volume, Dylan Thomas's influence and friendship with Vernon Watkins can certainly be powerfully felt when reading some of the poems, in particular lines such as...''For me, neglect and world-wide fame were one, I was concerned with those the world forgot.''
This copy of 'Fidelities' was published by Faber and Faber Limited on brown cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket and was issued with the ISBN 571-08519-9.
Also held in the Richard Burton Museum's Dylan Thomas collection is this pristine, first edition, hardback copy of Vernon Watkins' collection of poems entitled, 'Fidelities'.
This beautiful collection of poetry was completed shortly before his death on the 8th of October, 1967 in Seattle where he held the post of Visiting Professor of Poetry at the University of Washington, and was published posthumously in 1968 by Faber and Faber Limited, London and printed by The Bowering Press based in Plymouth.
Although there are no direct references to Dylan Thomas in the poems included in this volume, Dylan Thomas's influence and friendship with Vernon Watkins can certainly be powerfully felt when reading some of the poems, in particular lines such as...''For me, neglect and world-wide fame were one, I was concerned with those the world forgot.''
This copy of 'Fidelities' was published by Faber and Faber Limited on brown cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket and was issued with the ISBN 571-08519-9.
This first edition, Faber and Faber copy of Vernon Watkins' collection of poems, 'Fidelities' has the wonderful addition of having been signed and personally dedicated to myself by Vernon's widow, Gwen Watkins.
'The Collected Poems Of Vernon Watkins' The Golgonooza Press, Signed Limited First Edition, 1986
A beautiful first edition copy of 'The Collected Poems Of Vernon Watkins' as published by the Golgonooza Press in 1986.
This special edition was published by The Golgonooza Press, based in Suffolk, in 1986 and was printed by Woolnough Bookbinding, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.
This special edition of 'The Collected Poems' was published with the financial support of The Welsh Arts Council.
This edition was published on black boards with a red and gold motif and this limited edition copy was issued with the ISBN 0-903880-36-9.
The publisher's cover notes read;
"A collected edition of the poetry of Vernon Watkins has been a long awaited event.
Of Watkins' greatness as a master of lyric verse there can be no doubt. But a reputation deserving of that greatness had evaded his achievement since his death in 1967 due, in no small part, to the relative inaccessability of his published work. With the appearance of his Collected Poems a wider recognition of his true stature can no longer be witheld.
Indeed, Watkins remains as the last major poet to have his work presented in a collected edition. Not since the appearance of the collected editions of W. B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot and Edwin Muir, has such a substantial body of poetry of continued excellence been published.
'The Collected Poems of Vernon Watkins' brings together the seven books the poet prepared for publication with Faber as well as three posthumous volumes. These are; 'Ballad of the Mari Lwyd' (1941, 2nd edition 1974), 'The Lamp and the Veil (1945), 'The Lady with the Unicorn' (1948), 'The Death Bell' (1954), 'Cypress and Acacia' (1959), 'Affinities' (1962), 'Fidelities' (1968), with 'Uncollected Poems' (1969), 'The Ballad of the Outer Dark' (1979), and 'The Breaking of the Wave' (1979).
The second edition of 'The Ballad of the Mari Lwyd' has been used and a substantially revised version of 'Yeats in Dublin' made in the year of the poet's death replaces the text of the original version. A few misprints throughout have been corrected on manuscript authority."
A beautiful first edition copy of 'The Collected Poems Of Vernon Watkins' as published by the Golgonooza Press in 1986.
This special edition was published by The Golgonooza Press, based in Suffolk, in 1986 and was printed by Woolnough Bookbinding, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.
This special edition of 'The Collected Poems' was published with the financial support of The Welsh Arts Council.
This edition was published on black boards with a red and gold motif and this limited edition copy was issued with the ISBN 0-903880-36-9.
The publisher's cover notes read;
"A collected edition of the poetry of Vernon Watkins has been a long awaited event.
Of Watkins' greatness as a master of lyric verse there can be no doubt. But a reputation deserving of that greatness had evaded his achievement since his death in 1967 due, in no small part, to the relative inaccessability of his published work. With the appearance of his Collected Poems a wider recognition of his true stature can no longer be witheld.
Indeed, Watkins remains as the last major poet to have his work presented in a collected edition. Not since the appearance of the collected editions of W. B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot and Edwin Muir, has such a substantial body of poetry of continued excellence been published.
'The Collected Poems of Vernon Watkins' brings together the seven books the poet prepared for publication with Faber as well as three posthumous volumes. These are; 'Ballad of the Mari Lwyd' (1941, 2nd edition 1974), 'The Lamp and the Veil (1945), 'The Lady with the Unicorn' (1948), 'The Death Bell' (1954), 'Cypress and Acacia' (1959), 'Affinities' (1962), 'Fidelities' (1968), with 'Uncollected Poems' (1969), 'The Ballad of the Outer Dark' (1979), and 'The Breaking of the Wave' (1979).
The second edition of 'The Ballad of the Mari Lwyd' has been used and a substantially revised version of 'Yeats in Dublin' made in the year of the poet's death replaces the text of the original version. A few misprints throughout have been corrected on manuscript authority."
The signature of Gwen Watkins as it appears on the front-end paper of this magnificent, numbered, 'Limited Edition' copy of 'The Collected Poems of Vernon Watkins' published by the Golgonooza Press in 1986.
Vernon Watkins, 'Selected Verse Translations' Enitharmon Press, First Edition 1977 Signed by Gwen Watkins
Published by the Enitharmon Press, East Finchley, London and printed and bound by the Skelton's Press, Northamptonshire in 1977, this is a delightful and pristine collection of verse as translated by the poet Vernon Watkins.
The publisher's notes for this first edition read;
"Vernon Watkins made nearly two hundred translations of European poetry; of these well over a hundred have been published, some in book form and others in periodicals and little magazines. For this book a selection has been made of what seemed the best of these from both the published and unpublished work. Some, such as the translation of Heine's 'The North Sea', have been omitted because they received wide circulation in book form during the poet's lifetime. He also made translations from Hungarian and Spanish poets which are not represented in this selection."
The cover notes read;
"This selection from the many translations of European poetry made by Vernon Watkins includes substantial sections from the French and German as well as from 'The Iliad' and the 'Divine Comedy' and an important essay setting out his views on the art of translation. the text has been edited by Dr. Ruth Pryor of the University College of Swansea and an introduction by Michael Hamburger."
This edition was published by the Enitharmon Press on grey cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket. This first edition was published with the co-operation of the Arts Council of Great Britain and was issued with the ISBN 9-01111-75-9.
Published by the Enitharmon Press, East Finchley, London and printed and bound by the Skelton's Press, Northamptonshire in 1977, this is a delightful and pristine collection of verse as translated by the poet Vernon Watkins.
The publisher's notes for this first edition read;
"Vernon Watkins made nearly two hundred translations of European poetry; of these well over a hundred have been published, some in book form and others in periodicals and little magazines. For this book a selection has been made of what seemed the best of these from both the published and unpublished work. Some, such as the translation of Heine's 'The North Sea', have been omitted because they received wide circulation in book form during the poet's lifetime. He also made translations from Hungarian and Spanish poets which are not represented in this selection."
The cover notes read;
"This selection from the many translations of European poetry made by Vernon Watkins includes substantial sections from the French and German as well as from 'The Iliad' and the 'Divine Comedy' and an important essay setting out his views on the art of translation. the text has been edited by Dr. Ruth Pryor of the University College of Swansea and an introduction by Michael Hamburger."
This edition was published by the Enitharmon Press on grey cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket. This first edition was published with the co-operation of the Arts Council of Great Britain and was issued with the ISBN 9-01111-75-9.
This lovely collection of Vernon Watkins' poetry translations has been signed by Vernon's widow, Gwen Watkins.
'Collected Poems 1934-1952' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, Thirteenth Impression, 1959
The 'Collected Poems 1934-1952' was first published on the 10th of November, 1952 in an initial run of four thousand, seven hundred and sixty copies by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Bedford Street, London and printed by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
This copy is a thirteenth impression edition which was published in May, 1959 by J. M. Dent and Sons on black boards with gilt lettering. This edition is complete with a pristine example of the original dust-jacket.
The original price of this copy of 'The Collected Poems 1934-1952' when published in 1959 was eighteen shillings.
The Collected Poems was awarded the William Foyle Poetry Prize in 1952 as well as the Etna-Taormina International Prize in Poetry in 1953.
This was to be the most definitive collection of Dylan Thomas's poetry published in his lifetime. As Dylan Thomas himself wrote in the introduction;
"This book contains most of the poem's I have written, and all, up to the present year, that I wish to preserve."
In a contemporary review, The Sunday Times wrote..."At his best he is unique, for he distills an exquisite mysterious moving quality which defies analysis as supreme lyrical poetry always has and, let us hope, always will.''
The Observer added that..."Seeing the scope and intensity of the total work it need no longer be eccentric to claim that Thomas is the greatest living poet in the English language...His language is seldom colloquial, nearly always in the grandest of grand manners, yet he is adept at transforming an old and dead familiarity."
Edwin Muir, writing in 'Britain To-Day' noted that... 'Mr. Thomas is still the most richly endowed of the poets of his generation. His genius is still throwing out rare and surprising inventions. One feels he will be remembered among the English poets.'
In a B.B.C. broadcast given around the time of publication, Graham Hough noted..."The appearance of the collected poems of Dylan Thomas is by any standards an important literary event...of the younger generation of established poets, Dylan Thomas seems to me far the best - the most exciting, the most original, with the fullest and grandest command of language."
The 'Collected Poems 1934-1952' was first published on the 10th of November, 1952 in an initial run of four thousand, seven hundred and sixty copies by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Bedford Street, London and printed by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
This copy is a thirteenth impression edition which was published in May, 1959 by J. M. Dent and Sons on black boards with gilt lettering. This edition is complete with a pristine example of the original dust-jacket.
The original price of this copy of 'The Collected Poems 1934-1952' when published in 1959 was eighteen shillings.
The Collected Poems was awarded the William Foyle Poetry Prize in 1952 as well as the Etna-Taormina International Prize in Poetry in 1953.
This was to be the most definitive collection of Dylan Thomas's poetry published in his lifetime. As Dylan Thomas himself wrote in the introduction;
"This book contains most of the poem's I have written, and all, up to the present year, that I wish to preserve."
In a contemporary review, The Sunday Times wrote..."At his best he is unique, for he distills an exquisite mysterious moving quality which defies analysis as supreme lyrical poetry always has and, let us hope, always will.''
The Observer added that..."Seeing the scope and intensity of the total work it need no longer be eccentric to claim that Thomas is the greatest living poet in the English language...His language is seldom colloquial, nearly always in the grandest of grand manners, yet he is adept at transforming an old and dead familiarity."
Edwin Muir, writing in 'Britain To-Day' noted that... 'Mr. Thomas is still the most richly endowed of the poets of his generation. His genius is still throwing out rare and surprising inventions. One feels he will be remembered among the English poets.'
In a B.B.C. broadcast given around the time of publication, Graham Hough noted..."The appearance of the collected poems of Dylan Thomas is by any standards an important literary event...of the younger generation of established poets, Dylan Thomas seems to me far the best - the most exciting, the most original, with the fullest and grandest command of language."
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The frontispiece to the J. M. Dent edition of 'The Collected Poems 1934-1952' features one of the most famous portraits ever commissioned of Dylan Thomas. Painted by Augustus John around 1937, the original oil on canvas has been displayed in the National Museum of Wales since its donation in 1942.
Although reproduced in black and white for this first edition and lacking the incredible power of the original portrait, it is still one of the most striking and instantly recognisable images of a young Dylan Thomas.
The same image was first used as the frontispiece to the 1939 J. M. Dent publication of Dylan Thomas's collection of prose and verse entitled, 'The Map of Love.'
Dame Edith Sitwell was to write of the portrait;
"Mr. Augustus John's portrait of him is beautiful, but gives him a cherubic aspect, which, though pleasing, does not convey, to the present writer at least, Dylan's look of archangelic power. In full face he must have looked much as William Blake must have looked as a young man. He had full eyes - like those of Blake - giving at first the impression of being unseeing, but seeing all, looking over immeasurable distances."
Although reproduced in black and white for this first edition and lacking the incredible power of the original portrait, it is still one of the most striking and instantly recognisable images of a young Dylan Thomas.
The same image was first used as the frontispiece to the 1939 J. M. Dent publication of Dylan Thomas's collection of prose and verse entitled, 'The Map of Love.'
Dame Edith Sitwell was to write of the portrait;
"Mr. Augustus John's portrait of him is beautiful, but gives him a cherubic aspect, which, though pleasing, does not convey, to the present writer at least, Dylan's look of archangelic power. In full face he must have looked much as William Blake must have looked as a young man. He had full eyes - like those of Blake - giving at first the impression of being unseeing, but seeing all, looking over immeasurable distances."
Augustus John was born in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales in 1878. After studying at the Tenby School Of Art he moved to London to study and very quickly gained notoriety as a wild Bohemian etcher and painter. Augustus John rapidly became known as one of the most talented and recognisable exponents of Post-Impressionism of his generation.
Aside from Dylan Thomas, other notable personalities of the day who were captured on canvas by Augustus John included George Bernard Shaw, Thomas Hardy, W. B. Yeats, Tallulah Bankhead, Caitlin Thomas and T. E. Lawrence.
Augustus John first met Dylan Thomas around 1935 and was instrumental in introducing Dylan Thomas to Caitlin McNamara, who had been previously Augustus John's own muse and lover. The meeting which took place in The Wheatsheaf Public House, located in Bohemian London's Fitzrovia.
Augustus John died, aged 83, in Hampshire in 1961.
Pictured left is the striking photographic portrait of Augustus John, taken in 1930 by Carl Vandyk, which is on display in The National Portrait Gallery, London.
Aside from Dylan Thomas, other notable personalities of the day who were captured on canvas by Augustus John included George Bernard Shaw, Thomas Hardy, W. B. Yeats, Tallulah Bankhead, Caitlin Thomas and T. E. Lawrence.
Augustus John first met Dylan Thomas around 1935 and was instrumental in introducing Dylan Thomas to Caitlin McNamara, who had been previously Augustus John's own muse and lover. The meeting which took place in The Wheatsheaf Public House, located in Bohemian London's Fitzrovia.
Augustus John died, aged 83, in Hampshire in 1961.
Pictured left is the striking photographic portrait of Augustus John, taken in 1930 by Carl Vandyk, which is on display in The National Portrait Gallery, London.
Michael Holroyd, 'Augustus John' Penguin Books Limited, 1976
A boxed-set paperback edition of Michael Holroyd's excellent and highly detailed biography of the artist Augustus John.
This 1976 single volume edition was published by Penguin Books Limited, based in Harmondsworth, Middlesex and was printed and bound by Richard Clay Limited for The Chaucer Press, based in Suffolk.
This collection was first published in two separate volumes by William Heinemann in 1974.
Augustus John's relationship with both Dylan and Caitlin Thomas is explored in great depth in this incredibly well-researched biography, which is illustrated with black and white photographs and is presented in a special edition card slip-case. This revised edition was issued by Penguin Books Limited with the ISBN 0-1400-4141-9.
The book was reviewed by Philip Toynbee in The Observer who wrote, contemporary to publication;
"Mr. Holroyd has made a great name for himself as a biographer of this period...he has brought to this task the same rare gift of acute sympathy which he had already bestowed on Lytton Strachey."
Quentin Bell, reviewing this edition for The Spectator, wrote;
"He has an enviable quality to deal with the intricacies of multiple relationships, with the tensions and developments of complex human situations...the gradual, sometimes comic and sometimes tragic, development of what became known as 'The John Tribe' is excellently rendered."
Paul Levy, writing in the literary column of The Observer, noted that;
"Michael Holroyd's accomplishment is extraordinary; it does not detract from it to say that he has given us the keys to John's character, but left it to the reader to use them to open the door".
A boxed-set paperback edition of Michael Holroyd's excellent and highly detailed biography of the artist Augustus John.
This 1976 single volume edition was published by Penguin Books Limited, based in Harmondsworth, Middlesex and was printed and bound by Richard Clay Limited for The Chaucer Press, based in Suffolk.
This collection was first published in two separate volumes by William Heinemann in 1974.
Augustus John's relationship with both Dylan and Caitlin Thomas is explored in great depth in this incredibly well-researched biography, which is illustrated with black and white photographs and is presented in a special edition card slip-case. This revised edition was issued by Penguin Books Limited with the ISBN 0-1400-4141-9.
The book was reviewed by Philip Toynbee in The Observer who wrote, contemporary to publication;
"Mr. Holroyd has made a great name for himself as a biographer of this period...he has brought to this task the same rare gift of acute sympathy which he had already bestowed on Lytton Strachey."
Quentin Bell, reviewing this edition for The Spectator, wrote;
"He has an enviable quality to deal with the intricacies of multiple relationships, with the tensions and developments of complex human situations...the gradual, sometimes comic and sometimes tragic, development of what became known as 'The John Tribe' is excellently rendered."
Paul Levy, writing in the literary column of The Observer, noted that;
"Michael Holroyd's accomplishment is extraordinary; it does not detract from it to say that he has given us the keys to John's character, but left it to the reader to use them to open the door".
'Collected Poems 1934-1952' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, Fifteenth Impression, 1964
A later edition of the 'Collected Poems 1934-1952' which was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Aldine House, Bedford Street, London and printed by The Aldine Press, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1964.
This copy is the fifteenth impression issued in a completely differently designed dust-jacket as compared to the 1952 original edition which was first published on the 10th of November, 1952.
The original price of this edition on publication in August, 1964 was twenty shillings.
This copy was published, as earlier editions, on black boards with gilt lettering.
This edition was published in exactly the same format as the original 1952 version, complete with the Augustus John portrait of Dylan Thomas as the frontispiece.
The format of this edition, with this same dust-jacket design, is an exact copy of 'The Collected Poems' which was placed on Richard Burton's coffin and buried alongside him in Celigny, Switzerland in 1984.
A later edition of the 'Collected Poems 1934-1952' which was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Aldine House, Bedford Street, London and printed by The Aldine Press, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1964.
This copy is the fifteenth impression issued in a completely differently designed dust-jacket as compared to the 1952 original edition which was first published on the 10th of November, 1952.
The original price of this edition on publication in August, 1964 was twenty shillings.
This copy was published, as earlier editions, on black boards with gilt lettering.
This edition was published in exactly the same format as the original 1952 version, complete with the Augustus John portrait of Dylan Thomas as the frontispiece.
The format of this edition, with this same dust-jacket design, is an exact copy of 'The Collected Poems' which was placed on Richard Burton's coffin and buried alongside him in Celigny, Switzerland in 1984.
'Adventures In The Skin Trade' Putnam & Company Limited, First Edition, 1955
Published by Putnam and Company Limited based in Great Russell Street, London and printed by Richard Clay and Company Limited, Suffolk, this is a first edition copy of 'Adventures In The Skin Trade', which was published on the 12th of September, 1955 as part of an initial run of just six thousand, nine hundred copies.
This first edition was published by Putnam on black boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket featuring stunning artwork by Gross-Andre.
The original price of this copy in 1955 was nine shillings and sixpence.
Published posthumously in 1955, 'Adventures In The Skin Trade' was a semi-autobiographical novel on which Dylan Thomas had been working since 1941. Intended to be a 'coming of age' novel, it was intended to have been a follow-up to the highly successful collection of short stories, 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog', however it lacked the humour and poetic narrative of the earlier short stories and was dismissed by J.M. Dent as 'a fragment of frolicksome dirt', which led to it being eventually abandoned completely by Dylan Thomas. However the first three chapters did survive and were published in this form by Putnam, rather than J. M. Dent in 1955. As Dylan Thomas himself described it..."it' s a mixture of Oliver Twist, Little Dorrit, Kafka, Beachcomber, and a good old three-adjectives-a-penny belly-churning Thomas, the Rimbaud Of Cwmdonkin Drive".
The history of 'Adventures In The Skin Trade' and an outline of Dylan Thomas's plans for the whole concept, including the reason for the books title, are to be found in the foreword, written by Dylan Thomas's close friend, Vernon Watkins.
Published by Putnam and Company Limited based in Great Russell Street, London and printed by Richard Clay and Company Limited, Suffolk, this is a first edition copy of 'Adventures In The Skin Trade', which was published on the 12th of September, 1955 as part of an initial run of just six thousand, nine hundred copies.
This first edition was published by Putnam on black boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket featuring stunning artwork by Gross-Andre.
The original price of this copy in 1955 was nine shillings and sixpence.
Published posthumously in 1955, 'Adventures In The Skin Trade' was a semi-autobiographical novel on which Dylan Thomas had been working since 1941. Intended to be a 'coming of age' novel, it was intended to have been a follow-up to the highly successful collection of short stories, 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog', however it lacked the humour and poetic narrative of the earlier short stories and was dismissed by J.M. Dent as 'a fragment of frolicksome dirt', which led to it being eventually abandoned completely by Dylan Thomas. However the first three chapters did survive and were published in this form by Putnam, rather than J. M. Dent in 1955. As Dylan Thomas himself described it..."it' s a mixture of Oliver Twist, Little Dorrit, Kafka, Beachcomber, and a good old three-adjectives-a-penny belly-churning Thomas, the Rimbaud Of Cwmdonkin Drive".
The history of 'Adventures In The Skin Trade' and an outline of Dylan Thomas's plans for the whole concept, including the reason for the books title, are to be found in the foreword, written by Dylan Thomas's close friend, Vernon Watkins.
The frontispiece to the first edition of 'Adventures In The Skin Trade' published by Putnam and Company Limited in 1955
'Adventures In The Skin Trade' Putnam & Company Limited, Fourth Impression, 1968
A much later, hardback edition of Dylan Thomas's abandoned novel which he entitled, 'Adventures In The Skin Trade'.
As with the first edition, this copy was published by Putnam and Company Limited who were at this time based in Bow Street, London.
This copy is the fourth impression, published in 1968, and features a much plainer cover design compared to the 1955 first edition dust-jacket designed by Gross-Andre.
This copy was printed by Fletcher and Son Limited, Norwich and was issued with the ISBN 370-000100-1.
This later edition also includes the explanatory foreword written by Dylan Thomas's close friend Vernon Watkins.
A much later, hardback edition of Dylan Thomas's abandoned novel which he entitled, 'Adventures In The Skin Trade'.
As with the first edition, this copy was published by Putnam and Company Limited who were at this time based in Bow Street, London.
This copy is the fourth impression, published in 1968, and features a much plainer cover design compared to the 1955 first edition dust-jacket designed by Gross-Andre.
This copy was printed by Fletcher and Son Limited, Norwich and was issued with the ISBN 370-000100-1.
This later edition also includes the explanatory foreword written by Dylan Thomas's close friend Vernon Watkins.
'Adventures In The Skin Trade' Putnam & Company, 1982
A much later hardback edition of 'Adventures In The Skin Trade' which was published by Putnam and Company Limited, an imprint of Bodley Head, based in Bow Street, Covent Garden, London in 1982 and printed by Biddles Limited of Guildford.
This edition was published on yellow cloth boards with silver gilt lettering and issued with the ISBN 0-370-30928-6.
This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket and features the original foreword written by Vernon Watkins which first appeared in the 1955 first edition.
The Times Literary Supplement wrote of 'Adventures In The Skin Trade';
"The fragment...is sufficient to leave no doubt of Thomas's genius as a comic writer...there are memorable images and phrases on almost every page."
The Poet Laureate, Sir John Betjeman, wrote in an article contemporary to the books first release in 1955;
"Dylan Thomas is best when he is clearest. I don't see how anyone can fail to understand and laugh while reading this book."
A much later hardback edition of 'Adventures In The Skin Trade' which was published by Putnam and Company Limited, an imprint of Bodley Head, based in Bow Street, Covent Garden, London in 1982 and printed by Biddles Limited of Guildford.
This edition was published on yellow cloth boards with silver gilt lettering and issued with the ISBN 0-370-30928-6.
This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket and features the original foreword written by Vernon Watkins which first appeared in the 1955 first edition.
The Times Literary Supplement wrote of 'Adventures In The Skin Trade';
"The fragment...is sufficient to leave no doubt of Thomas's genius as a comic writer...there are memorable images and phrases on almost every page."
The Poet Laureate, Sir John Betjeman, wrote in an article contemporary to the books first release in 1955;
"Dylan Thomas is best when he is clearest. I don't see how anyone can fail to understand and laugh while reading this book."
Under Milk Wood
"Under Milk Wood? It is all about religion, sex and death. And it is a comic masterpiece..."
Richard Burton in conversation with director Andrew Sinclair, 1971.
"Under Milk Wood? It is all about religion, sex and death. And it is a comic masterpiece..."
Richard Burton in conversation with director Andrew Sinclair, 1971.
Completed shortly before his death, 'Under Milk Wood', Dylan's 'Play for Voices' is a moving, affectionate and hilarious account of one spring day in the lives of the inhabitants of a small Welsh sea-town, not dissimilar to Laugharne in size or in the vast array of colourful local characters that resided there during the time Dylan had made Laugharne his home.
From the beautifully crafted, iconic opening lines of.."To begin at the beginning, it is Spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible-black..." Dylan's play takes the reader on a wondrous journey of imagery and delight. Beginning with the townspeople's dreams from just before dawn and the inclusion of the moving memories of the ghosts of Captain Cat's seafaring days, the 'long-drowned who nuzzle up to him", 'Under Milk Wood' moves through the one brilliant, busy, noisy day of the townspeople and closes as the.."suddenly wind-shaken wood springs awake for the second dark time this one spring day".
The American poet and literary critic Randall Jarrell wrote of 'Under Milk Wood'.."It would be hard for any work of art to communicate more directly and funnily and lovingly what ii is like to be alive".
Although initially commissioned by the B.B.C, 'Under Milk Wood' had it's first performance on the 14th of May 1953 at the Poetry Centre housed at The Young Men's and Women's Hebrew Association on 92nd Street , New York in what could only be described as a 'try-out rehearsal' concert with Dylan directing and taking the role of 'First Voice' as well as the part of The Reverend Eli Jenkins for the performance. As luck would have it a member of the cast took the initiative to record the whole performance on a small single microphone tape recorder set up at the front of the stage, and this remains the only recording of Dylan performing his masterpiece. (The recording was later released commercially by The Caedmon Record Company). It is interesting to hear this version today and to note the audiences reaction to the play. Starting off silent and not sure of what to expect of this strange 'Play for Voices', very soon the audience begins to understand that amongst the serious 'poetic-prose' of the narrative lies subtle, and sometimes quite bawdy, humour and tittering can soon be heard drifting from the seated ensemble of college students, critics and literary enthusiasts. This historic and quite wonderful recording quite rightly ends with rapturous applause with the whole audience giving a still quite nervous Dylan a well- earned standing ovation, much to his bemused astonishment.
Critical publications of the day such as 'Saturday Review' and the theatrical and literary pages of 'The New York Times' hailed it as " probably the richest and certainly the earthiest theatre experience of the season" and " a dazzling combination of poetic fireworks and music-hall humour".
When 'Under Milk Wood' was eventually broadcast in it's completed form on the 25th of January 1954 with Burton taking over the role of 'First Voice' from the sadly departed Dylan, the 'New Statesman' wrote.."It is lyrical, impassioned and funny, an 'Our Town' given universality; by comparison with anything broadcast for a long time, it exploded on the air like a bomb - but a life-giving bomb".
Although only completed in 1953 as basically a rough draft, and recorded by the B.B.C. in 1954 in it's completed form, the genesis of 'Under Milk Wood' began many years before, possibly as early as 1932. According to Bert Trick, the Swansea-based grocer who became close to Dylan during his adolescent years, the idea for a play about a small Welsh seaside town was discussed during evening get together's at Bert Tricks house. Trick was to recall in a later interview.."He read it to Nell (Trick's wife) and me in our bungalow in Caswell around the old Dover stove, with the paraffin lamps lit at night. The story then was called 'Llareggeb', which was a mythical village in South Wales, a typical village with terraced houses with one 'ty bach' ( Welsh for 'little house') to about five cottages and the various characters coming out and emptying the slops and exchanging greetings and so on; that was the germ of the idea which developed into Under Milk Wood''.
By 1934, in various short stories of the time such as 'The Burning Baby' and 'The Orchards,' Dylan had started to use 'Llareggub' as the name for the fictional villages that appeared in his narratives.
The idea for 'Under Milk Wood' was firmly in Dylan's mind during the late thirties and early in 1940. It was during this time that Dylan and Caitlin were firmly ensconced in the Gazebo at Laugharne Castle staying at Castle House at the invitation of the owner, novelist Richard Hughes. At that time Dylan was using the working title of 'The Town That Was Mad' and outlined various ideas with Hughes as to the direction and form the play would take stating.."What Laugharne really needs is a play about well-known Laugharne characters, and get them all to play themselves".
The idea for 'The Town That was Mad' was to be toyed with and returned to by Dylan for several years before finally being abandoned for the structure and story-line that was to eventually become the 'Under Milk Wood' recognized today.
During the final years of the Second World War Dylan was dividing his time between London and New Quay in west Wales. It was in New Quay that Dylan wrote what many agree is the precursor to 'Under Milk Wood', the radio broadcast for the B.B.C entitled,'Quite Early One Morning'.
From the beautifully crafted, iconic opening lines of.."To begin at the beginning, it is Spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible-black..." Dylan's play takes the reader on a wondrous journey of imagery and delight. Beginning with the townspeople's dreams from just before dawn and the inclusion of the moving memories of the ghosts of Captain Cat's seafaring days, the 'long-drowned who nuzzle up to him", 'Under Milk Wood' moves through the one brilliant, busy, noisy day of the townspeople and closes as the.."suddenly wind-shaken wood springs awake for the second dark time this one spring day".
The American poet and literary critic Randall Jarrell wrote of 'Under Milk Wood'.."It would be hard for any work of art to communicate more directly and funnily and lovingly what ii is like to be alive".
Although initially commissioned by the B.B.C, 'Under Milk Wood' had it's first performance on the 14th of May 1953 at the Poetry Centre housed at The Young Men's and Women's Hebrew Association on 92nd Street , New York in what could only be described as a 'try-out rehearsal' concert with Dylan directing and taking the role of 'First Voice' as well as the part of The Reverend Eli Jenkins for the performance. As luck would have it a member of the cast took the initiative to record the whole performance on a small single microphone tape recorder set up at the front of the stage, and this remains the only recording of Dylan performing his masterpiece. (The recording was later released commercially by The Caedmon Record Company). It is interesting to hear this version today and to note the audiences reaction to the play. Starting off silent and not sure of what to expect of this strange 'Play for Voices', very soon the audience begins to understand that amongst the serious 'poetic-prose' of the narrative lies subtle, and sometimes quite bawdy, humour and tittering can soon be heard drifting from the seated ensemble of college students, critics and literary enthusiasts. This historic and quite wonderful recording quite rightly ends with rapturous applause with the whole audience giving a still quite nervous Dylan a well- earned standing ovation, much to his bemused astonishment.
Critical publications of the day such as 'Saturday Review' and the theatrical and literary pages of 'The New York Times' hailed it as " probably the richest and certainly the earthiest theatre experience of the season" and " a dazzling combination of poetic fireworks and music-hall humour".
When 'Under Milk Wood' was eventually broadcast in it's completed form on the 25th of January 1954 with Burton taking over the role of 'First Voice' from the sadly departed Dylan, the 'New Statesman' wrote.."It is lyrical, impassioned and funny, an 'Our Town' given universality; by comparison with anything broadcast for a long time, it exploded on the air like a bomb - but a life-giving bomb".
Although only completed in 1953 as basically a rough draft, and recorded by the B.B.C. in 1954 in it's completed form, the genesis of 'Under Milk Wood' began many years before, possibly as early as 1932. According to Bert Trick, the Swansea-based grocer who became close to Dylan during his adolescent years, the idea for a play about a small Welsh seaside town was discussed during evening get together's at Bert Tricks house. Trick was to recall in a later interview.."He read it to Nell (Trick's wife) and me in our bungalow in Caswell around the old Dover stove, with the paraffin lamps lit at night. The story then was called 'Llareggeb', which was a mythical village in South Wales, a typical village with terraced houses with one 'ty bach' ( Welsh for 'little house') to about five cottages and the various characters coming out and emptying the slops and exchanging greetings and so on; that was the germ of the idea which developed into Under Milk Wood''.
By 1934, in various short stories of the time such as 'The Burning Baby' and 'The Orchards,' Dylan had started to use 'Llareggub' as the name for the fictional villages that appeared in his narratives.
The idea for 'Under Milk Wood' was firmly in Dylan's mind during the late thirties and early in 1940. It was during this time that Dylan and Caitlin were firmly ensconced in the Gazebo at Laugharne Castle staying at Castle House at the invitation of the owner, novelist Richard Hughes. At that time Dylan was using the working title of 'The Town That Was Mad' and outlined various ideas with Hughes as to the direction and form the play would take stating.."What Laugharne really needs is a play about well-known Laugharne characters, and get them all to play themselves".
The idea for 'The Town That was Mad' was to be toyed with and returned to by Dylan for several years before finally being abandoned for the structure and story-line that was to eventually become the 'Under Milk Wood' recognized today.
During the final years of the Second World War Dylan was dividing his time between London and New Quay in west Wales. It was in New Quay that Dylan wrote what many agree is the precursor to 'Under Milk Wood', the radio broadcast for the B.B.C entitled,'Quite Early One Morning'.
'Under Milk Wood' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, 1954
Dylan Thomas's 'Play for Voices', which he eventually named 'Under Milk Wood', was first published, posthumously, by J. M. Dent And Sons Limited, London on the 5th of March, 1954 and was printed by The Aldine Press, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
This beautiful, pristine copy is a first edition copy which was published in March, 1954 by J. M. Dent and Sons on light brown cloth boards with gilt lettering. This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The original price of this first edition in 1954 was eight shillings and sixpence.
This edition features a preface written by Dylan Thomas's close friend, the composer Daniel Jones, who also composed the music for 'Johnnie Crack and Flossie Snail', 'The Children's Game', 'Polly Garter's Song', and 'Mr Waldo's Song', the scores to which can be found towards the rear of the book.
This first edition copy also features 'Notes on Pronunciation' and the full cast list of the first B.B.C. broadcast, which included Richard Burton cast in Dylan Thomas's own intended role of the 'First Voice'.
Contemporary reviews of this, Dylan Thomas's most famous and celebrated work, include the following;
"Under Milk Wood is a major work; that is unquestionable...deriving as much from the spirit of his prose 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' as from the general run of his verse". Richard Hughes, The Sunday Times.
"In it's proudly irresponsible gaiety, it's knowingness, tenderness, and rich rhetoric, this play for voices is a fitting epitaph for a man who played in such a masterly way with words". The Times Literary Supplement.
"It almost creates the colours, the smells, the caresses of the air passing over the town under the invisible propulsion of the hours. This is quite magical, and will surely establish this poem as a masterpiece in it's own kind. Humour seeps through the images, earthy and ripe, as primitive as that in the medieval secular plays, as roseate as that in Chaucer's verse." Richard Church writing in 'John O' London's'.
"Under Milk Wood, that glorious, bawdy, uproarious and compassionate work which he completed for radio just a month before he died...a work which looks to me like an enduring contribution to literature." Sydney Tremayne, The Daily Herald.
"The fairy tale village of Llaregyb with its population of gnomes, is Thomas's most popular creation; it is unfortunately his last." G.M. Thomson, The Evening Standard.
At the publishers' discretion, Dylan Thomas's intended spelling of Llareggub was altered to the 'safer' spelling of Llaregyb, so as not to offend any readers.
Dylan Thomas's 'Play for Voices', which he eventually named 'Under Milk Wood', was first published, posthumously, by J. M. Dent And Sons Limited, London on the 5th of March, 1954 and was printed by The Aldine Press, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
This beautiful, pristine copy is a first edition copy which was published in March, 1954 by J. M. Dent and Sons on light brown cloth boards with gilt lettering. This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The original price of this first edition in 1954 was eight shillings and sixpence.
This edition features a preface written by Dylan Thomas's close friend, the composer Daniel Jones, who also composed the music for 'Johnnie Crack and Flossie Snail', 'The Children's Game', 'Polly Garter's Song', and 'Mr Waldo's Song', the scores to which can be found towards the rear of the book.
This first edition copy also features 'Notes on Pronunciation' and the full cast list of the first B.B.C. broadcast, which included Richard Burton cast in Dylan Thomas's own intended role of the 'First Voice'.
Contemporary reviews of this, Dylan Thomas's most famous and celebrated work, include the following;
"Under Milk Wood is a major work; that is unquestionable...deriving as much from the spirit of his prose 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' as from the general run of his verse". Richard Hughes, The Sunday Times.
"In it's proudly irresponsible gaiety, it's knowingness, tenderness, and rich rhetoric, this play for voices is a fitting epitaph for a man who played in such a masterly way with words". The Times Literary Supplement.
"It almost creates the colours, the smells, the caresses of the air passing over the town under the invisible propulsion of the hours. This is quite magical, and will surely establish this poem as a masterpiece in it's own kind. Humour seeps through the images, earthy and ripe, as primitive as that in the medieval secular plays, as roseate as that in Chaucer's verse." Richard Church writing in 'John O' London's'.
"Under Milk Wood, that glorious, bawdy, uproarious and compassionate work which he completed for radio just a month before he died...a work which looks to me like an enduring contribution to literature." Sydney Tremayne, The Daily Herald.
"The fairy tale village of Llaregyb with its population of gnomes, is Thomas's most popular creation; it is unfortunately his last." G.M. Thomson, The Evening Standard.
At the publishers' discretion, Dylan Thomas's intended spelling of Llareggub was altered to the 'safer' spelling of Llaregyb, so as not to offend any readers.
Six further copies of the J. M. Dent edition of 'Under Milk Wood', published with the same green dust-jacket, are held in the Richard Burton Museum collection. A fourth and fifth impression, published in 1954, and a sixth and seventh from 1955 and an eighth impression dating from 1956.
'Under Milk Wood' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, Eighth Impression, 1957
The first edition of 'Under Milk Wood' was first published by J. M. Dent And Sons Limited and printed by The Aldine Press, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1954. This later copy of 'Under Milk Wood' dates from 1957 and is one of three editions issued with this lighter cover held in the Richard Burton Museum collection, the others being the ninth and eleventh impressions.
The dust-jacket for these editions differ to earlier first edition copies in the fact that the colouring of the dust-jackets are of a notably lighter shade of green, almost white.
The book itself, published by J. M. Dent and Sons, as in earlier editions, was on light brown cloth boards with gilt lettering.
The contents are exactly as earlier editions, including the notes and musical scores by Daniel Jones.
The back of the dust-jacket features a photograph taken of the stage-setting from the first production of 'Under Milk Wood' which was performed at the Edinburgh Festival and the New Theatre, London in 1956.
This later cover image differs from earlier editions of the dust-jacket by replacing the black and white portrait of Dylan Thomas, photographed above the estuary at his home in Laugharne.
The first edition of 'Under Milk Wood' was first published by J. M. Dent And Sons Limited and printed by The Aldine Press, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1954. This later copy of 'Under Milk Wood' dates from 1957 and is one of three editions issued with this lighter cover held in the Richard Burton Museum collection, the others being the ninth and eleventh impressions.
The dust-jacket for these editions differ to earlier first edition copies in the fact that the colouring of the dust-jackets are of a notably lighter shade of green, almost white.
The book itself, published by J. M. Dent and Sons, as in earlier editions, was on light brown cloth boards with gilt lettering.
The contents are exactly as earlier editions, including the notes and musical scores by Daniel Jones.
The back of the dust-jacket features a photograph taken of the stage-setting from the first production of 'Under Milk Wood' which was performed at the Edinburgh Festival and the New Theatre, London in 1956.
This later cover image differs from earlier editions of the dust-jacket by replacing the black and white portrait of Dylan Thomas, photographed above the estuary at his home in Laugharne.
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A comparison of the back cover images from the earlier and later editions of the J. M. Dent and Sons publication of 'Under Milk Wood'.
'Under Milk Wood' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, Twelfth Impression, 1961
Published by J. M. Dent And Sons Limited and printed by the Aldine Press, Letchworth, Hertfordshire, this is the twelfth edition of 'Under Milk Wood', as published in 1961.
This copy was published, as in earlier editions, on light brown cloth boards with gilt lettering.
This edition was published with a totally different dust-jacket design with artwork by Brian Rees.
In an extract from the detailed cover notes for this edition, the publishers write;
"Under Milk Wood is probably the most enchanting work for broadcasting ever written. radio was a medium which Dylan Thomas had studied, and 'Under Milk Wood' is radio extended towards it's highest possibilities. The play was ten years in gestation, and even then the final pages went unrevised. Yet it also made a most successful stage play."
The Sunday Times wrote..."Dylan Thomas's beautiful, bawdy, affectionate, reckless and deeply original play was justly crowned at its first performance by a storm of cheers...the characters are earthy, mad, sane, parochial, universal, and wildly comic; and they are gifted with a revelatory wonder of words."
"Dylan Thomas was a poet in love with life and God and the magic of words". Dame Edith Sitwell said of him, "He strips from words their old, used, dulling sleepiness and gives them a refreshed and awakened meaning, a new percussion." The Times went on to add..."It was at once recognised that he had disturbed the roots of our language in an organic way and given it a new vitality."
Under Milk Wood has been called poetry. The narrative is vigorous and rich, the dialogue sparkles, the songs are beautifully simple, the play overflows with the author's fecund vision of human experience compressed into, or pressed out of, the small Welsh seaside town of Llaregyb. But we like to think of it in Dylan Thomas's own description as 'prose with blood-pressure'."
The original price of this 1961 edition of 'Under Milk Wood' was ten shillings and sixpence.
Brian Rees is a Welsh painter, graphic artist and printmaker. Born in 1930 he attended the Swansea School of Art in the late 40's and early 50's.
After a period of teaching and studying at University College, Swansea and the Central School of Arts and Crafts, he worked for various publishing companies and handled many commissions, including this stunning dust-jacket for Under Milk Wood'.
The actual Under Milk Wood dust-jacket as designed by Brian Rees was commissioned by J. M. Dent and Sons in 1959 and was first used that year, taking over from the plain green Under Milk Wood cover first used in 1954.
A further copy of the Brian Rees edition of 'Under Milk Wood' is held in the Richard Burton Museum collection. This second copy is a fourteenth impression dating from 1970 and is complete with the same original Brian Rees dust-jacket and issued with the ISBN 0-460-03716-1.
Published by J. M. Dent And Sons Limited and printed by the Aldine Press, Letchworth, Hertfordshire, this is the twelfth edition of 'Under Milk Wood', as published in 1961.
This copy was published, as in earlier editions, on light brown cloth boards with gilt lettering.
This edition was published with a totally different dust-jacket design with artwork by Brian Rees.
In an extract from the detailed cover notes for this edition, the publishers write;
"Under Milk Wood is probably the most enchanting work for broadcasting ever written. radio was a medium which Dylan Thomas had studied, and 'Under Milk Wood' is radio extended towards it's highest possibilities. The play was ten years in gestation, and even then the final pages went unrevised. Yet it also made a most successful stage play."
The Sunday Times wrote..."Dylan Thomas's beautiful, bawdy, affectionate, reckless and deeply original play was justly crowned at its first performance by a storm of cheers...the characters are earthy, mad, sane, parochial, universal, and wildly comic; and they are gifted with a revelatory wonder of words."
"Dylan Thomas was a poet in love with life and God and the magic of words". Dame Edith Sitwell said of him, "He strips from words their old, used, dulling sleepiness and gives them a refreshed and awakened meaning, a new percussion." The Times went on to add..."It was at once recognised that he had disturbed the roots of our language in an organic way and given it a new vitality."
Under Milk Wood has been called poetry. The narrative is vigorous and rich, the dialogue sparkles, the songs are beautifully simple, the play overflows with the author's fecund vision of human experience compressed into, or pressed out of, the small Welsh seaside town of Llaregyb. But we like to think of it in Dylan Thomas's own description as 'prose with blood-pressure'."
The original price of this 1961 edition of 'Under Milk Wood' was ten shillings and sixpence.
Brian Rees is a Welsh painter, graphic artist and printmaker. Born in 1930 he attended the Swansea School of Art in the late 40's and early 50's.
After a period of teaching and studying at University College, Swansea and the Central School of Arts and Crafts, he worked for various publishing companies and handled many commissions, including this stunning dust-jacket for Under Milk Wood'.
The actual Under Milk Wood dust-jacket as designed by Brian Rees was commissioned by J. M. Dent and Sons in 1959 and was first used that year, taking over from the plain green Under Milk Wood cover first used in 1954.
A further copy of the Brian Rees edition of 'Under Milk Wood' is held in the Richard Burton Museum collection. This second copy is a fourteenth impression dating from 1970 and is complete with the same original Brian Rees dust-jacket and issued with the ISBN 0-460-03716-1.
The full dust-jacket illustration by artist Brian Rees commissioned for the 1961 edition of 'Under Milk Wood', capturing perfectly the spirit and mood evocative of Dylan Thomas's 'Play For Voices'.
Under Milk Wood Illustrated by Sir Peter Blake
Enitharmon Editions / Queen Anne Press, 2014
A very special commemorative edition of 'Under Milk Wood' by Dylan Thomas and illustrated by Sir Peter Blake.
Published, just in time, to mark the Centenary of the birth of Dylan Thomas and in celebration of such an incredible body of work and 'Labour of Love' by Sir Peter Blake by Enitharmon Editions and the Queen Anne Press, Lexham Gardens, London.
This regular paperback edition was limited, as a first edition, to 2,500 copies.
The lay-out of the book was designed by Michael Mitchell of Libanus Press and was printed by Apple Litho limited based in Bristol.
This edition was published with the ISBN 978-1-907587-61-0.
The Publisher's notes for this paperback edition explain the history behind this special edition of 'Under Milk Wood';
"This edition has an unusual history. It was first mooted in 1986 as a collaboration between Peter Blake and a trinity of Britain's finest bookmen - Michael Mitchell, Rob Shepherd and Brian Webb. Michael would set and print the text in letterpress, Rob would bind it and Brian would design it. Peter, meanwhile, would provide the images. Time passed. An option was taken on the text. It expired. Another option was taken. It, too, expired. More time passed. In 2007 Michael sold his letterpress equipment and a year later he dismantled the setting he had made for Under Milk Wood. Time continued to pass.
In late 2012, perhaps with the realisation that nobody was getting any younger, that Dylan Thomas's centenary was around the corner. and given the importance of such a body of work, Michael advised Peter that Enitharmon Editions and Queen Anne Press were interested in the project. Peter conceded his images weren't quite ready. Somewhat brutally, we gave him a six-month deadline.
So here is the book as originally planned, the typography by Michael - who also created the cover of the paperback catalogue - the hardback bindings by Rob, the design of the latter by Brian and the pictures, of course, by Peter.
Rarely in modern publishing does one encounter such a cabinet of talents."
As an introduction to this fabulous book, the publishers write;
"Internationally acclaimed for its eccentricity and lovelorn lyricism, Dylan Thomas's groundbreaking 1954 'play for voices', Under Milk Wood, has long echoed in the imagination of the founding father of British Pop Art, Sir Peter Blake.
An obsession that has spanned almost thirty years this 'greenleaved sermon on the innocence of men' has filled the spaces of Blake's studio, played and replayed on broadcast recordings, and has prompted several pilgrimages to Thomas's creative refuge at Laugharne, Carmarthenshire.
All is 'strangely simple and simply strange' in the sleepy Welsh seaside town of Llareggub, as the dreams, fantasies and realities of the inhabitants unfold across the cycle of one spring day. At once a lively and humourous depiction of the butchers, bakers, preachers and children, of Captain Cat, Nogood Boyo and Polly Garter - with a ribaldry in which Blake delights - it is also a modern pastoral tale on a Chaucerian scale, a quest for innocence and purity of utterance in a 'darkest- before-dawn world.
Revealed here for the very first time alongside Thomas's play text are the 'dismays and rainbows' of Blake's richly detailed sequences of 110 watercolours, pencil portraits and collages, comprising one of this great artist's most distinctive and significant bodies of work."
Enitharmon Editions / Queen Anne Press, 2014
A very special commemorative edition of 'Under Milk Wood' by Dylan Thomas and illustrated by Sir Peter Blake.
Published, just in time, to mark the Centenary of the birth of Dylan Thomas and in celebration of such an incredible body of work and 'Labour of Love' by Sir Peter Blake by Enitharmon Editions and the Queen Anne Press, Lexham Gardens, London.
This regular paperback edition was limited, as a first edition, to 2,500 copies.
The lay-out of the book was designed by Michael Mitchell of Libanus Press and was printed by Apple Litho limited based in Bristol.
This edition was published with the ISBN 978-1-907587-61-0.
The Publisher's notes for this paperback edition explain the history behind this special edition of 'Under Milk Wood';
"This edition has an unusual history. It was first mooted in 1986 as a collaboration between Peter Blake and a trinity of Britain's finest bookmen - Michael Mitchell, Rob Shepherd and Brian Webb. Michael would set and print the text in letterpress, Rob would bind it and Brian would design it. Peter, meanwhile, would provide the images. Time passed. An option was taken on the text. It expired. Another option was taken. It, too, expired. More time passed. In 2007 Michael sold his letterpress equipment and a year later he dismantled the setting he had made for Under Milk Wood. Time continued to pass.
In late 2012, perhaps with the realisation that nobody was getting any younger, that Dylan Thomas's centenary was around the corner. and given the importance of such a body of work, Michael advised Peter that Enitharmon Editions and Queen Anne Press were interested in the project. Peter conceded his images weren't quite ready. Somewhat brutally, we gave him a six-month deadline.
So here is the book as originally planned, the typography by Michael - who also created the cover of the paperback catalogue - the hardback bindings by Rob, the design of the latter by Brian and the pictures, of course, by Peter.
Rarely in modern publishing does one encounter such a cabinet of talents."
As an introduction to this fabulous book, the publishers write;
"Internationally acclaimed for its eccentricity and lovelorn lyricism, Dylan Thomas's groundbreaking 1954 'play for voices', Under Milk Wood, has long echoed in the imagination of the founding father of British Pop Art, Sir Peter Blake.
An obsession that has spanned almost thirty years this 'greenleaved sermon on the innocence of men' has filled the spaces of Blake's studio, played and replayed on broadcast recordings, and has prompted several pilgrimages to Thomas's creative refuge at Laugharne, Carmarthenshire.
All is 'strangely simple and simply strange' in the sleepy Welsh seaside town of Llareggub, as the dreams, fantasies and realities of the inhabitants unfold across the cycle of one spring day. At once a lively and humourous depiction of the butchers, bakers, preachers and children, of Captain Cat, Nogood Boyo and Polly Garter - with a ribaldry in which Blake delights - it is also a modern pastoral tale on a Chaucerian scale, a quest for innocence and purity of utterance in a 'darkest- before-dawn world.
Revealed here for the very first time alongside Thomas's play text are the 'dismays and rainbows' of Blake's richly detailed sequences of 110 watercolours, pencil portraits and collages, comprising one of this great artist's most distinctive and significant bodies of work."
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Peter Blake was born in Dartford, Kent on the 25th of June, 1932 and was educated at the Gravesend Technical College and the Royal College of Art. Achieving fame and recognition in the 1950's he quickly became known as the leading artist of the fledgling movement known as 'Pop Art'. After winning the prestigious John Moore's Junior Award in 1961 for his piece entitled, 'Self Portrait with Badges', his unique artwork reached a wider audience which led at an appearance on B.B.C. Television in 1962 where his work was featured on an episode of Ken Russell's 'Monitor'.
Combining pop culture of the early 1960's with fine art, Peter Blake's most famous piece has to be the cover design for The Beatles ground-breaking album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band', the cover of which features an image of Dylan Thomas in the crowd.
Peter Blake became a Royal Academician in 1981 and was further honoured with a C.B.E. in 1983 followed by a Knighthood in 2002.
Combining pop culture of the early 1960's with fine art, Peter Blake's most famous piece has to be the cover design for The Beatles ground-breaking album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band', the cover of which features an image of Dylan Thomas in the crowd.
Peter Blake became a Royal Academician in 1981 and was further honoured with a C.B.E. in 1983 followed by a Knighthood in 2002.
'Under Milk Wood' The Folio Society, First Edition, 1972
A wonderful, special edition copy of 'Under Milk Wood', published by The Folio Society in association with J. M. Dent and Sons, New Directions Incorporated and the Estate of Dylan Thomas and printed and bound by W. and J. Mackay Limited of Chatham.
This special Folio Society edition of Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood' features lithographs by Welsh artist Ceri Richards which were printed by W. S. Cowell Limited, based in Ipswich.
This copy is a first edition copy which was published in 1972 by The Folio Society on green and burgundy embossed cloth boards with deep inset gilt lettering and is complete with the original grey Folio Society slip-case. Also included in this edition is a detailed introduction by Douglas Cleverdon.
The Folio Society, founded in 1947 by Charles Ede, was. and still remains, a privately-owned publishing company specialising in producing high quality special edition books, presented in a limited edition hardback format. Each Folio edition features specially designed decorative bindings, usually made of buckram and protective slipcases. Most editions also include specially chosen artist commissioned illustrations, as in this case, lithographs by Welsh artist Ceri Richards.
A further copy of this Folio Society edition of 'Under Milk Wood' is held in the Richard Burton Museum collection. A later copy, a fourth edition dating from 1979, published in exactly the same format aside from a different coloured slip-case, this edition's slip-case being in a light pink.
A wonderful, special edition copy of 'Under Milk Wood', published by The Folio Society in association with J. M. Dent and Sons, New Directions Incorporated and the Estate of Dylan Thomas and printed and bound by W. and J. Mackay Limited of Chatham.
This special Folio Society edition of Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood' features lithographs by Welsh artist Ceri Richards which were printed by W. S. Cowell Limited, based in Ipswich.
This copy is a first edition copy which was published in 1972 by The Folio Society on green and burgundy embossed cloth boards with deep inset gilt lettering and is complete with the original grey Folio Society slip-case. Also included in this edition is a detailed introduction by Douglas Cleverdon.
The Folio Society, founded in 1947 by Charles Ede, was. and still remains, a privately-owned publishing company specialising in producing high quality special edition books, presented in a limited edition hardback format. Each Folio edition features specially designed decorative bindings, usually made of buckram and protective slipcases. Most editions also include specially chosen artist commissioned illustrations, as in this case, lithographs by Welsh artist Ceri Richards.
A further copy of this Folio Society edition of 'Under Milk Wood' is held in the Richard Burton Museum collection. A later copy, a fourth edition dating from 1979, published in exactly the same format aside from a different coloured slip-case, this edition's slip-case being in a light pink.
'Under Milk Wood' The Folio Society, Sixth Impression, 2004
Another special edition copy of 'Under Milk Wood' as published by the Folio Society, London in association with J. M. Dent and Sons, The Orion Publishing Group Limited and New Directions Publishing Corporation in 2004 and printed by the Bath Press, based in Somerset.
This is a copy of the later, sixth edition of the Folio Society publication of 'Under Milk Wood' which had been originally published in this format in 1972.
This edition was published by The Folio Society on purple and grey embossed cloth boards and is complete with the original presentation Folio Society slip case.
The lithographs, as in earlier editions, were produced by Ceri Richards.
Ceri Richards, born in 1903, was a Swansea based artist, printer and illustrator.
Trained at the Swansea College Of Art, he won a scholarship to study at The Royal College Of Art, London in 1924. Many of his works are on display at the Tate Gallery, the National Museum in Cardiff and also at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery in Swansea.
Ceri Richards also produced lithographs for some of Dylan Thomas's poems including 'The Force That Through The Green Fuse Drives The Flower' and 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night' as well as a beautiful piece entitled, 'Elegy For Vernon Watkins' in 1971.
Another special edition copy of 'Under Milk Wood' as published by the Folio Society, London in association with J. M. Dent and Sons, The Orion Publishing Group Limited and New Directions Publishing Corporation in 2004 and printed by the Bath Press, based in Somerset.
This is a copy of the later, sixth edition of the Folio Society publication of 'Under Milk Wood' which had been originally published in this format in 1972.
This edition was published by The Folio Society on purple and grey embossed cloth boards and is complete with the original presentation Folio Society slip case.
The lithographs, as in earlier editions, were produced by Ceri Richards.
Ceri Richards, born in 1903, was a Swansea based artist, printer and illustrator.
Trained at the Swansea College Of Art, he won a scholarship to study at The Royal College Of Art, London in 1924. Many of his works are on display at the Tate Gallery, the National Museum in Cardiff and also at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery in Swansea.
Ceri Richards also produced lithographs for some of Dylan Thomas's poems including 'The Force That Through The Green Fuse Drives The Flower' and 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night' as well as a beautiful piece entitled, 'Elegy For Vernon Watkins' in 1971.
'Under Milk Wood' J.M. Dent & Sons, Deluxe Edition, 1975
A beautifully presented copy of Dylan Thomas's Play For Voices, 'Under Milk Wood' dating from 1975 which was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Aldine House, Albermarle Street, London and printed by Biddles Limited based in Guildford, Surrey.
This copy was published with the original preface by Daniel Jones and the later version published in 1954 and 1974 respectively, as well as detailed notes on pronunciation.
This edition does not include the musical scores for the songs which appear throughout 'Under Milk Wood' which appeared in earlier editions of the J.M. Dent publication.
This J. M. Dent and Sons edition of 'Under Milk Wood' is the 1975 deluxe edition which was published on green leather effect boards with gilt lettering and boarders and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-04279-3.
A beautifully presented copy of Dylan Thomas's Play For Voices, 'Under Milk Wood' dating from 1975 which was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Aldine House, Albermarle Street, London and printed by Biddles Limited based in Guildford, Surrey.
This copy was published with the original preface by Daniel Jones and the later version published in 1954 and 1974 respectively, as well as detailed notes on pronunciation.
This edition does not include the musical scores for the songs which appear throughout 'Under Milk Wood' which appeared in earlier editions of the J.M. Dent publication.
This J. M. Dent and Sons edition of 'Under Milk Wood' is the 1975 deluxe edition which was published on green leather effect boards with gilt lettering and boarders and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-04279-3.
'Under Milk Wood' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, 1981
A later hardback edition of Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, at that time based in Welbeck Street, London, in 1981 having been reset from the earlier deluxe edition which was originally published in 1975, the copy as featured above.
This particular edition was printed for J. M. Dent and Sons by Biddles Limited, based in Guildford, Surrey.
This edition contains both prefaces originally written by Daniel Jones in 1954 and 1974 respectively.
This is the standard edition, published by J. M. Dent and issued with the ISBN 0-460-04270-2.
This copy is the standard issue, published on light brown cloth boards with gilt lettering. Unfortunately this copy is incomplete, as it is missing the original dust-jacket.
A later hardback edition of Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, at that time based in Welbeck Street, London, in 1981 having been reset from the earlier deluxe edition which was originally published in 1975, the copy as featured above.
This particular edition was printed for J. M. Dent and Sons by Biddles Limited, based in Guildford, Surrey.
This edition contains both prefaces originally written by Daniel Jones in 1954 and 1974 respectively.
This is the standard edition, published by J. M. Dent and issued with the ISBN 0-460-04270-2.
This copy is the standard issue, published on light brown cloth boards with gilt lettering. Unfortunately this copy is incomplete, as it is missing the original dust-jacket.
'Under Milk Wood' J.M. Dent & Sons Readers Union Edition, 1957
A copy of the 'Readers Union' edition of Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood'.
This copy was published by J. M. Dent and Sons as part of the 'Readers Union' division of the company in 1957 and was printed and bound by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
This edition contains the preface and musical scores written and composed by Daniel Jones as well as the cast list, featuring Richard Burton in the role of 'First Voice' for the 1954 B.B.C. recording of 'Under Milk Wood'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons on orange cloth boards with gilt lettering.
Unfortunately this edition is incomplete, as it is missing the original 'Readers Union' dust-jacket.
A copy of the 'Readers Union' edition of Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood'.
This copy was published by J. M. Dent and Sons as part of the 'Readers Union' division of the company in 1957 and was printed and bound by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
This edition contains the preface and musical scores written and composed by Daniel Jones as well as the cast list, featuring Richard Burton in the role of 'First Voice' for the 1954 B.B.C. recording of 'Under Milk Wood'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons on orange cloth boards with gilt lettering.
Unfortunately this edition is incomplete, as it is missing the original 'Readers Union' dust-jacket.
'Under Milk Wood' Welsh Language Version, The Gomer Press, 2014
"A dechrau yn y dechrau'n deg..."
Translated into Welsh as 'Dan y Wenallt', this is the Welsh language version of Dylan Thomas' s 'Under Milk Wood', as translated by T. James Jones.
Originally published in this format in 1968, this is the 2014 edition, published in the Dylan Thomas Centenary year and printed by The Gomer Press, based in Llandysul, Ceredigion.
This edition features an in-depth introduction written, in Welsh, by Walford Davies.
Also featured in this beautifully presented hardback edition is the full cast-list of the actors who first performed the first Welsh language version of 'Under Milk Wood', 'Dan y Wenallt', on stage in 1967. Interestingly, the role of Mr. Pugh was portrayed in the first Welsh language version by Lyn Ebenezer, the Welsh broadcaster, journalist and writer who obtained the copy of the J. M. Dent edition of 'Under Milk Wood', signed by Richard Burton during the filming of the Andrew Sinclair film in Fishguard in 1971, which is now proudly held in the 'Personal Richard Burton Items' section of this website.
This Gomer Press edition of 'Dan y Wenallt' was issued with the ISBN 978-1-84851-810-0 and is illustrated with seven stunning black and white scenic photographs of Laugharne, photographed by Geoff Charles.
"A dechrau yn y dechrau'n deg..."
Translated into Welsh as 'Dan y Wenallt', this is the Welsh language version of Dylan Thomas' s 'Under Milk Wood', as translated by T. James Jones.
Originally published in this format in 1968, this is the 2014 edition, published in the Dylan Thomas Centenary year and printed by The Gomer Press, based in Llandysul, Ceredigion.
This edition features an in-depth introduction written, in Welsh, by Walford Davies.
Also featured in this beautifully presented hardback edition is the full cast-list of the actors who first performed the first Welsh language version of 'Under Milk Wood', 'Dan y Wenallt', on stage in 1967. Interestingly, the role of Mr. Pugh was portrayed in the first Welsh language version by Lyn Ebenezer, the Welsh broadcaster, journalist and writer who obtained the copy of the J. M. Dent edition of 'Under Milk Wood', signed by Richard Burton during the filming of the Andrew Sinclair film in Fishguard in 1971, which is now proudly held in the 'Personal Richard Burton Items' section of this website.
This Gomer Press edition of 'Dan y Wenallt' was issued with the ISBN 978-1-84851-810-0 and is illustrated with seven stunning black and white scenic photographs of Laugharne, photographed by Geoff Charles.
'Under Milk Wood, Acting Edition, J.M. Dent & Sons, 1958
Published by J. M. Dent and Sons, Aldine House, London in 1958 this is a copy of the first edition, paperback copy of the acting edition of Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood'.
This edition was printed by The Camelot Press Limited based in London and Southampton.
For this special acting version of 'Under Milk Wood' the play was divided into two acts, act one ending with the narrator's words, "The morning is all singing.." just after the schoolchildren have performed the Daniel Jones composition 'Johnnie Crack and Flossie Snail', and beginning act two with the dialogue between Mrs. Dai Bread One and Mrs. Dai Bread Two.
Included in this special 'Acting Edition', as well as a more detailed text, are chapters relating to, and offering guidelines on, specifics such as lighting, settings, property, furniture, settings of the songs and pronunciation.
This edition features a photograph of the set used in the London production of 'Under Milk Wood' at the New Theatre which starred Donald Houston and William Squire, for which a full cast list of this production is also provided.
This copy of 'Under Milk Wood - Acting Edition' was previously the property of the Garrick Theatre, Stockport and has very interesting hand-written notes, observations and amendments written throughout the text by the actor using this copy during the production of 'Under Milk Wood' which ran from the 19th to the 26th of May, 1962.
Published by J. M. Dent and Sons, Aldine House, London in 1958 this is a copy of the first edition, paperback copy of the acting edition of Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood'.
This edition was printed by The Camelot Press Limited based in London and Southampton.
For this special acting version of 'Under Milk Wood' the play was divided into two acts, act one ending with the narrator's words, "The morning is all singing.." just after the schoolchildren have performed the Daniel Jones composition 'Johnnie Crack and Flossie Snail', and beginning act two with the dialogue between Mrs. Dai Bread One and Mrs. Dai Bread Two.
Included in this special 'Acting Edition', as well as a more detailed text, are chapters relating to, and offering guidelines on, specifics such as lighting, settings, property, furniture, settings of the songs and pronunciation.
This edition features a photograph of the set used in the London production of 'Under Milk Wood' at the New Theatre which starred Donald Houston and William Squire, for which a full cast list of this production is also provided.
This copy of 'Under Milk Wood - Acting Edition' was previously the property of the Garrick Theatre, Stockport and has very interesting hand-written notes, observations and amendments written throughout the text by the actor using this copy during the production of 'Under Milk Wood' which ran from the 19th to the 26th of May, 1962.
'Under Milk Wood - Notes On Chosen English Texts' James Brodie Limited, First Edition, 1964
Published by James Brodie Limited based in Bath, Somerset and printed by Coward and Gerrish Limited, Broad Street, Bath in 1964, this informative first edition booklet, written by J. S. Dugdale, M.A. was intended as a study aid for Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood' for students in schools and colleges, from the 1960's and early 1970's.
In quite a detailed way, this in-depth booklet offers the student guidelines and advice on how to approach, and gain an understanding of, 'Under Milk Wood', which as Dylan Thomas students will know, is in essence a play with no real structure.
Chapters included in this slim volume feature summaries of Dylan Thomas's life, influences and work, an introduction to the play, detailed notes on methods of study and analysis of some of the main characters and the actual physicality of the village.
A comprehensive bibliography is also included listing both English and American publications of Dylan Thomas's work.
Published by James Brodie Limited based in Bath, Somerset and printed by Coward and Gerrish Limited, Broad Street, Bath in 1964, this informative first edition booklet, written by J. S. Dugdale, M.A. was intended as a study aid for Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood' for students in schools and colleges, from the 1960's and early 1970's.
In quite a detailed way, this in-depth booklet offers the student guidelines and advice on how to approach, and gain an understanding of, 'Under Milk Wood', which as Dylan Thomas students will know, is in essence a play with no real structure.
Chapters included in this slim volume feature summaries of Dylan Thomas's life, influences and work, an introduction to the play, detailed notes on methods of study and analysis of some of the main characters and the actual physicality of the village.
A comprehensive bibliography is also included listing both English and American publications of Dylan Thomas's work.
Aneirin Talfan Davies, 'Dylan: Druid Of the Broken Body'
J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, 1964
Subtitled as 'An Assessment of Dylan Thomas as a Religious Poet', this is a first edition copy of 'Dylan: Druid Of The Broken Body' written by Aneirin Talfan Davies which was published by J. M. Dent And Sons Limited, Bedford Street, London and printed by McCorquodale and Company Limited, London and bound by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1964.
The text, taken from the publishers detailed cover notes, reads;
"In the ten years since Dylan Thomas died many critical assessments of his poetry have been made. Many more will be made in the years to come. None is more likely to provide a more convincing and perspective account of the central themes of Thomas's work than this essay by Anerin Talfan Davies. it makes clear a private image of Thomas that is very different from the public image of the man when he was alive.
The religious trends exhibited by Dylan Thomas in his poems are made more apparent by the order in which the poet set out his work in 'The Collected Poems'. The order was not chronological, and it is the remarkable consistency of Thomas's probing into the nature of man and his place in the economy of God's creatures that gives to the volume it's feeling of unity. Aneirin Talfan Davies' examination of this consistency shows that is is one not only based in vocabulary but in a progression of religious thought and belief.
Aneirin Talfan Davies, who is Assistant Head of Programmes of the Welsh Region of the B.B.C., initiated the celebrated Dylan Thomas broadcast readings and became a close friend of the poet. Aware of Thomas's two sides - the man with the private, poetic and human experience, and the bonhomme the public saw - he does not confuse the two.
The subject matter of this essay was originally given in two lectures at the invitation of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion and at the State of New York University at Buffalo - lectures which held their audience spellbound by their clarity and penetration, and by the beauty of the lines quoted. 'Druid of the Broken Body' will certainly affect many future assessments of Dylan Thomas's poetry."
This edition was published by J. M. Dent on light brown boards with silver gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket. The price of this edition upon publication in 1964 was twelve shillings and sixpence.
Interestingly, the original first edition publication of this book in 1964 was dedicated on the printed frontispiece to Philip Burton by the author Aneirin Talfan Davies.
Aneirin Talfan Davies was Head of Programmes for the Welsh region of the B.B.C. and was the producer of many of Dylan Thomas's broadcasts, many of which appeared in print in the J. M. Dent and Sons edition of 'Quite Early One Morning', for which Talfan Davies wrote the preface.
J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, 1964
Subtitled as 'An Assessment of Dylan Thomas as a Religious Poet', this is a first edition copy of 'Dylan: Druid Of The Broken Body' written by Aneirin Talfan Davies which was published by J. M. Dent And Sons Limited, Bedford Street, London and printed by McCorquodale and Company Limited, London and bound by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1964.
The text, taken from the publishers detailed cover notes, reads;
"In the ten years since Dylan Thomas died many critical assessments of his poetry have been made. Many more will be made in the years to come. None is more likely to provide a more convincing and perspective account of the central themes of Thomas's work than this essay by Anerin Talfan Davies. it makes clear a private image of Thomas that is very different from the public image of the man when he was alive.
The religious trends exhibited by Dylan Thomas in his poems are made more apparent by the order in which the poet set out his work in 'The Collected Poems'. The order was not chronological, and it is the remarkable consistency of Thomas's probing into the nature of man and his place in the economy of God's creatures that gives to the volume it's feeling of unity. Aneirin Talfan Davies' examination of this consistency shows that is is one not only based in vocabulary but in a progression of religious thought and belief.
Aneirin Talfan Davies, who is Assistant Head of Programmes of the Welsh Region of the B.B.C., initiated the celebrated Dylan Thomas broadcast readings and became a close friend of the poet. Aware of Thomas's two sides - the man with the private, poetic and human experience, and the bonhomme the public saw - he does not confuse the two.
The subject matter of this essay was originally given in two lectures at the invitation of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion and at the State of New York University at Buffalo - lectures which held their audience spellbound by their clarity and penetration, and by the beauty of the lines quoted. 'Druid of the Broken Body' will certainly affect many future assessments of Dylan Thomas's poetry."
This edition was published by J. M. Dent on light brown boards with silver gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket. The price of this edition upon publication in 1964 was twelve shillings and sixpence.
Interestingly, the original first edition publication of this book in 1964 was dedicated on the printed frontispiece to Philip Burton by the author Aneirin Talfan Davies.
Aneirin Talfan Davies was Head of Programmes for the Welsh region of the B.B.C. and was the producer of many of Dylan Thomas's broadcasts, many of which appeared in print in the J. M. Dent and Sons edition of 'Quite Early One Morning', for which Talfan Davies wrote the preface.
The table of contents, publishing details and acknowledgments as featured in Aneirin Talfan Davies's in-depth study of Dylan Thomas's religious poetry and prose entitled 'Dylan: Druid Of The Broken Body', published by J. M. Dent and Sons in 1964.
Constantine FitzGibbon, 'The Life of Dylan Thomas' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, 1965
A first edition hardback copy of Constantine FitzGibbon's intimate biography, 'The Life of Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, and printed by The Aldine Press, Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1965 and is illustrated with nine black and white photographic plates.
Published by J. M. Dent on black boards with silver gilt lettering, this copy is complete with the original dust-jacket featuring a colour reproduction of the Augustus John portrait of Dylan Thomas dating from around 1937.
The original price of this first edition copy in 1965 was forty-two shillings.
In extracts from contemporary reviews, many distinguished writers of the day wrote these comments regarding the publication of 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas';
"Mr. FitzGibbon has performed his task admirably, separating fact from legend...a beautifully coherent account." John Davenport, writing in The Spectator.
"An excellent biography, he writes of Thomas with deep affection and admiration yet without either romantic adoration or Freudian condescension. It was high time for such a studious and sensible account as this." Philip Toynbee, The Observer
"An absorbing, exhaustive and sometimes shocking portrait of a poet....tremendous research and detail, admirably and racily presented." Griffith Williams, The Western Mail.
The Christian Scientist Monitor went on to add; " Definitive biographies are usually solid, thorough, scholarly and soggy. This one is scholarly to be sure, but it is garbed in a style which has in it the pure essence of literary quality, colourful, witty, polished and flexible, the prose does every possible justice to it's subject."
The detailed cover notes, written by the publishers for this first edition copy, read in their entirety;
"This book will surely rank high in the biographies of the sixties. In entrusting its writing to Constantine FitzGibbon the Trustees of the Estate have chosen a contemporary of the poet who is a distinguished and successful author in his own right and who was a personal friend during the most dynamic years of Dylan Thomas's creativity.
"There have probably been more legends and myths about Dylan Thomas than about any other poet since Byron. As a friend of his I am anxious that the true story can be told before the myth has got quite out of control. It was with this intent and with the full co-operation of Dylan's widow and the Trustees of the Estate that I undertook the job."
In these words the author outlines the purpose behind the book. It is a searing document indeed. Mr. FitzGibbon is concerned to portray truthfully the whole complex man, at once lovable and maddening, gay and sad, but indisputably a genius. That there were tragic elements in Thomas's character is made abundantly clear, and Mr. FitzGibbon succeeds in relegating his subjective reactions to the background and giving the stage to well-documented and attested facts, however little known. We read of the poet's Welsh home life and early struggles, including a short career as a journalist, his marriage in which storm and calm were continually at odds, his Swansea days, and his life at Laugharne - 'a strange little place which fitted Dylan like a single eccentric, tattered glove'. Mr. FitzGibbon also relates Thomas's odd encounters with friends and enemies - famous men and women whom he met in London - and those London evenings spent in passionate conversation and debate with other poets with whom he was always most at ease: the lifelines of thirty-nine fiercely lived years are here.
The story is a painful one in many ways, and yet this is an exultant book to read, for even on the dark days Thomas could loose a shaft of gaiety to kill the gloom, and his vision and humanity never left him nor did the soaring genius of his poetry."
Also included in this edition is a complete and chronological list of radio broadcasts made by Dylan Thomas, as well as a list of his film scripts and lectures and readings undertaken by Dylan Thomas during his four American tours.
A further copy of 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas', a first edition, second impression published by J. M. Dent from October 1965 is also held in the Richard Burton Museum's Dylan Thomas collection, this copy is also complete with the original dust-jacket.
A first edition hardback copy of Constantine FitzGibbon's intimate biography, 'The Life of Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, and printed by The Aldine Press, Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1965 and is illustrated with nine black and white photographic plates.
Published by J. M. Dent on black boards with silver gilt lettering, this copy is complete with the original dust-jacket featuring a colour reproduction of the Augustus John portrait of Dylan Thomas dating from around 1937.
The original price of this first edition copy in 1965 was forty-two shillings.
In extracts from contemporary reviews, many distinguished writers of the day wrote these comments regarding the publication of 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas';
"Mr. FitzGibbon has performed his task admirably, separating fact from legend...a beautifully coherent account." John Davenport, writing in The Spectator.
"An excellent biography, he writes of Thomas with deep affection and admiration yet without either romantic adoration or Freudian condescension. It was high time for such a studious and sensible account as this." Philip Toynbee, The Observer
"An absorbing, exhaustive and sometimes shocking portrait of a poet....tremendous research and detail, admirably and racily presented." Griffith Williams, The Western Mail.
The Christian Scientist Monitor went on to add; " Definitive biographies are usually solid, thorough, scholarly and soggy. This one is scholarly to be sure, but it is garbed in a style which has in it the pure essence of literary quality, colourful, witty, polished and flexible, the prose does every possible justice to it's subject."
The detailed cover notes, written by the publishers for this first edition copy, read in their entirety;
"This book will surely rank high in the biographies of the sixties. In entrusting its writing to Constantine FitzGibbon the Trustees of the Estate have chosen a contemporary of the poet who is a distinguished and successful author in his own right and who was a personal friend during the most dynamic years of Dylan Thomas's creativity.
"There have probably been more legends and myths about Dylan Thomas than about any other poet since Byron. As a friend of his I am anxious that the true story can be told before the myth has got quite out of control. It was with this intent and with the full co-operation of Dylan's widow and the Trustees of the Estate that I undertook the job."
In these words the author outlines the purpose behind the book. It is a searing document indeed. Mr. FitzGibbon is concerned to portray truthfully the whole complex man, at once lovable and maddening, gay and sad, but indisputably a genius. That there were tragic elements in Thomas's character is made abundantly clear, and Mr. FitzGibbon succeeds in relegating his subjective reactions to the background and giving the stage to well-documented and attested facts, however little known. We read of the poet's Welsh home life and early struggles, including a short career as a journalist, his marriage in which storm and calm were continually at odds, his Swansea days, and his life at Laugharne - 'a strange little place which fitted Dylan like a single eccentric, tattered glove'. Mr. FitzGibbon also relates Thomas's odd encounters with friends and enemies - famous men and women whom he met in London - and those London evenings spent in passionate conversation and debate with other poets with whom he was always most at ease: the lifelines of thirty-nine fiercely lived years are here.
The story is a painful one in many ways, and yet this is an exultant book to read, for even on the dark days Thomas could loose a shaft of gaiety to kill the gloom, and his vision and humanity never left him nor did the soaring genius of his poetry."
Also included in this edition is a complete and chronological list of radio broadcasts made by Dylan Thomas, as well as a list of his film scripts and lectures and readings undertaken by Dylan Thomas during his four American tours.
A further copy of 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas', a first edition, second impression published by J. M. Dent from October 1965 is also held in the Richard Burton Museum's Dylan Thomas collection, this copy is also complete with the original dust-jacket.
The original 1965 first edition of Constantine FitzGibbons' biography has this eerily prophetic photograph of Dylan Thomas posing in the graveyard at St. Martin's Church, Laugharne as the frontispiece photograph, hauntingly captured by John Deakin in 1952. Over the course of the following year Florence Thomas would lose her husband, her daughter and her beloved son. Dylan Thomas was laid to rest, in these hallowed grounds, on the 24th November, 1953.
Constantine FitzGibbon, 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas' Little, Brown & Company, Signed First Edition, 1965
An American first edition copy, published in hardback, of Constantine FitzGibbon's in-depth and revealing biography entitled, 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published and printed by Little, Brown and Company in association with The Atlantic Monthly Press in 1965 and was issued with the Library of Congress catalogue number 65-20748, the equivalent of the British ISBN number.
This edition was published on black cloth embossed boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket designed by Harsh and Finegold.
The cover notes for this American first edition read;
"What Alfred Kazin has called 'the posthumous life of Dylan Thomas' is a phenomenon of our time. Since his death, at age thirty-nine, in a Greenwich Village hospital in 1953, his legend has survived with undiminished power. No other poet of this century, in his life and in his death, has so excited and fascinated the imagination of his readers. The result has been an unceasing stream of literary activity. But there has been one curious, conspicuous omission: a full-scale, full-length, fully documented biography. That omission is repaired now with the publication of 'The life Of Dylan Thomas' by Constantine FitzGibbon.
One of FitzGibbon's prime accomplishments is to have restored a proper perspective to the life of Dylan Thomas. the famous, lurid American tours when Dylan roared across the continent, scandalising the respectable while reading his poems in the voice of an archangel, are the chief source of the legend; yet in this life-sized, three-dimensional biography they occupy only the final chapter. For in fact, Dylan crowded a great deal of life into all of his thirty-nine years.
The story begins in Wales with a glowing account of Dylan's childhood, his family and friends. In early adolescence come Dylan's first attempts at poetry and prose and, soon thereafter, the astonishing burst of creative activity: by the age of twenty he had already written some of his most famous poems and sown the seeds of many more. We follow Dylan up to London, and through the complexities of first love - with Pamela Hansford Johnson. He was already the roaring boy of the pubs, and when she made the mistake of attempting to reform him, their romance came to an end.
There follows a vivid anatomy of London Bohemian and literary circles in the 1930's; the difficulties of publication; the fateful meeting with beautiful Caitlin MacNamara, the great passion in his life, whom he loves and marries and lives with in enthusiastic squalor. But with the coming of the war, the first notes of tragedy are sounded. The roaring boy poet is caught up in a frenetic attempt to find money. There are the inevitable hack jobs. Marriage becomes less an idyll than a kind of warfare. He is dogged by ill-health. At last, when the war is over, comes the invitation to America, with its promise of lucrative tours. But by then the habits of a lifetime have been set: improvident, extravagant, a showpiece - 'instant Dylan' - he has constructed the living legend that will survive his death.
As Louis Untermeyer has said, "I don't believe that there is any question that this is - and will be - the definitive biography of Dylan Thomas, the unhappy genius, the man, his problems and his poetry." This portrait of Dylan has neither been retouched nor smoothed over. Here is Dylan as he was - to the life - and the life turns out to be significantly different from the legend at a surprising number of points".
An American first edition copy, published in hardback, of Constantine FitzGibbon's in-depth and revealing biography entitled, 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published and printed by Little, Brown and Company in association with The Atlantic Monthly Press in 1965 and was issued with the Library of Congress catalogue number 65-20748, the equivalent of the British ISBN number.
This edition was published on black cloth embossed boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket designed by Harsh and Finegold.
The cover notes for this American first edition read;
"What Alfred Kazin has called 'the posthumous life of Dylan Thomas' is a phenomenon of our time. Since his death, at age thirty-nine, in a Greenwich Village hospital in 1953, his legend has survived with undiminished power. No other poet of this century, in his life and in his death, has so excited and fascinated the imagination of his readers. The result has been an unceasing stream of literary activity. But there has been one curious, conspicuous omission: a full-scale, full-length, fully documented biography. That omission is repaired now with the publication of 'The life Of Dylan Thomas' by Constantine FitzGibbon.
One of FitzGibbon's prime accomplishments is to have restored a proper perspective to the life of Dylan Thomas. the famous, lurid American tours when Dylan roared across the continent, scandalising the respectable while reading his poems in the voice of an archangel, are the chief source of the legend; yet in this life-sized, three-dimensional biography they occupy only the final chapter. For in fact, Dylan crowded a great deal of life into all of his thirty-nine years.
The story begins in Wales with a glowing account of Dylan's childhood, his family and friends. In early adolescence come Dylan's first attempts at poetry and prose and, soon thereafter, the astonishing burst of creative activity: by the age of twenty he had already written some of his most famous poems and sown the seeds of many more. We follow Dylan up to London, and through the complexities of first love - with Pamela Hansford Johnson. He was already the roaring boy of the pubs, and when she made the mistake of attempting to reform him, their romance came to an end.
There follows a vivid anatomy of London Bohemian and literary circles in the 1930's; the difficulties of publication; the fateful meeting with beautiful Caitlin MacNamara, the great passion in his life, whom he loves and marries and lives with in enthusiastic squalor. But with the coming of the war, the first notes of tragedy are sounded. The roaring boy poet is caught up in a frenetic attempt to find money. There are the inevitable hack jobs. Marriage becomes less an idyll than a kind of warfare. He is dogged by ill-health. At last, when the war is over, comes the invitation to America, with its promise of lucrative tours. But by then the habits of a lifetime have been set: improvident, extravagant, a showpiece - 'instant Dylan' - he has constructed the living legend that will survive his death.
As Louis Untermeyer has said, "I don't believe that there is any question that this is - and will be - the definitive biography of Dylan Thomas, the unhappy genius, the man, his problems and his poetry." This portrait of Dylan has neither been retouched nor smoothed over. Here is Dylan as he was - to the life - and the life turns out to be significantly different from the legend at a surprising number of points".
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This American first edition copy of 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas' has been beautifully signed by the author Constantine FitzGibbon with the dedication; 'For Betsy - This is where we first met - In New York - And we met again, God bless us, on October 15th, 1965. Constantine.'
Constantine FitzGibbon, 'Selected Letters Of Dylan Thomas', J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, 1966
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of Constantine FitzGibbon's excellently researched and edited volume, 'Selected Letters Of Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Bedford Street, London and was printed by The Aldine Press, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1966.
This edition was published on black boards with gilt lettering, and is complete with the original dust-jacket, again featuring the portrait of a young Dylan Thomas as painted by Augustus John.
Upon publication, the book was dedicated by the author to Pamela Hansford-Johnson, the recipient herself of many early letters from Dylan Thomas.
This copy contains no illustrations or photographic plates.
The original price of this edition in 1966 was forty-two shillings.
Prior to the publication of 'The Collected Letters', edited by Paul Ferris in 1985, this volume of selected letters, edited by Dylan Thomas's biographer Constantine FitzGibbon, was the only collected source of letters for Dylan Thomas enthusiasts to study and appreciate. The book reveals the beauty of the cleverly constructed and crafted prose of his letter writing as well as the complexity, humour, personal angst and pain which the poet poured out in the personal communications he wrote throughout his short, turbulent but literary productive life. This selection begins with letters dating from the middle of 1931 and continue up until shortly before his death, the last selected communication which features in this book is a cable telegram sent to a Mrs. Ellen Stevenson which dates from the 25th of October, 1953.
The text, taken from the publishers cover notes for this edition, read;
"Although Dylan Thomas's fame is that of a poet, he was, like many other poets, a master of prose as well. His letters are perhaps his finest prose, as they are his longest. Being a perfectionist he could not write even the simplest note without making it quite deliberately into a minor work of art. Towards the end of his life he was occasionally, perhaps frequently, drafting and redrafting letters in a manner that recalls his method of writing poems.
The Selected Letters contained in this volume must therefore be judged on literary as well as biographical grounds. As with Oscar Wilde and Byron in their more personal writings, these letters contain not only the man's thoughts, but also the tone of his voice; a quite deliberate and conscious expression of his personality. This volume embraces approximately half Dylan Thomas's letters which still exist, and which will eventually be published as Collected Letters. The method of selection has been to draw primarily upon those letters which reflect the creative mind and outlook of the poet and those that have a unique bearing on his life, adding further to the personal portrait so admirably set out by Constantine FitzGibbon in his recently published 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas'.
Dylan's was a complex character, as readers of 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas' will have realised, but the many sides to it are here revealed with a clarity and impact that are normally gained only in direct conversation. Letters from such a poet, it goes without saying, could never be dull - but they are performing a unique service to his memory by publication, helping still to settle what kind of man Dylan really was, as opposed to dying legend."
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of Constantine FitzGibbon's excellently researched and edited volume, 'Selected Letters Of Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Bedford Street, London and was printed by The Aldine Press, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1966.
This edition was published on black boards with gilt lettering, and is complete with the original dust-jacket, again featuring the portrait of a young Dylan Thomas as painted by Augustus John.
Upon publication, the book was dedicated by the author to Pamela Hansford-Johnson, the recipient herself of many early letters from Dylan Thomas.
This copy contains no illustrations or photographic plates.
The original price of this edition in 1966 was forty-two shillings.
Prior to the publication of 'The Collected Letters', edited by Paul Ferris in 1985, this volume of selected letters, edited by Dylan Thomas's biographer Constantine FitzGibbon, was the only collected source of letters for Dylan Thomas enthusiasts to study and appreciate. The book reveals the beauty of the cleverly constructed and crafted prose of his letter writing as well as the complexity, humour, personal angst and pain which the poet poured out in the personal communications he wrote throughout his short, turbulent but literary productive life. This selection begins with letters dating from the middle of 1931 and continue up until shortly before his death, the last selected communication which features in this book is a cable telegram sent to a Mrs. Ellen Stevenson which dates from the 25th of October, 1953.
The text, taken from the publishers cover notes for this edition, read;
"Although Dylan Thomas's fame is that of a poet, he was, like many other poets, a master of prose as well. His letters are perhaps his finest prose, as they are his longest. Being a perfectionist he could not write even the simplest note without making it quite deliberately into a minor work of art. Towards the end of his life he was occasionally, perhaps frequently, drafting and redrafting letters in a manner that recalls his method of writing poems.
The Selected Letters contained in this volume must therefore be judged on literary as well as biographical grounds. As with Oscar Wilde and Byron in their more personal writings, these letters contain not only the man's thoughts, but also the tone of his voice; a quite deliberate and conscious expression of his personality. This volume embraces approximately half Dylan Thomas's letters which still exist, and which will eventually be published as Collected Letters. The method of selection has been to draw primarily upon those letters which reflect the creative mind and outlook of the poet and those that have a unique bearing on his life, adding further to the personal portrait so admirably set out by Constantine FitzGibbon in his recently published 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas'.
Dylan's was a complex character, as readers of 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas' will have realised, but the many sides to it are here revealed with a clarity and impact that are normally gained only in direct conversation. Letters from such a poet, it goes without saying, could never be dull - but they are performing a unique service to his memory by publication, helping still to settle what kind of man Dylan really was, as opposed to dying legend."
The frontispiece to the first edition, J. M. Dent publication, of the 1966 Constantine FitzGibbon work, 'Selected Letters of Dylan Thomas'.
Constantine FitzGibbon, 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas', J.M. Dent & Sons Readers Union First Edition, 1966
A copy of the 'Readers Union' edition of Constantine FitzGibbon's acclaimed 1965 biography entitled, 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published by the 'Reader's Union', a division of J. M. Dent and Sons in 1966 and was published by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire.
This edition is illustrated, as in the original 1965, J. M. Dent edition with black and white photographic plates.
This copy was published on rich green cloth boards with gilt lettering and is also complete with the original dust-jacket, which is of a much different design to the original J..M. Dent 1965 edition , with this publication featuring an illustration of Dylan Thomas by artist Nicholas Robinson.
This 'Reader's Union' copy of 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas' was published with the price of sixteen shillings, a much lower price to 'Readers Union' members compared to the original J. M. Dent edition which was priced at forty-two shillings in 1965.
Constantine FitzGibbon, in an explanation of his biography, wrote for the cover notes;
"There have probably been more legends and myths about Dylan Thomas than about any other poet since Lord Byron. As a friend of his I am anxious that the true story can be told before the myth has got quite out of control. It was with this intent and with the full co-operation of Dylan's widow and the Trustees of the Estate that I undertook the job".
A copy of the 'Readers Union' edition of Constantine FitzGibbon's acclaimed 1965 biography entitled, 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published by the 'Reader's Union', a division of J. M. Dent and Sons in 1966 and was published by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire.
This edition is illustrated, as in the original 1965, J. M. Dent edition with black and white photographic plates.
This copy was published on rich green cloth boards with gilt lettering and is also complete with the original dust-jacket, which is of a much different design to the original J..M. Dent 1965 edition , with this publication featuring an illustration of Dylan Thomas by artist Nicholas Robinson.
This 'Reader's Union' copy of 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas' was published with the price of sixteen shillings, a much lower price to 'Readers Union' members compared to the original J. M. Dent edition which was priced at forty-two shillings in 1965.
Constantine FitzGibbon, in an explanation of his biography, wrote for the cover notes;
"There have probably been more legends and myths about Dylan Thomas than about any other poet since Lord Byron. As a friend of his I am anxious that the true story can be told before the myth has got quite out of control. It was with this intent and with the full co-operation of Dylan's widow and the Trustees of the Estate that I undertook the job".
John Malcolm Brinnin, 'Dylan Thomas In America', J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, 1956
Published by J. M. Dent And Sons Limited, Bedford Street, London and printed by The Aldine Press, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, this is a first edition copy, published in hardback, of the controversial John Malcolm Brinnin biography entitled, 'Dylan Thomas In America', which was published in 1956.
This edition is illustrated with ten pages of photographic plates, many taken by American photographer Rollie McKenna.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent on green boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The original price of this first edition copy was, on publication, eighteen shillings.
A highly controversial one-sided biography written by John Malcolm Brinnin focusing on the time he spent with Dylan Thomas whilst organizing his American tours which began in 1950 and continued through to the final tragic last days which Brinnin claimed he was part of..."The end, the desperate attempts to save his life, the long vigil in the hospital while America's literary figures came and went, the tearless misery and hopelessness of his friends."
This biography was hated with a passion by Caitlin Thomas and this is revealed in a statement which she demanded was included as a preface to the book, a statement which acidly states;
"There is no such thing as the one true Dylan Thomas, nor anybody else; but, necessarily, even less so with a kaleidoscopic-faced poet. He is conditioned by the rehearsing need to withhold from the light his private performance till it is ready for showing.
I am not quarrelling with Brinnin's presentation of Dylan. It is impossible to hit back at a man who does not know he is hitting you, and who is far to cautious of the laws of libel to say plainly what can only be read between the lines.
I want only to make clear that an intensive handful of months, at divided intervals, over a comparatively short number of years do not, however accurately recorded and with whatever honest intentions, do justice to the circumference of the subject.
And, though I have tried very hard to keep off this painfully tricky, already overwritten subject, I think it is only fair after reading Brinnin's one-sided, limited to Dylan's public and falsely publicized life version, I should try to show what went before. To give some dawning idea of the long-growing years, with none of Brinnin's skill, but with a longer and, I hope, deeper understanding of the changing man hidden inside the poet.
I feel that I should (that it is an Aegean duty, pushed on to me against my will) do my best, with a still hot shovel of overloaded feeling and a lot of windily winding words, to vindicate first Dylan, then me, then both of us together. and hope that the truth that i am trying blindly to say, to find out for myself, will come out through all the literary muddles and faultily not detached attitude. And I hope it is a better truth than Brinnin's".
The extensive cover notes for this first edition reveal that;
"John Brinnin, himself a poet, had been for many years a great admirer of Dylan's work. He had, however, never met him when he undertook to organize the first American Poetry reading tour, which was to include America's leading universities. Within twenty-four hours of Dylan's arrival John found himself utterly embroiled in Dylan's extraordinary way of life, and thus he remained to the end. This biography is the clear, truthful, unvarnished story of Dylan's crazy, unpredictable progress through the entire North American continent at intervals during four years, and his final and terrible plunge into death.
One of the triumphs of this book is its movement in time. The reader experiences the growth of knowledge of Dylan's personality and work as did the writer, through the first and second visits and the dismal, tortured encounters in between, on to the third tour and the fourth, fatal visit which, though so short, exposed so searingly the torment of Dylan's soul and his growing conviction that he had finished his stint. "I have seen the gates of hell", he cried, shortly before his death. the end, the desperate attempt to save his life, the long vigil in the hospital while America's literary figures came and went, the tearless misery and hopelessness of his friends - all this could hardly be more dramatic, though so quietly told.
This powerful and moving book must lead to a better understanding of Dylan Thomas and his poetic genius."
Published by J. M. Dent And Sons Limited, Bedford Street, London and printed by The Aldine Press, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, this is a first edition copy, published in hardback, of the controversial John Malcolm Brinnin biography entitled, 'Dylan Thomas In America', which was published in 1956.
This edition is illustrated with ten pages of photographic plates, many taken by American photographer Rollie McKenna.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent on green boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The original price of this first edition copy was, on publication, eighteen shillings.
A highly controversial one-sided biography written by John Malcolm Brinnin focusing on the time he spent with Dylan Thomas whilst organizing his American tours which began in 1950 and continued through to the final tragic last days which Brinnin claimed he was part of..."The end, the desperate attempts to save his life, the long vigil in the hospital while America's literary figures came and went, the tearless misery and hopelessness of his friends."
This biography was hated with a passion by Caitlin Thomas and this is revealed in a statement which she demanded was included as a preface to the book, a statement which acidly states;
"There is no such thing as the one true Dylan Thomas, nor anybody else; but, necessarily, even less so with a kaleidoscopic-faced poet. He is conditioned by the rehearsing need to withhold from the light his private performance till it is ready for showing.
I am not quarrelling with Brinnin's presentation of Dylan. It is impossible to hit back at a man who does not know he is hitting you, and who is far to cautious of the laws of libel to say plainly what can only be read between the lines.
I want only to make clear that an intensive handful of months, at divided intervals, over a comparatively short number of years do not, however accurately recorded and with whatever honest intentions, do justice to the circumference of the subject.
And, though I have tried very hard to keep off this painfully tricky, already overwritten subject, I think it is only fair after reading Brinnin's one-sided, limited to Dylan's public and falsely publicized life version, I should try to show what went before. To give some dawning idea of the long-growing years, with none of Brinnin's skill, but with a longer and, I hope, deeper understanding of the changing man hidden inside the poet.
I feel that I should (that it is an Aegean duty, pushed on to me against my will) do my best, with a still hot shovel of overloaded feeling and a lot of windily winding words, to vindicate first Dylan, then me, then both of us together. and hope that the truth that i am trying blindly to say, to find out for myself, will come out through all the literary muddles and faultily not detached attitude. And I hope it is a better truth than Brinnin's".
The extensive cover notes for this first edition reveal that;
"John Brinnin, himself a poet, had been for many years a great admirer of Dylan's work. He had, however, never met him when he undertook to organize the first American Poetry reading tour, which was to include America's leading universities. Within twenty-four hours of Dylan's arrival John found himself utterly embroiled in Dylan's extraordinary way of life, and thus he remained to the end. This biography is the clear, truthful, unvarnished story of Dylan's crazy, unpredictable progress through the entire North American continent at intervals during four years, and his final and terrible plunge into death.
One of the triumphs of this book is its movement in time. The reader experiences the growth of knowledge of Dylan's personality and work as did the writer, through the first and second visits and the dismal, tortured encounters in between, on to the third tour and the fourth, fatal visit which, though so short, exposed so searingly the torment of Dylan's soul and his growing conviction that he had finished his stint. "I have seen the gates of hell", he cried, shortly before his death. the end, the desperate attempt to save his life, the long vigil in the hospital while America's literary figures came and went, the tearless misery and hopelessness of his friends - all this could hardly be more dramatic, though so quietly told.
This powerful and moving book must lead to a better understanding of Dylan Thomas and his poetic genius."
The frontispiece to the first edition copy of the J. M. Dent publication of John Malcolm Brinnin's, 'Dylan Thomas In America'.
'The Colour Of Saying' J.M. Dent & Sons, First Edition, 1963
A first edition, hardback copy, of an anthology of verse which Dylan Thomas would frequently recite during his American lecture tours entitled, 'A Colour Of Saying' which was compiled and edited by Professor Ralph Maud and Aneirin Talfan Davies.
This first edition copy was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited based in Bedford Street, London and was printed by the Aldine Press, Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1963.
The poets chosen by Dylan Thomas to read and comment upon throughout his lecture tours in America and which are included in this volume feature such names as W. H. Auden, W. B. Yeats, Edith Sitwell, John Betjeman, Thomas Hardy, Wilfred Owen and Dylan Thomas's personal friend, Vernon Watkins.
This edition features a detailed introduction written by both Ralph Maud and Aneirin Talfan Davies.
This copy of 'The Colour Of Saying' was published by J. M. Dent on blue cloth boards with gilt lettering. This edition is sadly incomplete, having lost the original just-jacket.
A first edition, hardback copy, of an anthology of verse which Dylan Thomas would frequently recite during his American lecture tours entitled, 'A Colour Of Saying' which was compiled and edited by Professor Ralph Maud and Aneirin Talfan Davies.
This first edition copy was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited based in Bedford Street, London and was printed by the Aldine Press, Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1963.
The poets chosen by Dylan Thomas to read and comment upon throughout his lecture tours in America and which are included in this volume feature such names as W. H. Auden, W. B. Yeats, Edith Sitwell, John Betjeman, Thomas Hardy, Wilfred Owen and Dylan Thomas's personal friend, Vernon Watkins.
This edition features a detailed introduction written by both Ralph Maud and Aneirin Talfan Davies.
This copy of 'The Colour Of Saying' was published by J. M. Dent on blue cloth boards with gilt lettering. This edition is sadly incomplete, having lost the original just-jacket.
The first part of the table of contents which features in this J. M. Dent first edition copy of 'The Colour Of Saying'.
'Poems Of Our Time 1900-1942' Hazell, Watson & Viney Limited, First Edition, 1945
A wonderful addition to any Dylan Thomas collection is an anthology of verse which was published during his lifetime and which includes one, or more, of his poems.
This small volume is entitled 'Poems Of Our Time 1900 - 1942' and features two of Dylan Thomas's best-loved poems.
All of the poems included in this volume were chosen for inclusion by Richard Church and M. M. Boxman.
This edition of 'Poems Of Our Time' was published in 1945 by Hazell, Watson and Viney Limited, based in London and Aylesbury and was published especially for J. M. Dent and Sons, based at that time at Aldine House, London.
This anthology was published as part of 'The Everyman's Library' series, this copy was volume No.981 of the series and was published on green cloth boards with gilt lettering. Sadly, this copy is incomplete as the original dust-jacket is missing.
The two poems by Dylan Thomas which appear in this collection are 'And Death Shall Have No Dominion' and 'The Hand That Signed The Paper' and Dylan Thomas must have been very proud to have seen his work published alongside such names as W. B. Yeats, Edward Thomas, W. H. Auden, Dame Edith Sitwell, Rupert Brooke and Robert Graves.
A wonderful addition to any Dylan Thomas collection is an anthology of verse which was published during his lifetime and which includes one, or more, of his poems.
This small volume is entitled 'Poems Of Our Time 1900 - 1942' and features two of Dylan Thomas's best-loved poems.
All of the poems included in this volume were chosen for inclusion by Richard Church and M. M. Boxman.
This edition of 'Poems Of Our Time' was published in 1945 by Hazell, Watson and Viney Limited, based in London and Aylesbury and was published especially for J. M. Dent and Sons, based at that time at Aldine House, London.
This anthology was published as part of 'The Everyman's Library' series, this copy was volume No.981 of the series and was published on green cloth boards with gilt lettering. Sadly, this copy is incomplete as the original dust-jacket is missing.
The two poems by Dylan Thomas which appear in this collection are 'And Death Shall Have No Dominion' and 'The Hand That Signed The Paper' and Dylan Thomas must have been very proud to have seen his work published alongside such names as W. B. Yeats, Edward Thomas, W. H. Auden, Dame Edith Sitwell, Rupert Brooke and Robert Graves.
'Poems Of Tomorrow' Chatto & Windus, First Edition, 1937
A much earlier anthology of verse in which two of Dylan Thomas's most famous poems were published is this collection entitled, 'Poems Of Tomorrow'.
This volume of poems, chosen from 'The Listener' magazine by Janet Adam Smith, was published by Chatto and Windus, London, and printed for the Phoenix Library by R. and R. Clark Limited in 1937.
Published on green cloth boards with gilt lettering, this first edition copy is sadly incomplete, having lost the original dust-jacket.
The poems written by Dylan Thomas which appear in this volume are the beautiful 'Poem In October' and 'Light Breaks Where No Sun Shines', which was simply entitled 'Light' for this early anthology.
Other poets whose works appeared in this collection were Louis MacNeice, Stephen Spender, W. H. Auden and C. Day Lewis.
A much earlier anthology of verse in which two of Dylan Thomas's most famous poems were published is this collection entitled, 'Poems Of Tomorrow'.
This volume of poems, chosen from 'The Listener' magazine by Janet Adam Smith, was published by Chatto and Windus, London, and printed for the Phoenix Library by R. and R. Clark Limited in 1937.
Published on green cloth boards with gilt lettering, this first edition copy is sadly incomplete, having lost the original dust-jacket.
The poems written by Dylan Thomas which appear in this volume are the beautiful 'Poem In October' and 'Light Breaks Where No Sun Shines', which was simply entitled 'Light' for this early anthology.
Other poets whose works appeared in this collection were Louis MacNeice, Stephen Spender, W. H. Auden and C. Day Lewis.
'Modern Welsh Poetry' An Anthology Edited By Keidrych Rhys, Faber & Faber, Second Impression, 1944
Published by Faber and Faber in 1944 and printed by the Western Printing Services Limited based in Bristol, this is a delightful anthology of Welsh verse which includes contributions from both Dylan Thomas and Vernon Watkins.
This edition was published by Faber and Faber on blue cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The cover notes for this second impression copy read:
"Readers of contemporary poetry have been aware of the large contribution of Wales to the number of younger poets. This is an anthology of the work of the younger living Welsh poets writing in English; compiled by one of them; and while it includes work by poets already well established, it includes also poems by a number of young poets who are not yet at all widely known. It is of value generally for the excellence of the poems themselves, and particularly as evidence of the peculiar contribution, of rhythm, imagery and feeling, of Welsh genius to English verse".
Aside from Dylan Thomas and Vernon Watkins other contributors to this anthology include; David Evans, Charles Fisher, David Jones, Alun Lewis, John Prichard, R. S. Thomas and Henry Treece.
The poems by Dylan Thomas included in this volume are titled as;
On No Work Of Words / Once It Was the Colour Of Saying / We Lying By Seasand / The Spire Cranes and In Memory Of Ann Jones.
The poems contributed by Vernon Watkins are listed as;
Llewelyn's Chariot / The Sunbather / The Collier / The Dead Words / Sycamore / Returning To Goleufryn and From My Loitering.
Published by Faber and Faber in 1944 and printed by the Western Printing Services Limited based in Bristol, this is a delightful anthology of Welsh verse which includes contributions from both Dylan Thomas and Vernon Watkins.
This edition was published by Faber and Faber on blue cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The cover notes for this second impression copy read:
"Readers of contemporary poetry have been aware of the large contribution of Wales to the number of younger poets. This is an anthology of the work of the younger living Welsh poets writing in English; compiled by one of them; and while it includes work by poets already well established, it includes also poems by a number of young poets who are not yet at all widely known. It is of value generally for the excellence of the poems themselves, and particularly as evidence of the peculiar contribution, of rhythm, imagery and feeling, of Welsh genius to English verse".
Aside from Dylan Thomas and Vernon Watkins other contributors to this anthology include; David Evans, Charles Fisher, David Jones, Alun Lewis, John Prichard, R. S. Thomas and Henry Treece.
The poems by Dylan Thomas included in this volume are titled as;
On No Work Of Words / Once It Was the Colour Of Saying / We Lying By Seasand / The Spire Cranes and In Memory Of Ann Jones.
The poems contributed by Vernon Watkins are listed as;
Llewelyn's Chariot / The Sunbather / The Collier / The Dead Words / Sycamore / Returning To Goleufryn and From My Loitering.
Henry Treece, 'Dylan Thomas - Dog Among The Fairies' Lindsay Drummond Limited, First Edition, 1949
A rare first edition copy of Henry Treece's biography entitled. 'Dylan Thomas - Dog Among The Fairies'
This edition was published and printed by Lindsay Drummond Limited, Guilford Place, London in 1949.
This first edition was published on rich red cloth boards with gilt lettering and at the time of publication cost seven shillings and sixpence.
The cover notes for this first edition copy read;
"This is the first full-sized critical work on the poetry of Dylan Thomas to be published in England or the United States of America. The young Welshman's work has always puzzled, delighted and even exasperated his readers; but such is its power and importance that now, when the poet has reached a point of mature stability, a critical assessment has become necessary.
Treece has attempted a balanced view of this difficult writer by including opinions from such widely different critics as Edith Sitwell, Julian Symonds and Stephen Spender; and also Thomas's interesting and sometimes pungent comments on his own poetry and on writing in general.
This is, we believe, a book which will both enlighten and entertain and which is an authoritative statement on one of the most distinguished poets of his age."
A rare first edition copy of Henry Treece's biography entitled. 'Dylan Thomas - Dog Among The Fairies'
This edition was published and printed by Lindsay Drummond Limited, Guilford Place, London in 1949.
This first edition was published on rich red cloth boards with gilt lettering and at the time of publication cost seven shillings and sixpence.
The cover notes for this first edition copy read;
"This is the first full-sized critical work on the poetry of Dylan Thomas to be published in England or the United States of America. The young Welshman's work has always puzzled, delighted and even exasperated his readers; but such is its power and importance that now, when the poet has reached a point of mature stability, a critical assessment has become necessary.
Treece has attempted a balanced view of this difficult writer by including opinions from such widely different critics as Edith Sitwell, Julian Symonds and Stephen Spender; and also Thomas's interesting and sometimes pungent comments on his own poetry and on writing in general.
This is, we believe, a book which will both enlighten and entertain and which is an authoritative statement on one of the most distinguished poets of his age."
The frontispiece to this rare, first edition copy of the Henry Treece biography, 'Dylan Thomas - Dog Among The Fairies'.
Henry Treece, 'Dylan Thomas - Dog Among The Fairies' Ernest Benn Limited, Third Impression, 1956
A later copy of Henry Treece's controversial, in-depth critical work entitled, 'Dylan Thomas - Dog Among The Fairies'.
This is a fully revised, third edition copy, dating from 1956, which was published and printed by Ernest Benn Limited, Fleet Street, London.
Apparently when the book was first published by Lindsay Drummond in 1949, Dylan Thomas hated it, and wittily commented that; "You can't see the wood for the Treece".
The title, chosen by Henry Treece for this work was taken from a line of a poem which first appeared in Dylan Thomas's 1936 collection 'Twenty-Five Poems' which reads;
"A dog among the fairies, the atlas-eater with a jaw for news."
This edition was published on green cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket. The original price of this edition on publication in 1956 was six shillings. The publishers cover notes for this edition read;
"This is a fully revised edition of the first full-sized critical work on Dylan Thomas to appear. Since it was written several more works of Dylan Thomas have been published, and numerous critics have contributed their say to the Thomas enigma; this has been taken into account in preparing this book.
Henry Treece brings to his subject an acute perception and the eye of a practised craftsman. poet, novelist and author of children's books himself, he writes with literary knowledge, and his criticism is always lively and entertaining. Refuting the suggestion that Dylan Thomas might have become a playwright, he comments on 'Under Milk Wood', 'It is a series of labyrinthine, microscopic insights, magnificently moving in its separate units, but blurred and static when seen as a whole...It bears no more relation to a play than does a clockmaker's shop, where the many machines tick out their day at speeds and tones dictated by the individual mechanisms.'
Besides his own criticism of the verse and prose, the author includes opinions from widely different writers as Dr. Edith Sitwell, Julian Symons and Stephen Spender, as well as Thomas's interesting and sometimes pungent comments on his own poetry and on writing in general.
This is both an authoritative and an entertaining book, which will appeal to alike to students of English Literature, and to a large number of unliterary people for whom Dylan Thomas rekindled an interest in poetry."
A later copy of Henry Treece's controversial, in-depth critical work entitled, 'Dylan Thomas - Dog Among The Fairies'.
This is a fully revised, third edition copy, dating from 1956, which was published and printed by Ernest Benn Limited, Fleet Street, London.
Apparently when the book was first published by Lindsay Drummond in 1949, Dylan Thomas hated it, and wittily commented that; "You can't see the wood for the Treece".
The title, chosen by Henry Treece for this work was taken from a line of a poem which first appeared in Dylan Thomas's 1936 collection 'Twenty-Five Poems' which reads;
"A dog among the fairies, the atlas-eater with a jaw for news."
This edition was published on green cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket. The original price of this edition on publication in 1956 was six shillings. The publishers cover notes for this edition read;
"This is a fully revised edition of the first full-sized critical work on Dylan Thomas to appear. Since it was written several more works of Dylan Thomas have been published, and numerous critics have contributed their say to the Thomas enigma; this has been taken into account in preparing this book.
Henry Treece brings to his subject an acute perception and the eye of a practised craftsman. poet, novelist and author of children's books himself, he writes with literary knowledge, and his criticism is always lively and entertaining. Refuting the suggestion that Dylan Thomas might have become a playwright, he comments on 'Under Milk Wood', 'It is a series of labyrinthine, microscopic insights, magnificently moving in its separate units, but blurred and static when seen as a whole...It bears no more relation to a play than does a clockmaker's shop, where the many machines tick out their day at speeds and tones dictated by the individual mechanisms.'
Besides his own criticism of the verse and prose, the author includes opinions from widely different writers as Dr. Edith Sitwell, Julian Symons and Stephen Spender, as well as Thomas's interesting and sometimes pungent comments on his own poetry and on writing in general.
This is both an authoritative and an entertaining book, which will appeal to alike to students of English Literature, and to a large number of unliterary people for whom Dylan Thomas rekindled an interest in poetry."
The frontispiece to the 1956, third edition copy of the Henry Treece critical work, 'Dylan Thomas - Dog Among The Fairies'.
'Dylan Thomas -The Selected Works' Guild Publishing Limited, Leather Bound Edition, 1982
A beautiful leather-bound effect and gilt edged edition of 'The Selected Works Of Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published by Guild Publishing Limited, London in association and in arrangement with J. M. Dent and Sons Limited and printed by the St. Edmundsbury Press based in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk in 1982.
This volume contains examples from every form of Dylan Thomas's craft, from short stories, broadcasts, poetry and lastly from his 'Play For Voices', 'Under Milk Wood'.
Also included in this lovely collectors edition volume are the stories from 'The Map Of Love', selections of poetry, broadcasts, which include; 'Return Journey', 'Memories Of Christmas' and 'Reminiscences Of Childhood', as well as the text to 'Under Milk Wood' reproduced in it's entirety.
This edition was published with an introduction by Michael O'Mara.
A beautiful leather-bound effect and gilt edged edition of 'The Selected Works Of Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published by Guild Publishing Limited, London in association and in arrangement with J. M. Dent and Sons Limited and printed by the St. Edmundsbury Press based in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk in 1982.
This volume contains examples from every form of Dylan Thomas's craft, from short stories, broadcasts, poetry and lastly from his 'Play For Voices', 'Under Milk Wood'.
Also included in this lovely collectors edition volume are the stories from 'The Map Of Love', selections of poetry, broadcasts, which include; 'Return Journey', 'Memories Of Christmas' and 'Reminiscences Of Childhood', as well as the text to 'Under Milk Wood' reproduced in it's entirety.
This edition was published with an introduction by Michael O'Mara.
Paul Ferris, 'Dylan Thomas - A Biography' The Dial Press, First American Edition, 1977
An American first edition, published in hardback, of the Paul Ferris in-depth and definitive work, 'Dylan Thomas - A Biography'.
This edition was published by The Dial Press, New York in 1977 and was issued with the ISBN 0-0837-1947-7.
This edition was published on green cloth boards with silver gilt lettering and is illustrated with eight pages of black and white photographs. This copy is also complete with the original American design dust-jacket.
The publishers, in their extensive summary for the cover notes, wrote;
"Few poets have excited such extremes of admiration and hostility as Dylan Thomas, the Welshman who was perhaps the greatest lyric poet of our century. Thomas persisted to the end in fostering an image of the poet as an intense and decadent individual. He lived in poverty despite his considerable income and shocked his public with his love affairs and drinking while demanding recognition as an artist. But whenever this difficult man read his works, he was accepted on his own terms - his audiences were enthralled.
Paul Ferris's authoritative new biography is based on a wealth of previously unpublished material (including two poems) gathered by the author in more than two hundred interviews and extensive research in Britain and America. In his beautifully written narrative Mr. Ferris gives us new insights into Thomas's childhood and adolescence, his arrival on the London literary scene, his marriage to Caitlin MacNamara, his wartime career as a film writer, his visits to the United States, his death. Mr. Ferris's work has been justly hailed in England as the definitive Thomas biography, a gold mine for scholars as well as for the general reader."
Hailed as; 'A classic of literary biography', Paul Ferris's 1977 book remains today, in the opinion of most Dylan Thomas enthusiasts, the definitive biography of Wales's most famous poet.
Laurie Lee, writing in The Daily Mail, concluded;
"Paul Ferris's new biography instantly impresses by it's civilised tone and balance, by the range of its research and cool disentanglement of fact from legend. It is an immensely rich gathering of Dylan Thomas memorabilia. Paul Ferris's excellently assembled and lucid book tells us all we need to know."
The dust-jacket for this edition was designed by Holly McNeely especially for The Dial Press.
Paul Ferris is a Welsh novelist and writer of non-fiction. Born in Swansea in 1929, he is also the biographer of, among others, Richard Burton and Dylan Thomas's wife, Caitlin.
An American first edition, published in hardback, of the Paul Ferris in-depth and definitive work, 'Dylan Thomas - A Biography'.
This edition was published by The Dial Press, New York in 1977 and was issued with the ISBN 0-0837-1947-7.
This edition was published on green cloth boards with silver gilt lettering and is illustrated with eight pages of black and white photographs. This copy is also complete with the original American design dust-jacket.
The publishers, in their extensive summary for the cover notes, wrote;
"Few poets have excited such extremes of admiration and hostility as Dylan Thomas, the Welshman who was perhaps the greatest lyric poet of our century. Thomas persisted to the end in fostering an image of the poet as an intense and decadent individual. He lived in poverty despite his considerable income and shocked his public with his love affairs and drinking while demanding recognition as an artist. But whenever this difficult man read his works, he was accepted on his own terms - his audiences were enthralled.
Paul Ferris's authoritative new biography is based on a wealth of previously unpublished material (including two poems) gathered by the author in more than two hundred interviews and extensive research in Britain and America. In his beautifully written narrative Mr. Ferris gives us new insights into Thomas's childhood and adolescence, his arrival on the London literary scene, his marriage to Caitlin MacNamara, his wartime career as a film writer, his visits to the United States, his death. Mr. Ferris's work has been justly hailed in England as the definitive Thomas biography, a gold mine for scholars as well as for the general reader."
Hailed as; 'A classic of literary biography', Paul Ferris's 1977 book remains today, in the opinion of most Dylan Thomas enthusiasts, the definitive biography of Wales's most famous poet.
Laurie Lee, writing in The Daily Mail, concluded;
"Paul Ferris's new biography instantly impresses by it's civilised tone and balance, by the range of its research and cool disentanglement of fact from legend. It is an immensely rich gathering of Dylan Thomas memorabilia. Paul Ferris's excellently assembled and lucid book tells us all we need to know."
The dust-jacket for this edition was designed by Holly McNeely especially for The Dial Press.
Paul Ferris is a Welsh novelist and writer of non-fiction. Born in Swansea in 1929, he is also the biographer of, among others, Richard Burton and Dylan Thomas's wife, Caitlin.
'The Doctor And The Devils' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited,
First Edition Second Impression, 1953
First published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited on the 14th of May, 1953, as part of an initial run of just four thousand copies, and printed and bound by The Aldine Press, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire. This is a first edition, second impression copy of Dylan Thomas's screenplay for 'The Doctor And The Devils' which was published just two months later than the first edition in July, 1953.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent on red cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The original price of this second impression in 1953 was ten shillings and sixpence.
'The Doctor And The Devils' was the first of Dylan Thomas's film scripts to be published and was originally commissioned just after the war by Donald Taylor, the founder of Strand Films. 'The Doctor And The Devils' was a re-working of the true story of Burke and Hare, the notorious Edinburgh body-snatchers, and was published in this format shortly before Dylan Thomas's death. An account, written by Donald Taylor, regarding the origin of Dylan Thomas's film scenario and of the historical facts and characters upon which 'The Doctor And the Devils' was based is also included in this first edition copy.
From an extract taken from the cover notes, the text reads;
"Two things stand out above all in this scenario. First the vivid poetic quality of the language, both in the 'shooting directions' and in the dialogue spoken even by the most miserable of the persons of the drama - the murderers themselves, their women, the idiot Billy Bedlam, and the pretty slut Jennie Bailey. Secondly, the arresting figure of Rock, so devoted to the pursuit of truth by any and every means, that not until the end does it dawn on him that the mob shouting for his blood may be right for all its brutality - because the right of any individual to live is more important than the demonstration of truth."
From a contemporary review, written by Ronamy Dobree of The Spectator, it was said of 'The Doctor And The Devils';
"We go through almost unimaginable sordidness...lighted by flashes of intellectual humanitarian idealism. It is extraordinarily powerful, there is not a word nor an emotion wasted". J.W. Lambert, writing in The Sunday Times, concluded that 'The Doctor And the Devils' was..."A splendidly melodramatic retelling of the story of Doctor Knox the anatomist, descriptive passages brilliantly flame...dialogue full of character."
J. W. Lambert, writing in The Sunday Times stated that 'The Doctor And The Devils' is;
"A splendidly melodramatic retelling of the story of Doctor Knox the anatomist, descriptive passages brilliantly flame with dialogue full of character."
First Edition Second Impression, 1953
First published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited on the 14th of May, 1953, as part of an initial run of just four thousand copies, and printed and bound by The Aldine Press, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire. This is a first edition, second impression copy of Dylan Thomas's screenplay for 'The Doctor And The Devils' which was published just two months later than the first edition in July, 1953.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent on red cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The original price of this second impression in 1953 was ten shillings and sixpence.
'The Doctor And The Devils' was the first of Dylan Thomas's film scripts to be published and was originally commissioned just after the war by Donald Taylor, the founder of Strand Films. 'The Doctor And The Devils' was a re-working of the true story of Burke and Hare, the notorious Edinburgh body-snatchers, and was published in this format shortly before Dylan Thomas's death. An account, written by Donald Taylor, regarding the origin of Dylan Thomas's film scenario and of the historical facts and characters upon which 'The Doctor And the Devils' was based is also included in this first edition copy.
From an extract taken from the cover notes, the text reads;
"Two things stand out above all in this scenario. First the vivid poetic quality of the language, both in the 'shooting directions' and in the dialogue spoken even by the most miserable of the persons of the drama - the murderers themselves, their women, the idiot Billy Bedlam, and the pretty slut Jennie Bailey. Secondly, the arresting figure of Rock, so devoted to the pursuit of truth by any and every means, that not until the end does it dawn on him that the mob shouting for his blood may be right for all its brutality - because the right of any individual to live is more important than the demonstration of truth."
From a contemporary review, written by Ronamy Dobree of The Spectator, it was said of 'The Doctor And The Devils';
"We go through almost unimaginable sordidness...lighted by flashes of intellectual humanitarian idealism. It is extraordinarily powerful, there is not a word nor an emotion wasted". J.W. Lambert, writing in The Sunday Times, concluded that 'The Doctor And the Devils' was..."A splendidly melodramatic retelling of the story of Doctor Knox the anatomist, descriptive passages brilliantly flame...dialogue full of character."
J. W. Lambert, writing in The Sunday Times stated that 'The Doctor And The Devils' is;
"A splendidly melodramatic retelling of the story of Doctor Knox the anatomist, descriptive passages brilliantly flame with dialogue full of character."
The front-end pages to the first edition, second impression copy, of the J. M. Dent publication of the Dylan Thomas screenplay for 'The Doctor And The Devils', published in July, 1953.
'Rebecca's Daughters' The Triton Publishing Group Limited, First Edition, 1965
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of the second film script which was written by Dylan Thomas to be published in book form, 'Rebecca's Daughters'.
This edition was published by The Triton Publishing Group Limited in 1965 and printed and bound by Tonbridge Printers Limited, based at The Peach Hall Works, Kent.
This copy was published by Triton on red cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
This original first edition copy upon publication in 1965 was priced at twenty-five shillings.
Dylan Thomas originally started work on this script in 1948, the script itself being commissioned by Gainsborough Films Limited for whom he was working at the time. Dylan Thomas relished the prospect of writing this part comedy, part Welsh historical adventure story, but sadly the film never came to fruition during Dylan Thomas's lifetime. The script would remain gathering dust until finally making it onto the screen in 1992, in a film starring Peter O' Toole, Joely Richardson and Paul Rhys.
The foreword to this first edition copy provide a brief history to the writing of 'Rebecca's Daughters' ;
"One of Dylan Thomas's ambitions, according to J. Maclaren Ross, who collaborated with him on a number of film scripts in the early forties, was to write a complete a complete film scenario "ready for shooting, which would give the ordinary reader an absolute visual impression of the film in words and could be published as a new form of literature."
Maclaren Ross records in his 'Memoirs of the Forties' that 'the rules we laid down for ourselves were that the script had to be an original, specially written in this form and not any kind of adaption, and that actual film production must be possible. Our main obstacle consisted of the camera directions which, if given, were apt to look too technical and, if omitted, would lose the dramatic impact of, for instance, a sudden large close-up, which Dylan however hoped could be conveyed by one's actual choice of words."
'Rebecca's Daughters' is the nearest Dylan ever came to realising his ambition. It is an original story, written about a period in which he was passionately interested, and cast in the form of a screenplay. As a film producer, I can warrant that it fills one of Dylan's conditions - it is technically capable of being filmed without the slightest alteration. But as Dylan and Maclaren Ross rightly foresaw, the camera directions occasionally stood between the ordinary reader and the story. I have therefore simply omitted them, except for occasional examples which seemed to be necessary to achieve the dramatic impact to which Ross refers. These I have included as part of the narrative.
Anyone reading 'Rebecca's Daughters' in its present form should be able to imagine the film, as Dylan conceived it, unrolling on the screen before him."
The text, taken from the publishers cover notes from this first edition copy, reads;
"Who is Rebecca?
Everyone knows what she looks like. She wears traditional Welsh women's costume - wide black skirts and shawls, a tall black steeple hat.
But 'she' is a man.
And so are Rebecca's daughters - all three hundred of them.
Rebecca's Daughters' shows Dylan Thomas in a new vein - delving deep into the history of his beloved Wales for a romantic adventure story soon to be filmed with an international cast. It is as fascinating to read as any historical novel, and Sir Henry in particular a vintage Dylan Thomas character whose grandson might well have been squire of Milk Wood!"
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of the second film script which was written by Dylan Thomas to be published in book form, 'Rebecca's Daughters'.
This edition was published by The Triton Publishing Group Limited in 1965 and printed and bound by Tonbridge Printers Limited, based at The Peach Hall Works, Kent.
This copy was published by Triton on red cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
This original first edition copy upon publication in 1965 was priced at twenty-five shillings.
Dylan Thomas originally started work on this script in 1948, the script itself being commissioned by Gainsborough Films Limited for whom he was working at the time. Dylan Thomas relished the prospect of writing this part comedy, part Welsh historical adventure story, but sadly the film never came to fruition during Dylan Thomas's lifetime. The script would remain gathering dust until finally making it onto the screen in 1992, in a film starring Peter O' Toole, Joely Richardson and Paul Rhys.
The foreword to this first edition copy provide a brief history to the writing of 'Rebecca's Daughters' ;
"One of Dylan Thomas's ambitions, according to J. Maclaren Ross, who collaborated with him on a number of film scripts in the early forties, was to write a complete a complete film scenario "ready for shooting, which would give the ordinary reader an absolute visual impression of the film in words and could be published as a new form of literature."
Maclaren Ross records in his 'Memoirs of the Forties' that 'the rules we laid down for ourselves were that the script had to be an original, specially written in this form and not any kind of adaption, and that actual film production must be possible. Our main obstacle consisted of the camera directions which, if given, were apt to look too technical and, if omitted, would lose the dramatic impact of, for instance, a sudden large close-up, which Dylan however hoped could be conveyed by one's actual choice of words."
'Rebecca's Daughters' is the nearest Dylan ever came to realising his ambition. It is an original story, written about a period in which he was passionately interested, and cast in the form of a screenplay. As a film producer, I can warrant that it fills one of Dylan's conditions - it is technically capable of being filmed without the slightest alteration. But as Dylan and Maclaren Ross rightly foresaw, the camera directions occasionally stood between the ordinary reader and the story. I have therefore simply omitted them, except for occasional examples which seemed to be necessary to achieve the dramatic impact to which Ross refers. These I have included as part of the narrative.
Anyone reading 'Rebecca's Daughters' in its present form should be able to imagine the film, as Dylan conceived it, unrolling on the screen before him."
The text, taken from the publishers cover notes from this first edition copy, reads;
"Who is Rebecca?
Everyone knows what she looks like. She wears traditional Welsh women's costume - wide black skirts and shawls, a tall black steeple hat.
But 'she' is a man.
And so are Rebecca's daughters - all three hundred of them.
Rebecca's Daughters' shows Dylan Thomas in a new vein - delving deep into the history of his beloved Wales for a romantic adventure story soon to be filmed with an international cast. It is as fascinating to read as any historical novel, and Sir Henry in particular a vintage Dylan Thomas character whose grandson might well have been squire of Milk Wood!"
The front-end papers to the Triton Publishing Limited,1965 first edition copy of 'Rebecca's Daughters'.
'Me And My Bike' The Triton Publishing Group Limited, Second Edition, 1966
A copy of 'Me And My Bike', which was first published by The Triton Publishing Company Limited, London in 1965 and printed by Hazell Watson And Viney Limited, based in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.
This large copy of 'Me And My Bike' is the second edition, which was published in the January of 1966 on red cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The illustrations for this edition were provided by the artist Leonora Box.
The script for 'Me And My Bike' was written during the Autumn of 1948 when Dylan Thomas was under contract with Gainsborough Pictures and apart from a 'Limited Edition' run of five hundred copies, published in 1965, this was the first edition in book-form of this unfinished script. Although unlike anything Dylan Thomas had ever written before, it is still unmistakably in the 'Dylan' style.
The outline of the history of this wonderful, yet unfinished script is described in the foreword, which was written by Stanley Box, the Executive Producer of Gainsborough Pictures;
"Me and My Bike' was never finished. It was scarcely even begun. as always with Dylan, it started with high hopes. His head appeared around my door, like a dissolute cherub's, his eyes shining with excitement. "I want to write the first original film operetta", he told me. "It will be all about a man who loves a bicycle. It's called 'Me And My Bike' and it covers the whole span of this man's life. He rides penny-farthings, tandems, tricycles, racing bikes - and when he dies at the end, he rides on his bike up a sunbeam straight to heaven, where he's greeted by a heavenly chorus of bicycle bells." Naturally I commissioned Dylan to write it.
There were to be five major sequences in the film, each advancing the story through another decade. The fragment published here for the first time is only the first of the five, but it is complete in itself - or it would have been if Dylan had ever finished it. The last page of his manuscript consists only of his working notes for the remaining scenes. After the shuttlecock and battledore song, he merely outlined the chase scenes - and then disappeared...
'Me And My Bike' was written during the autumn of 1948 when Dylan was on contract to Gainsborough Pictures, of which company I was at that time Executive producer. The typescript bears the date 2nd November, 1948. Of the other scripts written by Dylan during the period, 'The Beach Of Falesa' had already been published and another, 'Rebecca's Daughters' will appear shortly. Together they form the main volume of work of Dylan Thomas, Screenwriter."
Dylan Thomas's biographer, Constantine FitzGibbon, wrote rather beautifully of this book;
"Dylan Thomas threw two purses to the world. One was filled with poems, the other with the golden glitter of his wit and fantasy. That second purse contains his finished prose and his unfinished film scripts. Even a little half-sovereign is rare enough and here is one that sparkles and shimmers with the best."
A copy of 'Me And My Bike', which was first published by The Triton Publishing Company Limited, London in 1965 and printed by Hazell Watson And Viney Limited, based in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.
This large copy of 'Me And My Bike' is the second edition, which was published in the January of 1966 on red cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The illustrations for this edition were provided by the artist Leonora Box.
The script for 'Me And My Bike' was written during the Autumn of 1948 when Dylan Thomas was under contract with Gainsborough Pictures and apart from a 'Limited Edition' run of five hundred copies, published in 1965, this was the first edition in book-form of this unfinished script. Although unlike anything Dylan Thomas had ever written before, it is still unmistakably in the 'Dylan' style.
The outline of the history of this wonderful, yet unfinished script is described in the foreword, which was written by Stanley Box, the Executive Producer of Gainsborough Pictures;
"Me and My Bike' was never finished. It was scarcely even begun. as always with Dylan, it started with high hopes. His head appeared around my door, like a dissolute cherub's, his eyes shining with excitement. "I want to write the first original film operetta", he told me. "It will be all about a man who loves a bicycle. It's called 'Me And My Bike' and it covers the whole span of this man's life. He rides penny-farthings, tandems, tricycles, racing bikes - and when he dies at the end, he rides on his bike up a sunbeam straight to heaven, where he's greeted by a heavenly chorus of bicycle bells." Naturally I commissioned Dylan to write it.
There were to be five major sequences in the film, each advancing the story through another decade. The fragment published here for the first time is only the first of the five, but it is complete in itself - or it would have been if Dylan had ever finished it. The last page of his manuscript consists only of his working notes for the remaining scenes. After the shuttlecock and battledore song, he merely outlined the chase scenes - and then disappeared...
'Me And My Bike' was written during the autumn of 1948 when Dylan was on contract to Gainsborough Pictures, of which company I was at that time Executive producer. The typescript bears the date 2nd November, 1948. Of the other scripts written by Dylan during the period, 'The Beach Of Falesa' had already been published and another, 'Rebecca's Daughters' will appear shortly. Together they form the main volume of work of Dylan Thomas, Screenwriter."
Dylan Thomas's biographer, Constantine FitzGibbon, wrote rather beautifully of this book;
"Dylan Thomas threw two purses to the world. One was filled with poems, the other with the golden glitter of his wit and fantasy. That second purse contains his finished prose and his unfinished film scripts. Even a little half-sovereign is rare enough and here is one that sparkles and shimmers with the best."
W. Emlyn Davies, 'Dylan Thomas - Illuminations' Celtic Publications Limited, First Edition, 1973
'A calligram is text arranged in such a way that it forms a thematically related image. It can be a poem, a phrase, a portion of scripture, or a single word; the visual arrangement can rely on certain use of the typeface, calligraphy or handwriting.
The image created by the words illustrates the text by expressing visually what it says, or something closely associated with it.'
Published by Celtic Publications Limited, based in St. James's Gardens, Swansea in 1973 especially to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the death of Dylan Thomas, this delightful book of Calligrams, or word patterns, was designed and drawn out at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive, Swansea, the childhood home of Dylan Thomas.
Intricate, and beautifully drawn, the calligrams feature the words of the poet in colourful swirls of imagery and beauty. The designs and lettering throughout the book painstakingly drawn by hand by the author and artist, W. Emlyn Davies.
The editor for Alfred A. Knopf Publishers, Patrick Gregory, writes in the cover notes for this edition;
"This is quite literally a delight for the eye and restores my faith in magic - for how to explain the strange light that filled my office when I opened the folio? Mr. Davies is obviously a rare sort of artist; but, on turning these pages , one has the impression that artistry alone could not have produced such an effect - that without reverence, (another rarity), for his subject; his magic would have failed to cast its spell."
'A calligram is text arranged in such a way that it forms a thematically related image. It can be a poem, a phrase, a portion of scripture, or a single word; the visual arrangement can rely on certain use of the typeface, calligraphy or handwriting.
The image created by the words illustrates the text by expressing visually what it says, or something closely associated with it.'
Published by Celtic Publications Limited, based in St. James's Gardens, Swansea in 1973 especially to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the death of Dylan Thomas, this delightful book of Calligrams, or word patterns, was designed and drawn out at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive, Swansea, the childhood home of Dylan Thomas.
Intricate, and beautifully drawn, the calligrams feature the words of the poet in colourful swirls of imagery and beauty. The designs and lettering throughout the book painstakingly drawn by hand by the author and artist, W. Emlyn Davies.
The editor for Alfred A. Knopf Publishers, Patrick Gregory, writes in the cover notes for this edition;
"This is quite literally a delight for the eye and restores my faith in magic - for how to explain the strange light that filled my office when I opened the folio? Mr. Davies is obviously a rare sort of artist; but, on turning these pages , one has the impression that artistry alone could not have produced such an effect - that without reverence, (another rarity), for his subject; his magic would have failed to cast its spell."
'Twenty Years A-Growing' J.M. Dent & Sons First Edition, 1964
Published by J. M. Dent And Sons Limited, at the time based at Aldine House, Bedford Street, London and printed by The Aldine Press, Letchworth, Hertfordshire, this is a first edition copy of Dylan Thomas's film script entitled, 'Twenty Years A-Growing' which was first published in 1964.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent on light brown cloth boards with silver gilt lettering, and was priced at the time of publishing in 1964 at twelve shillings and sixpence.
This edition is compete with the original dust-jacket.
An extract of text from the publisher's original cover notes reads;
"This beautiful, tender and imaginative film script by Dylan Thomas has only recently been discovered.
'Here is the egg of a seabird - lovely, perfect, and laid this very morning'. So wrote E. M. Forster when 'Twenty Years A-Growing was first published. The book, by the Irish writer Maurice O' Sullivan was first published in English, in place of the original Irish, in 1933 and it was upon this autobiography that Dylan based his unfinished film script dealing with the first part of the book.
The script is fully characteristic of 'Under Milk Wood', for here as in that notable 'Play For Voices' Dylan demonstrates his fine, uncluttered sense of drama, combining the poetic with the simple, profoundly moving truth. The material he had to work on was of considerable fascination, for it portrays O'Sullivan's childhood on the lonely Blasket Islands, which lie off the Kerry Coast in the extreme south-west corner of Ireland. They are now uninhabited except for occasional summertime holiday-makers. the district is still Irish-speaking.
As a review, contemporary with the time of publishing, noted..."It demonstrates his fine, uncluttered sense of drama, combining the poetic with a simple, profoundly moving truth".
Published by J. M. Dent And Sons Limited, at the time based at Aldine House, Bedford Street, London and printed by The Aldine Press, Letchworth, Hertfordshire, this is a first edition copy of Dylan Thomas's film script entitled, 'Twenty Years A-Growing' which was first published in 1964.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent on light brown cloth boards with silver gilt lettering, and was priced at the time of publishing in 1964 at twelve shillings and sixpence.
This edition is compete with the original dust-jacket.
An extract of text from the publisher's original cover notes reads;
"This beautiful, tender and imaginative film script by Dylan Thomas has only recently been discovered.
'Here is the egg of a seabird - lovely, perfect, and laid this very morning'. So wrote E. M. Forster when 'Twenty Years A-Growing was first published. The book, by the Irish writer Maurice O' Sullivan was first published in English, in place of the original Irish, in 1933 and it was upon this autobiography that Dylan based his unfinished film script dealing with the first part of the book.
The script is fully characteristic of 'Under Milk Wood', for here as in that notable 'Play For Voices' Dylan demonstrates his fine, uncluttered sense of drama, combining the poetic with the simple, profoundly moving truth. The material he had to work on was of considerable fascination, for it portrays O'Sullivan's childhood on the lonely Blasket Islands, which lie off the Kerry Coast in the extreme south-west corner of Ireland. They are now uninhabited except for occasional summertime holiday-makers. the district is still Irish-speaking.
As a review, contemporary with the time of publishing, noted..."It demonstrates his fine, uncluttered sense of drama, combining the poetic with a simple, profoundly moving truth".
The title page of the 1964 first edition of Dylan Thomas's film script for the 1933 novel by Maurice O' Sullivan, 'Twenty Years A-Growing'.
John Ackerman, 'Dylan Thomas - His Life & Work'
Oxford University Press, Signed First Edition, 1964
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of the John Ackerman critical study of Dylan Thomas entitled, 'Dylan Thomas - His Life and Work'.
This copy was published and printed by the Oxford University Press, Amen House, London, in 1964.
The publisher's cover notes for this first edition read;
"One: I am a Welshman; two: I am a drunkard; three: I am a lover of the human race, especially of women.'
Starting from Dylan Thomas's ironical self-description, Mr. Ackerman examines the extent to which poetry and prose were influenced by their author's Welsh environment and both Anglo-Welsh and English literary traditions. From first to last - from his schoolboy poems to Under Milk Wood, and Mr. Ackerman considers each stage of his development in detail - Wales emerges as a stronger, more fruitful influence than such passing interests in surrealism and Freudian psychology.
This perceptive, critical introduction shows Thomas, not as the drunkard and dionysiac ranter of popular mythology, but as a religious artist capable of writing two hundred drafts of a single poem."
the preface, written by John Ackerman in 1963, reads in its entirety;
"This book offers an interpretation of Dylan Thomas's life and work in relation to his Welsh background. I have suggested in what ways the fact that he was a Welshman was his most important formative influence; and outlined the impact of social and literary traditions, in order to help the understanding of his poetry and prose writing. I am aware that it is fashionable to dramatize any discussion of Thomas's life, but it is time, I think, that this journalistic technique was discarded: few poets have been so badly served by their biographers. I have considered biographical details valuable in so far as they illuminate the poetry and prose or the man who wrote it.
A knowledge of the country and culture which produced Dylan Thomas is fundamental to a full understanding of the poet. Therefore this study aims to show that he was the product of a particular place with particular native traditions.
When Dylan Thomas died I was nineteen, and acquainted with only a few of his poems, none of which I fully understood. This book is a record of my attempt to understand and appreciate them. I have not tried to simplify the complexities of a complex poet. If I have erred, I hope it is on his side of the truth."
This first edition copy is complete with the original dust-jacket which features the haunting photograph of Dylan Thomas standing alone in the graveyard of St. Martin's church in Laugharne, as captured by John Deakin of 'Vogue' magazine in 1953.
This copy of 'Dylan Thomas - His Life and Work' also has the addition of having been signed and dedicated by the author, John Ackerman, in 1964.
Oxford University Press, Signed First Edition, 1964
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of the John Ackerman critical study of Dylan Thomas entitled, 'Dylan Thomas - His Life and Work'.
This copy was published and printed by the Oxford University Press, Amen House, London, in 1964.
The publisher's cover notes for this first edition read;
"One: I am a Welshman; two: I am a drunkard; three: I am a lover of the human race, especially of women.'
Starting from Dylan Thomas's ironical self-description, Mr. Ackerman examines the extent to which poetry and prose were influenced by their author's Welsh environment and both Anglo-Welsh and English literary traditions. From first to last - from his schoolboy poems to Under Milk Wood, and Mr. Ackerman considers each stage of his development in detail - Wales emerges as a stronger, more fruitful influence than such passing interests in surrealism and Freudian psychology.
This perceptive, critical introduction shows Thomas, not as the drunkard and dionysiac ranter of popular mythology, but as a religious artist capable of writing two hundred drafts of a single poem."
the preface, written by John Ackerman in 1963, reads in its entirety;
"This book offers an interpretation of Dylan Thomas's life and work in relation to his Welsh background. I have suggested in what ways the fact that he was a Welshman was his most important formative influence; and outlined the impact of social and literary traditions, in order to help the understanding of his poetry and prose writing. I am aware that it is fashionable to dramatize any discussion of Thomas's life, but it is time, I think, that this journalistic technique was discarded: few poets have been so badly served by their biographers. I have considered biographical details valuable in so far as they illuminate the poetry and prose or the man who wrote it.
A knowledge of the country and culture which produced Dylan Thomas is fundamental to a full understanding of the poet. Therefore this study aims to show that he was the product of a particular place with particular native traditions.
When Dylan Thomas died I was nineteen, and acquainted with only a few of his poems, none of which I fully understood. This book is a record of my attempt to understand and appreciate them. I have not tried to simplify the complexities of a complex poet. If I have erred, I hope it is on his side of the truth."
This first edition copy is complete with the original dust-jacket which features the haunting photograph of Dylan Thomas standing alone in the graveyard of St. Martin's church in Laugharne, as captured by John Deakin of 'Vogue' magazine in 1953.
This copy of 'Dylan Thomas - His Life and Work' also has the addition of having been signed and dedicated by the author, John Ackerman, in 1964.
The dedication and signature of the author, John Ackerman, which appears on the front-end paper of this first edition copy.
John Ackerman, 'Welsh Dylan - Dylan Thomas' Life, Writing And His Wales', John Jones Limited, First Edition, 1979
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of John Ackerman's detailed biography entitled, 'Welsh Dylan - Dylan Thomas' Life, Writing And His Wales', which was published by John Jones Limited, based in Cardiff in April, 1979.
The dust-jacket was designed by Dragonfly Design Limited and the book was printed by Beacon Printers, Pennarth, Wales and was issued with the ISBN 0-902375-43-1.
This edition was published on cream cloth boards with gilt lettering and is illustrated throughout with black and white photographs which were researched and sourced by Angela Laycock.
The publishers text from the cover notes of this first edition read;
"There have been many books about Dylan Thomas. The justification for yet another one is that it fills a gap in the Literature. Since that excellent work by Bill Read, 'The Days Of Dylan Thomas', went out of print there has been a need for a short book which sets the salient facts of Thomas's life before the reader, presents comment on his work based on literary discrimination, and illustrates both with photographs.
The relationship between Dylan Thomas's work and life is peculiarly close; you cannot properly understand the one without knowing the other. Some geographical and sociological understanding of Swansea and West Wales particularly in the 1920's and 30's) is a pre-requisite. To a non-Welshman, and especially a young person, this is very foreign territory, and the text and photographs in this book should be of some enlightenment.
John Ackerman ('that brilliant commentator' wrote Andrew Sinclair) is a Welshman from Maesteg - a town ten miles or so to the east of Swansea, Thomas's birthplace. He thereby shares with the poet those literary, religious and social traditions which enables a Welshman to say of Dylan - after the briefest experience of his work - 'He is one of us'.
In addition John Ackerman's profession as a teacher of literature brings to this book an intellectual understanding, lucidity and judgement, which makes it ideal for the student coming to Dylan Thomas's work for the first time.
The author's earlier volume 'Dylan Thomas; Life and Work' (O.U.P. 1964) was widely and enthusiastically reviewed. The present work is a distillation of that book, with important textual additions and new photographs.
Dylan Thomas was outstandingly successful at the business of being a Poet; he would be better that Keats, he said as a schoolboy to his mother. Where his father failed, he succeeded. He could not also be successful at the business of Life.
This book concentrates on his strengths - on him as a poet and on the influences that made him one. It avoids literary over-elaboration on the one hand and the sensationalising of his life on the other. The balanced picture which emerges will surely help the reader to a greater understanding of his work and focus attention on the extraordinary quality of Thomas's best writing."
This first edition copy of 'Welsh Dylan' is complete with the original dust-jacket.
John Ackerman was born in Maesteg, Glamorgan on the 24th March, 1934 and first came to prominence in the sixties as an early critic and writer on the life and work of Dylan Thomas. His first book, 'Dylan Thomas: His Life And Work' was published just ten years after the poet's death.
After gaining degrees at King's, Westfield and Birkbeck Colleges at the London University he firstly became an English teacher at St. Olave's Church of England School, located near Southwark Cathedral, before becoming a lecturer at the Glamorgan College of Education until 1966 when he took residence at the Avery Hill College in Bridgend. He retired in 1984.
John Ackerman was the curator of the Welsh Arts Council Dylan Thomas Exhibition which was housed at the Sherman Gallery in Cardiff.
John Ackerman's other books include, 'A Dylan Thomas Companion' and he was the editor of 'Dylan Thomas: The Film Scripts', which were published in 1991 and 1995 respectively.
John Ackerman died in Bridgend on the 2nd of March, 2004.
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of John Ackerman's detailed biography entitled, 'Welsh Dylan - Dylan Thomas' Life, Writing And His Wales', which was published by John Jones Limited, based in Cardiff in April, 1979.
The dust-jacket was designed by Dragonfly Design Limited and the book was printed by Beacon Printers, Pennarth, Wales and was issued with the ISBN 0-902375-43-1.
This edition was published on cream cloth boards with gilt lettering and is illustrated throughout with black and white photographs which were researched and sourced by Angela Laycock.
The publishers text from the cover notes of this first edition read;
"There have been many books about Dylan Thomas. The justification for yet another one is that it fills a gap in the Literature. Since that excellent work by Bill Read, 'The Days Of Dylan Thomas', went out of print there has been a need for a short book which sets the salient facts of Thomas's life before the reader, presents comment on his work based on literary discrimination, and illustrates both with photographs.
The relationship between Dylan Thomas's work and life is peculiarly close; you cannot properly understand the one without knowing the other. Some geographical and sociological understanding of Swansea and West Wales particularly in the 1920's and 30's) is a pre-requisite. To a non-Welshman, and especially a young person, this is very foreign territory, and the text and photographs in this book should be of some enlightenment.
John Ackerman ('that brilliant commentator' wrote Andrew Sinclair) is a Welshman from Maesteg - a town ten miles or so to the east of Swansea, Thomas's birthplace. He thereby shares with the poet those literary, religious and social traditions which enables a Welshman to say of Dylan - after the briefest experience of his work - 'He is one of us'.
In addition John Ackerman's profession as a teacher of literature brings to this book an intellectual understanding, lucidity and judgement, which makes it ideal for the student coming to Dylan Thomas's work for the first time.
The author's earlier volume 'Dylan Thomas; Life and Work' (O.U.P. 1964) was widely and enthusiastically reviewed. The present work is a distillation of that book, with important textual additions and new photographs.
Dylan Thomas was outstandingly successful at the business of being a Poet; he would be better that Keats, he said as a schoolboy to his mother. Where his father failed, he succeeded. He could not also be successful at the business of Life.
This book concentrates on his strengths - on him as a poet and on the influences that made him one. It avoids literary over-elaboration on the one hand and the sensationalising of his life on the other. The balanced picture which emerges will surely help the reader to a greater understanding of his work and focus attention on the extraordinary quality of Thomas's best writing."
This first edition copy of 'Welsh Dylan' is complete with the original dust-jacket.
John Ackerman was born in Maesteg, Glamorgan on the 24th March, 1934 and first came to prominence in the sixties as an early critic and writer on the life and work of Dylan Thomas. His first book, 'Dylan Thomas: His Life And Work' was published just ten years after the poet's death.
After gaining degrees at King's, Westfield and Birkbeck Colleges at the London University he firstly became an English teacher at St. Olave's Church of England School, located near Southwark Cathedral, before becoming a lecturer at the Glamorgan College of Education until 1966 when he took residence at the Avery Hill College in Bridgend. He retired in 1984.
John Ackerman was the curator of the Welsh Arts Council Dylan Thomas Exhibition which was housed at the Sherman Gallery in Cardiff.
John Ackerman's other books include, 'A Dylan Thomas Companion' and he was the editor of 'Dylan Thomas: The Film Scripts', which were published in 1991 and 1995 respectively.
John Ackerman died in Bridgend on the 2nd of March, 2004.
The title page to the first edition of John Ackerman's 'Welsh Dylan' featuring a delightful studio portrait of an young, angelic Dylan Thomas.
John Ackerman, 'A Dylan Thomas Companion' The Macmillan Press Limited, 1994
A later paperback edition of John Ackerman's essential work, appropriately and aptly entitled, 'A Dylan Thomas Companion'.
This later edition was published, with amendments and corrections, by The Macmillan Press Limited, based in Basingstoke, Hampshire in 1994. The first publication of this volume, prior to amendments, was in 1991.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 0-333-60703-1.
This paperback copy is illustrated with black and white photographs, whilst the front cover depicts a portrait of Dylan Thomas taken at the Boat House, Laugharne.
The publishers cover notes for this well-researched and important work read;
"As nature is all we have, and all I am is a man, I'm quite interested in man and nature", declared Dylan Thomas in 1952, and the role of nature is the major focus in the interpretation of the poetry in this book. The book also provides the first detailed account of Thomas's career and development as a prose writer, commenting on his work in films and radio, as well as his stories and letters.
Opening with Thomas's life, the book offers vignettes of Swansea in the 1920's and 1930's, pre- and post-War Laugharne and rural West Wales, wartime London, and New York in the early 1950's, seen through the poet's eyes. Thomas's political views are sharply focused as well as his social and cultural attitudes; all evidenced in his humorous, vivid and and pointed letters, comments, criticism, sketches and stories, as the singer of the self looked at world around him."
Dylan Thomas's daughter, Aeronwy, wrote in praise of this book;
"John Ackerman's 'A Dylan Thomas Companion' is my personal diary for the events in Dylan's life and family dates, also my own companion for the understanding of his poems so illuminatingly linked to my own childhood haunts. I also value the clarity and precision of his writing, easily understood by the general reader as well as the specialist."
A later paperback edition of John Ackerman's essential work, appropriately and aptly entitled, 'A Dylan Thomas Companion'.
This later edition was published, with amendments and corrections, by The Macmillan Press Limited, based in Basingstoke, Hampshire in 1994. The first publication of this volume, prior to amendments, was in 1991.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 0-333-60703-1.
This paperback copy is illustrated with black and white photographs, whilst the front cover depicts a portrait of Dylan Thomas taken at the Boat House, Laugharne.
The publishers cover notes for this well-researched and important work read;
"As nature is all we have, and all I am is a man, I'm quite interested in man and nature", declared Dylan Thomas in 1952, and the role of nature is the major focus in the interpretation of the poetry in this book. The book also provides the first detailed account of Thomas's career and development as a prose writer, commenting on his work in films and radio, as well as his stories and letters.
Opening with Thomas's life, the book offers vignettes of Swansea in the 1920's and 1930's, pre- and post-War Laugharne and rural West Wales, wartime London, and New York in the early 1950's, seen through the poet's eyes. Thomas's political views are sharply focused as well as his social and cultural attitudes; all evidenced in his humorous, vivid and and pointed letters, comments, criticism, sketches and stories, as the singer of the self looked at world around him."
Dylan Thomas's daughter, Aeronwy, wrote in praise of this book;
"John Ackerman's 'A Dylan Thomas Companion' is my personal diary for the events in Dylan's life and family dates, also my own companion for the understanding of his poems so illuminatingly linked to my own childhood haunts. I also value the clarity and precision of his writing, easily understood by the general reader as well as the specialist."
Rob Gittins, 'The Last Days Of Dylan Thomas' MacDonald & Company Publishers Limited, First Edition, 1986
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of the Robert Gittins in-depth and well researched biography entitled, 'The Last Days Of Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published by MacDonald And Company Publishers Limited, London in 1986 and printed by Redwood Burn Limited for The Dorstel Press.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 0-356-10995X and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The publishers cover notes read, in their entirety;
"On the 19th of October, 1953 Dylan Thomas arrived in New York at the start of his fourth visit to America. The omens could not have been less auspicious. the poet's health was breaking down; his wife Caitlin had violently opposed the plan; the flight itself had been disastrous; even the room reserved at his favourite Chelsea Hotel turned out to be small, dark and inadequate. To his American mistress Liz Reitell, who had eagerly awaited him at the airport, Thomas looked 'frail, pale and shaky...sad too, tormented, quite tormented.' And so he was: by premonitions of inadequacy and disaster; by financial problems; by drink; by a failing mind and the 'horrors' of delirium tremens. His stay was marked by drama, chaos, violent shifts in personal allegiances, by behaviour of such boorishness and insensitivity as to amount to madness. And its finale came with his death on Monday the 9th of November, in St. Vincent's Hospital.
No period in the life of one of the twentieth century's most gifted, popular and controversial poets has been more obscured by myth, misinformation, misinterpretation, and even downright misrepresentation. But now that thirty years have passed much new information has come to light, particularly Liz Reitell's journal, previously thought not to exist. For the first time a detailed and impartial account of three traumatic weeks can be pieced together - the drinking bouts, the hysterical scenes, the efforts at rehabilitation, the final debacle. Above all, new light can be thrown on the one great, over-riding achievement: the triumphant performance on the 24th of October of 'Under Milk Wood' in the poet's last, and perforce definitive, version, a masterpiece of poetry and still awaiting acknowledgement as a literary legacy - the generally accepted version, it can be argued, being incomplete.
'The Last Days Of Dylan Thomas', a tour de force of biographical reconstruction, with all the impact of a tragic novel, 'The Last Days Of Dylan Thomas' provides a whole new understanding of an important and highly mythologized period in the life of a giant literary figure".
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of the Robert Gittins in-depth and well researched biography entitled, 'The Last Days Of Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published by MacDonald And Company Publishers Limited, London in 1986 and printed by Redwood Burn Limited for The Dorstel Press.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 0-356-10995X and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The publishers cover notes read, in their entirety;
"On the 19th of October, 1953 Dylan Thomas arrived in New York at the start of his fourth visit to America. The omens could not have been less auspicious. the poet's health was breaking down; his wife Caitlin had violently opposed the plan; the flight itself had been disastrous; even the room reserved at his favourite Chelsea Hotel turned out to be small, dark and inadequate. To his American mistress Liz Reitell, who had eagerly awaited him at the airport, Thomas looked 'frail, pale and shaky...sad too, tormented, quite tormented.' And so he was: by premonitions of inadequacy and disaster; by financial problems; by drink; by a failing mind and the 'horrors' of delirium tremens. His stay was marked by drama, chaos, violent shifts in personal allegiances, by behaviour of such boorishness and insensitivity as to amount to madness. And its finale came with his death on Monday the 9th of November, in St. Vincent's Hospital.
No period in the life of one of the twentieth century's most gifted, popular and controversial poets has been more obscured by myth, misinformation, misinterpretation, and even downright misrepresentation. But now that thirty years have passed much new information has come to light, particularly Liz Reitell's journal, previously thought not to exist. For the first time a detailed and impartial account of three traumatic weeks can be pieced together - the drinking bouts, the hysterical scenes, the efforts at rehabilitation, the final debacle. Above all, new light can be thrown on the one great, over-riding achievement: the triumphant performance on the 24th of October of 'Under Milk Wood' in the poet's last, and perforce definitive, version, a masterpiece of poetry and still awaiting acknowledgement as a literary legacy - the generally accepted version, it can be argued, being incomplete.
'The Last Days Of Dylan Thomas', a tour de force of biographical reconstruction, with all the impact of a tragic novel, 'The Last Days Of Dylan Thomas' provides a whole new understanding of an important and highly mythologized period in the life of a giant literary figure".
Caitlin Thomas, 'Leftover Life To Kill' Putnam & Company, First Edition, 1957
A hardback first edition copy of 'Leftover Life To Kill', an autobiographical work which was written by Caitlin Thomas and published by Putnam and Company, London and printed by Ebenezer Baylis and Son Limited for The Trinity Press, Worcester.
This is a first edition copy published in 1957 on rich deep-burgundy cloth boards with gilt lettering, this copy is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The cover notes which appear on this first edition Putnam copy read;
"Here is a volume of autobiography by the widow of Dylan Thomas. Worshippers of the poet may be shocked, for in it there is no artificial respect for the memory of a dead husband; rather an utterly honest, and intransigent account of feelings for and about him, searing even in retrospect.
Principally 'Leftover Life To Kill' is concerned not with Dylan Thomas, but with the authoress herself. It is a diary and reminiscence of a long visit she made to a Mediterranean island soon after his death, with her small son - but this is no sunny Riviera story; it tells of the cold, squalor and poverty in which they had to live, of the harshness of the place and the bitterness of her own resentful despair.
There is no self-pity in this book; but there are the haunting sense of insecurity, the terrible lethargy of despair, resentment of of the weakness of nostalgia, contempt of excess. And it is written with such truth, such compelling vitality, and such explosive style that it leaves a lasting imprint on the mind."
In extracts from contemporary reviews, the book was variously described as;
"A bitter, blasphemous, soul and body stripping, acridly realistic, cry from the heart...Dylan suffuses the book from the title and the style (which, however, is no mere pastiche) to the final painful page as the train wheels bearing her back to Wales beat out *No home no Dylan, no Dylan no home, no Dylan..." The Daily Telegraph.
"She allows us glimpses of their desperate marriage, their profound dependency on each other, and their simultaneous need to grind each other to bits with the terrible grating noise of warring egos." Time And Tide.
"A piece of self-portraiture such as few women could have faced or attempted; a picture of almost complete spiritual chaos presented without self-pity of excuses...A deeply moving book". Isabel Quigly, writing in The Spectator.
"Generous, heart-kindling, simple, truthful, trusting like some large golden breathless dog; one is conscious of her real self, before the world had warped it, child of those Macnamara's, described in Augustus John's autobiography". The Sunday Times.
The price of this first edition on publication in 1957 was eighteen shillings.
The tone of this quite disturbing work can easily be assessed by the way Caitlin Thomas completes her autobiography with the haunting paragraph;
"This is it, this is the finish, a beaten voice said inside me; and the train started to trundle, and chug, and drone:
Going home, going home going home;
no home to go to, no home to go to, no home to go to;
going home to no home, going home to no home, going home to no home;
no home no Dylan, no Dylan no home, no Dylan...
And all the mountains I had ever climbed came tumbling down, and crumbled at my feet.
And all the king's horses, and all the king's men, couldn't put Caitlin Thomas together again."
A hardback first edition copy of 'Leftover Life To Kill', an autobiographical work which was written by Caitlin Thomas and published by Putnam and Company, London and printed by Ebenezer Baylis and Son Limited for The Trinity Press, Worcester.
This is a first edition copy published in 1957 on rich deep-burgundy cloth boards with gilt lettering, this copy is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The cover notes which appear on this first edition Putnam copy read;
"Here is a volume of autobiography by the widow of Dylan Thomas. Worshippers of the poet may be shocked, for in it there is no artificial respect for the memory of a dead husband; rather an utterly honest, and intransigent account of feelings for and about him, searing even in retrospect.
Principally 'Leftover Life To Kill' is concerned not with Dylan Thomas, but with the authoress herself. It is a diary and reminiscence of a long visit she made to a Mediterranean island soon after his death, with her small son - but this is no sunny Riviera story; it tells of the cold, squalor and poverty in which they had to live, of the harshness of the place and the bitterness of her own resentful despair.
There is no self-pity in this book; but there are the haunting sense of insecurity, the terrible lethargy of despair, resentment of of the weakness of nostalgia, contempt of excess. And it is written with such truth, such compelling vitality, and such explosive style that it leaves a lasting imprint on the mind."
In extracts from contemporary reviews, the book was variously described as;
"A bitter, blasphemous, soul and body stripping, acridly realistic, cry from the heart...Dylan suffuses the book from the title and the style (which, however, is no mere pastiche) to the final painful page as the train wheels bearing her back to Wales beat out *No home no Dylan, no Dylan no home, no Dylan..." The Daily Telegraph.
"She allows us glimpses of their desperate marriage, their profound dependency on each other, and their simultaneous need to grind each other to bits with the terrible grating noise of warring egos." Time And Tide.
"A piece of self-portraiture such as few women could have faced or attempted; a picture of almost complete spiritual chaos presented without self-pity of excuses...A deeply moving book". Isabel Quigly, writing in The Spectator.
"Generous, heart-kindling, simple, truthful, trusting like some large golden breathless dog; one is conscious of her real self, before the world had warped it, child of those Macnamara's, described in Augustus John's autobiography". The Sunday Times.
The price of this first edition on publication in 1957 was eighteen shillings.
The tone of this quite disturbing work can easily be assessed by the way Caitlin Thomas completes her autobiography with the haunting paragraph;
"This is it, this is the finish, a beaten voice said inside me; and the train started to trundle, and chug, and drone:
Going home, going home going home;
no home to go to, no home to go to, no home to go to;
going home to no home, going home to no home, going home to no home;
no home no Dylan, no Dylan no home, no Dylan...
And all the mountains I had ever climbed came tumbling down, and crumbled at my feet.
And all the king's horses, and all the king's men, couldn't put Caitlin Thomas together again."
Caitlin Macnamara was born in Hammersmith, London, to Irish parents, in 1913 and was introduced to Dylan Thomas in 1936 in The Wheatsheaf Public House in Fitzrovia, London by the Welsh artist Augustus John. They married in Cornwall in 1937. They lived in various locations during their courtship and early years of marriage including Chelsea and Oxfordshire, before finally settling in Laugharne in 1938, living at various addresses before their final move in 1949 to the place that Dylan Thomas is most associated with, the Boathouse.
A tempestuous marriage from the start due to Caitlin's Irish temperament, both their alcohol dependancy and infidelities,
(Dylan Thomas described their relationship as ' raw, red, bleeding meat ), their marriage was all but over by 1950 when Dylan Thomas commenced on his first American lecture tour.
After Dylan Thomas's death in 1953, Caitlin left Laugharne with their three children, and after several return visits to Ireland, finally settled in Sicily with her second husband, with whom she had a child at the age of 49. She remained there until her death, at the age of eighty, in Catania in 1994. She requested that she was to be buried alongside her first husband Dylan Thomas in the graveyard of St. Martin's Church, Laugharne.
A tempestuous marriage from the start due to Caitlin's Irish temperament, both their alcohol dependancy and infidelities,
(Dylan Thomas described their relationship as ' raw, red, bleeding meat ), their marriage was all but over by 1950 when Dylan Thomas commenced on his first American lecture tour.
After Dylan Thomas's death in 1953, Caitlin left Laugharne with their three children, and after several return visits to Ireland, finally settled in Sicily with her second husband, with whom she had a child at the age of 49. She remained there until her death, at the age of eighty, in Catania in 1994. She requested that she was to be buried alongside her first husband Dylan Thomas in the graveyard of St. Martin's Church, Laugharne.
Caitlin Thomas, 'Not Quite Posthumous Letter To My Daughter' Putnam & Company, First Edition, 1963
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of the second autobiographical memoir to be written by Caitlin Thomas.
This edition was published by Putnam And Company, Great Russell Street, London and was printed and bound by Cox and Wyman Limited based in London, Reading and Fakenham.
This is a first edition copy, dating from 1963 which was published by Putnam on light brown cloth boards with gilt lettering. This edition is complete with the original dust-jacket, which was designed for Putnam and Company by Eileen Walton.
The original price of this first edition copy in 1963 was sixteen shillings.
Written in the form of a letter, this book is an honest and open communication written by Caitlin Thomas to her only daughter, Aeronwy, upon reaching her eighteenth birthday.
Although Caitlin Thomas claimed the book was merely..."A few mellow words of warning", the book actually comes across as a typical Caitlin Thomas bitterly acidic rant against men, in particular her husband, sex, politics and life in general.
In an extract taken from a contemporary review the book was described as .."An energetic, rambling, unpredictable harangue in which Caitlin Thomas deploys her scorpions of satire and battering-rams of scorn with fine and ruthless vigour."
The cover notes go on to read;
"Fiercely maternal, she cries a ringing warning about the 'mud-baths of experience' through which she herself had 'floundered'. In a wonderfully entertaining mixture of reminiscence, 'gassy palaver', caricature and shrewd, penetrating sense she conducts her daughter round contemporary life. She explores such topics as Art, Elegance, sex ('the nice orange-juice that makes the castor-oil of love go down'), conversation, and Parties; she visits all sorts of places from abattoirs to pubs ('those homes more homely than home'); she presents a scathing review of the types of 'eligible' men that may be encountered, from perverts to policemen, from dipsomaniacs to doctors."
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of the second autobiographical memoir to be written by Caitlin Thomas.
This edition was published by Putnam And Company, Great Russell Street, London and was printed and bound by Cox and Wyman Limited based in London, Reading and Fakenham.
This is a first edition copy, dating from 1963 which was published by Putnam on light brown cloth boards with gilt lettering. This edition is complete with the original dust-jacket, which was designed for Putnam and Company by Eileen Walton.
The original price of this first edition copy in 1963 was sixteen shillings.
Written in the form of a letter, this book is an honest and open communication written by Caitlin Thomas to her only daughter, Aeronwy, upon reaching her eighteenth birthday.
Although Caitlin Thomas claimed the book was merely..."A few mellow words of warning", the book actually comes across as a typical Caitlin Thomas bitterly acidic rant against men, in particular her husband, sex, politics and life in general.
In an extract taken from a contemporary review the book was described as .."An energetic, rambling, unpredictable harangue in which Caitlin Thomas deploys her scorpions of satire and battering-rams of scorn with fine and ruthless vigour."
The cover notes go on to read;
"Fiercely maternal, she cries a ringing warning about the 'mud-baths of experience' through which she herself had 'floundered'. In a wonderfully entertaining mixture of reminiscence, 'gassy palaver', caricature and shrewd, penetrating sense she conducts her daughter round contemporary life. She explores such topics as Art, Elegance, sex ('the nice orange-juice that makes the castor-oil of love go down'), conversation, and Parties; she visits all sorts of places from abattoirs to pubs ('those homes more homely than home'); she presents a scathing review of the types of 'eligible' men that may be encountered, from perverts to policemen, from dipsomaniacs to doctors."
The title page to the 1963 first edition, Putnam and Company, copy of Caitlin Thomas's memoir, 'Not Quite Posthumous Letter To My Daughter'.
Caitlin Thomas and George Tremlett, 'Caitlin - Life with Dylan Thomas - A Warring Absence' Martin Secker & Warburg Limited, Signed First Edition, 1986
A more calm and sober reflection on her life with Dylan Thomas is included in this memoir which was written by Caitlin Thomas with the gentle and guiding hand of biographer, George Tremlett.
This edition of 'Life With Dylan Thomas' also subtitled 'A Warring Absence', was published by Martin Secker and Warburg Limited, London and printed by Butler and Tanner Limited based in Frome, Somerset.
This is a first edition copy, published in hardback, which was first published in 1986 and issued by Secker and Warburg with the ISBN 0-436-51850-3.
This edition was published on red cloth boards with silver gilt lettering and is illustrated with black and white photographs and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The cover image is of the famous photograph of Dylan and Caitlin Thomas taken in Brown's Hotel, Laugharne by John Griffiths and the photograph which graces the reverse of the cover is of Dylan and Caitlin Thomas photographed at Sea View, Laugharne as beautifully captured by Nora Summers.
The text, taken from the publishers cover notes for this first edition, reads;
"For thirty years after Dylan's death, Caitlin Thomas refused to discuss their marriage with any biographer. Then George Tremlett - a family friend - persuaded her that the story must be told. He guided her through memories so bitter and revelations so painful that even after all those years they could still make her weep. The result is an astounding autobiography in which Caitlin Thomas reveals in honest, even brutal detail, how much of the story had been left out or glossed over - for only Caitlin knew and she would not tell.
We get a new perspective on the drunkenness, the debts, the fights and infidelities, on the character of genius and on the nature of a love that was as sordid and destructive as it was passionate and tender.
Despite the devastating suffering, would Caitlin have wanted her life to go another way? Hardly, since she had to be physically restrained from throwing herself into Dylan's grave.
There hasn't been a book like this since Nigel Nicolson's 'Portrait Of A Marriage'. Not only does it stand as a unique testament to an extraordinary love; it makes all biographies of Dylan Thomas seem out of date."
A more calm and sober reflection on her life with Dylan Thomas is included in this memoir which was written by Caitlin Thomas with the gentle and guiding hand of biographer, George Tremlett.
This edition of 'Life With Dylan Thomas' also subtitled 'A Warring Absence', was published by Martin Secker and Warburg Limited, London and printed by Butler and Tanner Limited based in Frome, Somerset.
This is a first edition copy, published in hardback, which was first published in 1986 and issued by Secker and Warburg with the ISBN 0-436-51850-3.
This edition was published on red cloth boards with silver gilt lettering and is illustrated with black and white photographs and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The cover image is of the famous photograph of Dylan and Caitlin Thomas taken in Brown's Hotel, Laugharne by John Griffiths and the photograph which graces the reverse of the cover is of Dylan and Caitlin Thomas photographed at Sea View, Laugharne as beautifully captured by Nora Summers.
The text, taken from the publishers cover notes for this first edition, reads;
"For thirty years after Dylan's death, Caitlin Thomas refused to discuss their marriage with any biographer. Then George Tremlett - a family friend - persuaded her that the story must be told. He guided her through memories so bitter and revelations so painful that even after all those years they could still make her weep. The result is an astounding autobiography in which Caitlin Thomas reveals in honest, even brutal detail, how much of the story had been left out or glossed over - for only Caitlin knew and she would not tell.
We get a new perspective on the drunkenness, the debts, the fights and infidelities, on the character of genius and on the nature of a love that was as sordid and destructive as it was passionate and tender.
Despite the devastating suffering, would Caitlin have wanted her life to go another way? Hardly, since she had to be physically restrained from throwing herself into Dylan's grave.
There hasn't been a book like this since Nigel Nicolson's 'Portrait Of A Marriage'. Not only does it stand as a unique testament to an extraordinary love; it makes all biographies of Dylan Thomas seem out of date."
This edition of 'Caitlin - Life With Dylan Thomas' was personally signed for me by the author George Tremlett, the owner of Corran Books based in Laugharne, West Wales on the 28th of July, 2016.
Caitlin Thomas and George Tremlett, 'Caitlin - Life With Dylan Thomas' Henry Holt & Company, Signed First Edition, 1986
A hardback copy of the American first edition of the biographical Caitlin Thomas and George Tremlett collaboration entitled, 'Caitlin - Life With Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published by Henry Holt and Company Incorporated situated on Fifth Avenue, New York in 1986 and was distributed throughout the United States and Canada by Fitzhenry and Whiteside Limited based in Ontario, Canada.
This first edition copy was issued with the ISBN 0-8050-0369-X and is illustrated with many black and white photographs, as in the original U.K. edition.
Kingsley Amis wrote of this Caitlin Thomas and George Tremlett collaboration;
"A substantial and entertaining book. George Tremlett has done a first-rate editing job. He has produced a readable narrative while retaining as much as possible of Mr's Thomas's lively conversational style. It is a valuable supplement to other records."
Richard Eberhart, in a review contemporary to its publication in the U.K. in 1986, wrote;
"Caitlin, the widow of Dylan Thomas, now thirty-three years after his death, tells of devastations and glories of their marriage in a book of capacious honesty and courage. This is a free gift of Caitlin's spirit to all Dylan Thomas lovers, an invaluable book".
This rare edition was previously the personal copy of co-author George Tremlett, and was published on beige cloth boards with blue lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket, featuring the famous photograph of Dylan and Caitlin Thomas, captured in Brown's Hotel, Laugharne, a cover which differs considerably to the original U.K. design.
The publishers cover notes, which appear in this first edition American copy, read;
"Until now, Dylan Thomas's widow, Caitlin, has refused to discuss her marriage with biographers. With good reason: the story of those seventeen years is tumultuous, sordid and ultimately tragic.
The young poet and aspiring dancer met in a pub where Dylan professed his devotion to Caitlin on the spot. The story of the years that followed is one of drunken brawls, abortions, affairs - and of the tenderness that existed in spite of them. Recovery from alcoholism, time and distance have allowed Caitlin Thomas to face the pain of those years, to tell what she could not bear to say in her best-selling book of the early sixties, 'Leftover Life To Kill'. A long-time family friend, George Tremlett, persuaded her that after thirty years it was time for her to set the record straight about her tortured relationship with one of the great poets of our time. The book is a result of over fifty hours of recorded interviews and significantly alters the biological picture of Thomas's life. Explanations of many of the more mystifying aspects of Dylan Thomas's character lend new insight into not only the creative process, but the poetry itself. Above all, this is the story of the meeting of two innocent souls - a love story, however sad."
A hardback copy of the American first edition of the biographical Caitlin Thomas and George Tremlett collaboration entitled, 'Caitlin - Life With Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published by Henry Holt and Company Incorporated situated on Fifth Avenue, New York in 1986 and was distributed throughout the United States and Canada by Fitzhenry and Whiteside Limited based in Ontario, Canada.
This first edition copy was issued with the ISBN 0-8050-0369-X and is illustrated with many black and white photographs, as in the original U.K. edition.
Kingsley Amis wrote of this Caitlin Thomas and George Tremlett collaboration;
"A substantial and entertaining book. George Tremlett has done a first-rate editing job. He has produced a readable narrative while retaining as much as possible of Mr's Thomas's lively conversational style. It is a valuable supplement to other records."
Richard Eberhart, in a review contemporary to its publication in the U.K. in 1986, wrote;
"Caitlin, the widow of Dylan Thomas, now thirty-three years after his death, tells of devastations and glories of their marriage in a book of capacious honesty and courage. This is a free gift of Caitlin's spirit to all Dylan Thomas lovers, an invaluable book".
This rare edition was previously the personal copy of co-author George Tremlett, and was published on beige cloth boards with blue lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket, featuring the famous photograph of Dylan and Caitlin Thomas, captured in Brown's Hotel, Laugharne, a cover which differs considerably to the original U.K. design.
The publishers cover notes, which appear in this first edition American copy, read;
"Until now, Dylan Thomas's widow, Caitlin, has refused to discuss her marriage with biographers. With good reason: the story of those seventeen years is tumultuous, sordid and ultimately tragic.
The young poet and aspiring dancer met in a pub where Dylan professed his devotion to Caitlin on the spot. The story of the years that followed is one of drunken brawls, abortions, affairs - and of the tenderness that existed in spite of them. Recovery from alcoholism, time and distance have allowed Caitlin Thomas to face the pain of those years, to tell what she could not bear to say in her best-selling book of the early sixties, 'Leftover Life To Kill'. A long-time family friend, George Tremlett, persuaded her that after thirty years it was time for her to set the record straight about her tortured relationship with one of the great poets of our time. The book is a result of over fifty hours of recorded interviews and significantly alters the biological picture of Thomas's life. Explanations of many of the more mystifying aspects of Dylan Thomas's character lend new insight into not only the creative process, but the poetry itself. Above all, this is the story of the meeting of two innocent souls - a love story, however sad."
This American first edition copy was personally signed by the author George Tremlett in 1992, and comes from his own personal collection.
Aeronwy Thomas, 'My Father's Places' Constable & Robinson Limited, First Edition, 2009
A delightful memoir, sub-titled, 'A portrait of childhood', written by Dylan and Caitlin Thomas's only daughter, Aeronwy.
This is a first edition copy, in hardback, which was published and printed in 2009 by Constable and Robinson Limited, London and issued with the ISBN 978-1-84901-005-4.
This edition is illustrated with black and white photographs and is complete with the original dust-jacket. The book was published on rich burgundy boards with silver gilt lettering.
The publishers cover notes for 'My Father's Places' reads;
"In 1949, after years of nomadic existence, six-year old Aeronwy Thomas and her family arrived at the Boat House in Laugharne, a small village on the Welsh coast. Here her father, the poet Dylan Thomas and mother, Caitlin, hoped to find peace - a place to settle and work.
In Laugharne Dylan began some of his most famous works, including Under Milk Wood. Mornings were spent in Brown's Hotel, listening to the gossip at Ivy William's kitchen table. In the afternoons Caitlin would lock the poet in a shed in the garden, where he sat speaking his verse aloud as he wrote, or composed begging letters to patrons and friends. Often he would head off to London, and other old haunts.
Little Aeronwy enjoyed the new world around her. In the Boat House, ruled over by Caitlin, there was baby Colm and in the holidays visits from big brother Llewelyn, as well as Dolly, the cleaner and cook, and the house became a refuge for village characters, including Booda the deaf and mute ferry man.
'My Father's Places' is a deeply moving portrait of growing up and an insight into the origins and the legacy of Dylan Thomas' poetry."
A delightful memoir, sub-titled, 'A portrait of childhood', written by Dylan and Caitlin Thomas's only daughter, Aeronwy.
This is a first edition copy, in hardback, which was published and printed in 2009 by Constable and Robinson Limited, London and issued with the ISBN 978-1-84901-005-4.
This edition is illustrated with black and white photographs and is complete with the original dust-jacket. The book was published on rich burgundy boards with silver gilt lettering.
The publishers cover notes for 'My Father's Places' reads;
"In 1949, after years of nomadic existence, six-year old Aeronwy Thomas and her family arrived at the Boat House in Laugharne, a small village on the Welsh coast. Here her father, the poet Dylan Thomas and mother, Caitlin, hoped to find peace - a place to settle and work.
In Laugharne Dylan began some of his most famous works, including Under Milk Wood. Mornings were spent in Brown's Hotel, listening to the gossip at Ivy William's kitchen table. In the afternoons Caitlin would lock the poet in a shed in the garden, where he sat speaking his verse aloud as he wrote, or composed begging letters to patrons and friends. Often he would head off to London, and other old haunts.
Little Aeronwy enjoyed the new world around her. In the Boat House, ruled over by Caitlin, there was baby Colm and in the holidays visits from big brother Llewelyn, as well as Dolly, the cleaner and cook, and the house became a refuge for village characters, including Booda the deaf and mute ferry man.
'My Father's Places' is a deeply moving portrait of growing up and an insight into the origins and the legacy of Dylan Thomas' poetry."
Caitlin Thomas, 'Double Drink Story: My Life With Dylan Thomas' The Virago Press First Edition, 1998
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of the last autobiographical memoir to be written by Dylan Thomas's widow Caitlin Thomas which she entitled, 'Double Drink Story - My Life With Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published by The Virago Press, a division of Little, Brown and Company, Lancaster Place, London and printed and bound by Clays Limited, based in St. Ives in 1998.
This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket and was issued with the ISBN 1-86049-560-5.
The text, taken from the publishers cover notes, reads;
"From the moment they met at a pub in London, drink was the most conspicuous part of the lives of Caitlin and her 'genius poet', Dylan Thomas. It fuelled their sexual adventures, lessened their shyness and enriched their social life.
This searing book is Caitlin's story of the passions, the rage and the tragic humour of those years of drink, and the toll it took on the lives of two talented people, leaving one of them dead at the age of thirty-nine, and the other alone, penniless and an alcoholic. It is also the memoir of a woman - not always likeable, but consistently energetic and honest - of indomitable spirit; 'reflected glory for me has always been an intolerable ignominy, all I wished for was to be my own little sun, not such a little sun at that; rather let me say modestly, a blazing meteor."
It took the love of another man, Giuseppe Fazio, and the birth of their son, Francesco, when Caitlin was forty-nine, to give her a reason to stop drinking and the courage to write this book. The afterword by that son recounts their life together in Italy until Caitlin's death in 1994 at the age of eighty-one."
This copy of Caitlin Thomas's last memoir includes an afterword written by Francesco Fazio, the son whom Caitlin Thomas had at the age of forty-nine with her second husband Giuseppe Fazio, and to whom Caitlin Thomas dedicated this book.
In Caitlin Thomas's own words, which appear as part of the cover notes of this book;
"Ours was not only a love story, it was a drink story...the bar was our altar...the only significant difference between our drink story and any of the others is that in the middle of it was a genius poet..."
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of the last autobiographical memoir to be written by Dylan Thomas's widow Caitlin Thomas which she entitled, 'Double Drink Story - My Life With Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published by The Virago Press, a division of Little, Brown and Company, Lancaster Place, London and printed and bound by Clays Limited, based in St. Ives in 1998.
This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket and was issued with the ISBN 1-86049-560-5.
The text, taken from the publishers cover notes, reads;
"From the moment they met at a pub in London, drink was the most conspicuous part of the lives of Caitlin and her 'genius poet', Dylan Thomas. It fuelled their sexual adventures, lessened their shyness and enriched their social life.
This searing book is Caitlin's story of the passions, the rage and the tragic humour of those years of drink, and the toll it took on the lives of two talented people, leaving one of them dead at the age of thirty-nine, and the other alone, penniless and an alcoholic. It is also the memoir of a woman - not always likeable, but consistently energetic and honest - of indomitable spirit; 'reflected glory for me has always been an intolerable ignominy, all I wished for was to be my own little sun, not such a little sun at that; rather let me say modestly, a blazing meteor."
It took the love of another man, Giuseppe Fazio, and the birth of their son, Francesco, when Caitlin was forty-nine, to give her a reason to stop drinking and the courage to write this book. The afterword by that son recounts their life together in Italy until Caitlin's death in 1994 at the age of eighty-one."
This copy of Caitlin Thomas's last memoir includes an afterword written by Francesco Fazio, the son whom Caitlin Thomas had at the age of forty-nine with her second husband Giuseppe Fazio, and to whom Caitlin Thomas dedicated this book.
In Caitlin Thomas's own words, which appear as part of the cover notes of this book;
"Ours was not only a love story, it was a drink story...the bar was our altar...the only significant difference between our drink story and any of the others is that in the middle of it was a genius poet..."
Dylan Thomas and John Davenport, 'The Death Of The King's Canary' Hutchinson & Company, First Edition, 1976
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of the Dylan Thomas and John Davenport collaboration which they entitled, 'The Death Of The King's Canary'.
This edition was published by Hutchinson and Company, Fitzroy Square, London in 1976 and was printed by The Anchor Press Limited and bound by William Brendon and Son Limited, based in Tiptree, Essex.
This edition features an introduction written by Dylan Thomas's early biographer Constantine Fitzgibbon and was issued with the ISBN 0-09-127510-05.
This copy was published by Hutchinson and Company on black boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket, featuring a design by Craig Dodd.
The cover notes for this first edition explain the collaboration;
"In 1955, a couple of years after Dylan Thomas's death, John Davenport wrote a memoir of his friend which included the following sentences; 'At the time of his publication (Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog), Dylan was staying with me at my home in the Cotswolds with his wife and child, and remained for several months. We wrote a satirical novel together, writing alternate chapters. It was called 'The Death Of The King's Canary'.
It is an extraordinary romp, part detective story (about the assassination of the Poet Laureate, the 'King's Canary' of the title) part literary satire and part surrealistic farce. The story revolves around a country house party of astonishingly profligacy, and features a large cast (including at various times the Prime Minister, a dope-smoking butler, literary figures of indeterminate sex and sundry dwarfs). It contains brilliant parodies, previously unpublished, of contemporary poets such as T. S. Eliot and W. H. Auden. And it satires mercilessly yet with great affection the whole literary and artistic world of the 1940's."
Fearing libel action, Dylan Thomas's publishers at the time, J. M. Dent, passed on the novel and 'The Death Of The King's Canary' went unpublished until 1976.
Dylan Thomas's biographer and friend, Constantine FitzGibbon, tells of the history behind the writing of the novel in the detailed introduction for this edition;
"In 1930 the late Wyndham Lewis, that fine painter, writer and many years earlier editor of an iconoclastic periodical appropriately called 'Blast', published a sort of a novel entitled, 'The Apes Of God'. Wyndham Lewis had a profound loathing of all that was accepted, all that was fashionable in the arts. His novel was a ferocious send-up, perhaps the first, of all that was' idees receus' in Flaubert's words, among the advocates and practitioners of what, in the Twenties, was still 'modern art', the first that was perhaps not written, for the wrong reason, by some academician or academic. It is a very long, rather congested and very complex satire, many of the characters being then quite easily recognisable. Perhaps nobody reads it today. It was certainly read by Charles Fisher, and probably by Dylan Thomas, when they were both working on The South Wales Evening Post in 1932. Dylan Thomas was then in his eighteenth year, Fisher a little older. Charles Fisher was one of Dylan's closest Swansea 'friends of my youth', and it may be doubted whether he ever made such friendships once he had left Swansea, tentatively in 1933, soon enough permanently.
He went to London filled with ambition to be recognised as a fine poet. Through Victor Neuburg and, to a slightly lesser extent, through Pamela Hansford Johnson, he met precisely the sort of literary characters whom Lewis had parodied. But he kept in touch with Swansea friends and it is in a letter to Fisher in 1938 that the idea of 'Murder of the King's Canary' (as he was then calling it) appears. He was urging Fisher to collaborate and suggesting a discussion. 'The Canary' was to be 'a novel, the detective story to end detective stories, introducing blatantly every character and situation - an inevitable Chinaman, secret passages, etc. - that no respectable writer would dare use now, drag hundreds of red herrings, false clues, withheld evidences into the story, falsify every issue, make many chapters deliberate parodies, full of cliches, of other detective writers'. A few months later he wrote again urging that he and Fisher 'must get started'.
Fisher, in fact, did produce a rough draft of a first chapter, but this bears no relation to Chapter One of the Thomas / Davenport text. It assemblers and describes characters, unknown to that text, as a committee to choose a new Poet Laureate; and that is all. From that time on nothing seems to be heard of the project until 1940. For by 1938 Dylan was already a famous, some would have said a notorious, and highly impoverished poet and was concentrating on his poems and to a lesser extent on his short stories. Even in his poems he would mull over ideas for years, going back to old notebooks, re-writing juvenilia. Very few of his poems were not conceived, at least, before ever he left Swansea. As for his prose and drama, he was less interested. 'Under Milk Wood' was first discussed with Richard Hughes in 1939, with myself in 1944 and was finished in 1953, only a few days before his death. This constant return to his adolescence or very early manhood was characteristic of all of his work, but more so in his prose even than in his verse. John Davenport once described him to me as the 'laziest intellect' he had ever known. Abstract ideas were of no interest to him at all. I once asked him a question about 'poetry', to which I received the very true answer: he was not interested in poetry, only in poems. He thus lacked the basic, almost ideological, venom that had led Wyndham Lewis to write 'The Apes of God'. He was however a fine parodist of other men's poems.
In the dreadful, and to him terrifying, summer of 1940 he was staying with John Davenport. I knew John Davenport well, and would like to pay public tribute here to an old friend, a generous, difficult, brilliant man with a very fine and profound knowledge of the arts, of all the arts, a consummate pianist, a collector of great paintings by artists then still unknown, and when an undergraduate a poet compared by his contemporaries in the very early Thirties to Auden and Spender and Day Lewis. Yet he, too, dried up. He went to see T. S. Eliot. He told me that Eliot had advised him to write nothing for ten years, and that he had never forgiven Eliot this bad advice, for he never wrote again. He made a certain amount of money from films, and in 1940 was able to support the Thomas family in his comfortable English country house. When he was rich, his money was yours, when he was poor, yours was his.
John Davenport was an unusually strong man, quite short but almost square, at one time a very good heavyweight boxer. In literature he was a perfectionist, and this was his emotional downfall, for he could not, ten years after his perhaps apocryphal conversation with T. S. Eliot, ever achieve his own standards. I once stopped him from throttling Dylan -true, it was very late at night - for the very simple and expressed reason that Dylan was a 'poet' and John was not.
In 1940 Dylan revived the idea for 'The King's Canary' and on this book he and Davenport collaborated. It was intended to be a good joke, and to make money, but of course was quite unpublishable while the main characters were alive. Dylan Thomas maintained that Davenport had written most of the verse parodies. This may well be untrue, for if Dylan was not proud of them, he would have given their authorship to John. Others have said that their skill is far beyond what were Davenport's capabilities. Some of the prose, but not a great deal, shows evidence of Dylan's verbal pyrotechnics. Apparently they collaborated in a room that Davenport had fixed up as a model of an old-fashioned pub, complete with barrels of beer, while Caitlin danced in a distant summerhouse to the music of a portable gramophone.
Very frequently I receive letters from post-graduate students asking for help in their Ph.D. theses concerning the late Dylan Thomas. Here, I can give no help. On the other hand, I feel that a most useful Ph.D. thesis might be based upon this book. A subtle scholar could devote a great deal of his time to speculation as to who wrote what in this curious book. But then Dylan Thomas also announced, as part of his policy towards the world: 'Bewilder 'em'. "
John Davenport was born in 1908 and was educated at St. Paul's and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. After a stint of script-writing in Hollywood he returned to Britain where he taught French and history at Repton and Stowe. For many years he was the literary critic for The Observer newspaper. He died in 1966, a full ten years before 'The Death Of The King's Canary' finally made it into print.
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of the Dylan Thomas and John Davenport collaboration which they entitled, 'The Death Of The King's Canary'.
This edition was published by Hutchinson and Company, Fitzroy Square, London in 1976 and was printed by The Anchor Press Limited and bound by William Brendon and Son Limited, based in Tiptree, Essex.
This edition features an introduction written by Dylan Thomas's early biographer Constantine Fitzgibbon and was issued with the ISBN 0-09-127510-05.
This copy was published by Hutchinson and Company on black boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket, featuring a design by Craig Dodd.
The cover notes for this first edition explain the collaboration;
"In 1955, a couple of years after Dylan Thomas's death, John Davenport wrote a memoir of his friend which included the following sentences; 'At the time of his publication (Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog), Dylan was staying with me at my home in the Cotswolds with his wife and child, and remained for several months. We wrote a satirical novel together, writing alternate chapters. It was called 'The Death Of The King's Canary'.
It is an extraordinary romp, part detective story (about the assassination of the Poet Laureate, the 'King's Canary' of the title) part literary satire and part surrealistic farce. The story revolves around a country house party of astonishingly profligacy, and features a large cast (including at various times the Prime Minister, a dope-smoking butler, literary figures of indeterminate sex and sundry dwarfs). It contains brilliant parodies, previously unpublished, of contemporary poets such as T. S. Eliot and W. H. Auden. And it satires mercilessly yet with great affection the whole literary and artistic world of the 1940's."
Fearing libel action, Dylan Thomas's publishers at the time, J. M. Dent, passed on the novel and 'The Death Of The King's Canary' went unpublished until 1976.
Dylan Thomas's biographer and friend, Constantine FitzGibbon, tells of the history behind the writing of the novel in the detailed introduction for this edition;
"In 1930 the late Wyndham Lewis, that fine painter, writer and many years earlier editor of an iconoclastic periodical appropriately called 'Blast', published a sort of a novel entitled, 'The Apes Of God'. Wyndham Lewis had a profound loathing of all that was accepted, all that was fashionable in the arts. His novel was a ferocious send-up, perhaps the first, of all that was' idees receus' in Flaubert's words, among the advocates and practitioners of what, in the Twenties, was still 'modern art', the first that was perhaps not written, for the wrong reason, by some academician or academic. It is a very long, rather congested and very complex satire, many of the characters being then quite easily recognisable. Perhaps nobody reads it today. It was certainly read by Charles Fisher, and probably by Dylan Thomas, when they were both working on The South Wales Evening Post in 1932. Dylan Thomas was then in his eighteenth year, Fisher a little older. Charles Fisher was one of Dylan's closest Swansea 'friends of my youth', and it may be doubted whether he ever made such friendships once he had left Swansea, tentatively in 1933, soon enough permanently.
He went to London filled with ambition to be recognised as a fine poet. Through Victor Neuburg and, to a slightly lesser extent, through Pamela Hansford Johnson, he met precisely the sort of literary characters whom Lewis had parodied. But he kept in touch with Swansea friends and it is in a letter to Fisher in 1938 that the idea of 'Murder of the King's Canary' (as he was then calling it) appears. He was urging Fisher to collaborate and suggesting a discussion. 'The Canary' was to be 'a novel, the detective story to end detective stories, introducing blatantly every character and situation - an inevitable Chinaman, secret passages, etc. - that no respectable writer would dare use now, drag hundreds of red herrings, false clues, withheld evidences into the story, falsify every issue, make many chapters deliberate parodies, full of cliches, of other detective writers'. A few months later he wrote again urging that he and Fisher 'must get started'.
Fisher, in fact, did produce a rough draft of a first chapter, but this bears no relation to Chapter One of the Thomas / Davenport text. It assemblers and describes characters, unknown to that text, as a committee to choose a new Poet Laureate; and that is all. From that time on nothing seems to be heard of the project until 1940. For by 1938 Dylan was already a famous, some would have said a notorious, and highly impoverished poet and was concentrating on his poems and to a lesser extent on his short stories. Even in his poems he would mull over ideas for years, going back to old notebooks, re-writing juvenilia. Very few of his poems were not conceived, at least, before ever he left Swansea. As for his prose and drama, he was less interested. 'Under Milk Wood' was first discussed with Richard Hughes in 1939, with myself in 1944 and was finished in 1953, only a few days before his death. This constant return to his adolescence or very early manhood was characteristic of all of his work, but more so in his prose even than in his verse. John Davenport once described him to me as the 'laziest intellect' he had ever known. Abstract ideas were of no interest to him at all. I once asked him a question about 'poetry', to which I received the very true answer: he was not interested in poetry, only in poems. He thus lacked the basic, almost ideological, venom that had led Wyndham Lewis to write 'The Apes of God'. He was however a fine parodist of other men's poems.
In the dreadful, and to him terrifying, summer of 1940 he was staying with John Davenport. I knew John Davenport well, and would like to pay public tribute here to an old friend, a generous, difficult, brilliant man with a very fine and profound knowledge of the arts, of all the arts, a consummate pianist, a collector of great paintings by artists then still unknown, and when an undergraduate a poet compared by his contemporaries in the very early Thirties to Auden and Spender and Day Lewis. Yet he, too, dried up. He went to see T. S. Eliot. He told me that Eliot had advised him to write nothing for ten years, and that he had never forgiven Eliot this bad advice, for he never wrote again. He made a certain amount of money from films, and in 1940 was able to support the Thomas family in his comfortable English country house. When he was rich, his money was yours, when he was poor, yours was his.
John Davenport was an unusually strong man, quite short but almost square, at one time a very good heavyweight boxer. In literature he was a perfectionist, and this was his emotional downfall, for he could not, ten years after his perhaps apocryphal conversation with T. S. Eliot, ever achieve his own standards. I once stopped him from throttling Dylan -true, it was very late at night - for the very simple and expressed reason that Dylan was a 'poet' and John was not.
In 1940 Dylan revived the idea for 'The King's Canary' and on this book he and Davenport collaborated. It was intended to be a good joke, and to make money, but of course was quite unpublishable while the main characters were alive. Dylan Thomas maintained that Davenport had written most of the verse parodies. This may well be untrue, for if Dylan was not proud of them, he would have given their authorship to John. Others have said that their skill is far beyond what were Davenport's capabilities. Some of the prose, but not a great deal, shows evidence of Dylan's verbal pyrotechnics. Apparently they collaborated in a room that Davenport had fixed up as a model of an old-fashioned pub, complete with barrels of beer, while Caitlin danced in a distant summerhouse to the music of a portable gramophone.
Very frequently I receive letters from post-graduate students asking for help in their Ph.D. theses concerning the late Dylan Thomas. Here, I can give no help. On the other hand, I feel that a most useful Ph.D. thesis might be based upon this book. A subtle scholar could devote a great deal of his time to speculation as to who wrote what in this curious book. But then Dylan Thomas also announced, as part of his policy towards the world: 'Bewilder 'em'. "
John Davenport was born in 1908 and was educated at St. Paul's and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. After a stint of script-writing in Hollywood he returned to Britain where he taught French and history at Repton and Stowe. For many years he was the literary critic for The Observer newspaper. He died in 1966, a full ten years before 'The Death Of The King's Canary' finally made it into print.
Gwen Watkins, 'Portrait Of A Friend' The Gomer Press, Signed First Edition, 1983
A pristine, first edition copy, published in hardback, of Gwen Watkins' moving personal biography entitled, 'Portrait Of A Friend', which details the friendship between herself, her husband, the Pennard poet, Vernon Watkins, and Dylan and Caitlin Thomas.
This copy was published by The Gomer Press based in Llandysul, Dyfed and printed by J. D. Lewis and Sons Limited. This first edition was published, with the support of the Welsh Arts Council, in May, 1983 and was issued with the ISBN 0-85088-847-6.
This copy was published by The Gomer Press on black cloth boards with gilt lettering and is illustrated with ten black and white photographs. This copy is also complete with the original dust-jacket.
The cover notes for this first edition of 'Portrait Of A Friend' read;
"Dylan Thomas and Vernon Watkins are always thought of as completely different in their personalities and their lives; but were they so very different? This book tells the real story of their relationship, its origin and development, and what it meant to them both. The myth that Vernon Watkins was a father figure, a centre of sanity, a bulwark in Dylan's hectic and disordered life is shown to have no basis in fact, on the contrary, Vernon was never central in Dylan's life, but Dylan became the most important in Vernon's, and continued to influence him from beyond the grave to the day of his own death. Analyses and interpretations of many of his poems for, and about Dylan, make this a valuable book for scholars, while the author's inside knowledge of the relationship between two poets has a much wider interest. If Gwen Watkins' shrewd, dispassionate, penetrating verdict on her husband comes as a shock, it is the shock of a compelling truth."
Vernon and Gwen Watkins first met during 1943 when they were both working at Bletchley Park, and married in 1944, (Dylan famously not turning up to fulfil his duties as best-man). After the war they settled down to family life with their five children on the beautiful cliffs of Pennard, overlooking the Gower Peninsula.
Following Vernon's sudden and tragic death in 1967 in America, Gwen took over teaching his poetry classes at the University of Washington before returning to England where she received a First in English at the University of Reading, Berkshire.
Now based back in her beloved Gower, she has lectured and written extensively on nineteenth and twentieth century literature, most notably on the work of Charles Dickens and of course, Dylan Thomas.
Gwen Watkins has also been involved in the publication of much of Vernon Watkins' previously unpublished poetry, and at present is in the process of cataloguing Vernon's poetry for the British Library.
A pristine, first edition copy, published in hardback, of Gwen Watkins' moving personal biography entitled, 'Portrait Of A Friend', which details the friendship between herself, her husband, the Pennard poet, Vernon Watkins, and Dylan and Caitlin Thomas.
This copy was published by The Gomer Press based in Llandysul, Dyfed and printed by J. D. Lewis and Sons Limited. This first edition was published, with the support of the Welsh Arts Council, in May, 1983 and was issued with the ISBN 0-85088-847-6.
This copy was published by The Gomer Press on black cloth boards with gilt lettering and is illustrated with ten black and white photographs. This copy is also complete with the original dust-jacket.
The cover notes for this first edition of 'Portrait Of A Friend' read;
"Dylan Thomas and Vernon Watkins are always thought of as completely different in their personalities and their lives; but were they so very different? This book tells the real story of their relationship, its origin and development, and what it meant to them both. The myth that Vernon Watkins was a father figure, a centre of sanity, a bulwark in Dylan's hectic and disordered life is shown to have no basis in fact, on the contrary, Vernon was never central in Dylan's life, but Dylan became the most important in Vernon's, and continued to influence him from beyond the grave to the day of his own death. Analyses and interpretations of many of his poems for, and about Dylan, make this a valuable book for scholars, while the author's inside knowledge of the relationship between two poets has a much wider interest. If Gwen Watkins' shrewd, dispassionate, penetrating verdict on her husband comes as a shock, it is the shock of a compelling truth."
Vernon and Gwen Watkins first met during 1943 when they were both working at Bletchley Park, and married in 1944, (Dylan famously not turning up to fulfil his duties as best-man). After the war they settled down to family life with their five children on the beautiful cliffs of Pennard, overlooking the Gower Peninsula.
Following Vernon's sudden and tragic death in 1967 in America, Gwen took over teaching his poetry classes at the University of Washington before returning to England where she received a First in English at the University of Reading, Berkshire.
Now based back in her beloved Gower, she has lectured and written extensively on nineteenth and twentieth century literature, most notably on the work of Charles Dickens and of course, Dylan Thomas.
Gwen Watkins has also been involved in the publication of much of Vernon Watkins' previously unpublished poetry, and at present is in the process of cataloguing Vernon's poetry for the British Library.
This first edition copy of Gwen Watkins' delightful memoir has the lovely addition of having been personally signed to myself by the author herself, Gwen Watkins, in the August of 2017.
Daniel Jones, 'My Friend Dylan Thomas' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, 1977
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of the Daniel Jones biography entitled, 'My Friend Dylan Thomas'.
This copy was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Aldine House, Albemarle Street, London and printed by Biddles Limited, based in Guildford, Surrey in 1977.
This edition is illustrated with a small selection of black and white photographs taken from the private collection of Dylan Thomas's close friend, the composer, and author of this interesting biography, Doctor Daniel Jones.
Published by J. M. Dent on burgundy cloth boards with gilt lettering, this edition is complete with the original dust-jacket, which features a photograph of Daniel Jones and Dylan Thomas taken at Llanddarog Churchyard, Carmarthenshire in the Autumn of 1951.
This first edition copy was issued with the ISBN 0-460-14314-5.
The following extract of text is taken from the publishers cover notes;
''The chance discovery of a long unpublished letter from Dylan Thomas lies behind the writing of this intensely personal portrait, drawn by a man whose friendship with him spanned some twenty-eight years of the poet's short life.
After many years of silence Daniel Jones sets out to dispel at least some of the misapprehensions that have grown up about the man and his life in the years since his death. For there is mystery in Dylan Thomas's character, work, life and even death; the author, recognising this, is in the unique position to cast some light on the mystery, and he does so, but not without stimulating the reader to seek his own conclusions.
Relying almost exclusively on his own recollections, Daniel Jones writes of the early days of friendship at school and at home, the changing relationship over the years, the poet's knowledge of literature and the arts, his attitude to his own writing, his qualities as reader and broadcaster and the growth of the 'Dylan Myth'.
Throughout this highly readable and entertaining account, with its many revealing and sometimes amusing anecdotes, the author is constantly seeking to 'lay the ghost to raise the man".
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of the Daniel Jones biography entitled, 'My Friend Dylan Thomas'.
This copy was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Aldine House, Albemarle Street, London and printed by Biddles Limited, based in Guildford, Surrey in 1977.
This edition is illustrated with a small selection of black and white photographs taken from the private collection of Dylan Thomas's close friend, the composer, and author of this interesting biography, Doctor Daniel Jones.
Published by J. M. Dent on burgundy cloth boards with gilt lettering, this edition is complete with the original dust-jacket, which features a photograph of Daniel Jones and Dylan Thomas taken at Llanddarog Churchyard, Carmarthenshire in the Autumn of 1951.
This first edition copy was issued with the ISBN 0-460-14314-5.
The following extract of text is taken from the publishers cover notes;
''The chance discovery of a long unpublished letter from Dylan Thomas lies behind the writing of this intensely personal portrait, drawn by a man whose friendship with him spanned some twenty-eight years of the poet's short life.
After many years of silence Daniel Jones sets out to dispel at least some of the misapprehensions that have grown up about the man and his life in the years since his death. For there is mystery in Dylan Thomas's character, work, life and even death; the author, recognising this, is in the unique position to cast some light on the mystery, and he does so, but not without stimulating the reader to seek his own conclusions.
Relying almost exclusively on his own recollections, Daniel Jones writes of the early days of friendship at school and at home, the changing relationship over the years, the poet's knowledge of literature and the arts, his attitude to his own writing, his qualities as reader and broadcaster and the growth of the 'Dylan Myth'.
Throughout this highly readable and entertaining account, with its many revealing and sometimes amusing anecdotes, the author is constantly seeking to 'lay the ghost to raise the man".
Andrew Sinclair, 'Dylan Thomas - Poet Of His People' Michael Joseph, First Edition, 1975
Devised and produced by the Park and Roche Establishment, Schaan in 1975, this is a first edition copy, published in hardback, of film director and writer Andrew Sinclair's incredibly well-written and informative photographic book which he entitled, 'Dylan Thomas - Poet Of His People'.
This first edition copy was published by Michael Joseph, Bedford Square, London, and printed and bound in Italy by Amilcare Pizzi, based in Milan in 1975.
The format for 'Dylan Thomas - Poet Of His People' was designed by Crispin Fisher with picture research provided by Juliet Brightmore.
This beautiful book is illustrated throughout with stunning black and white photographs and was published by Michael Joseph on blue cloth boards with gilt lettering. This copy is also complete with the original dust-jacket which features the portrait of Dylan Thomas as painted by Augustus John around 1937.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 0-7181-1438-8.
The text from the cover notes of this first edition reads;
"Dylan Thomas was the best lyric poet of his age, who, by his life as well as his work, attracted a new mass audience to his craft. He was a cult in his own time as well as a poet for all time. Andrew Sinclair's new biography of Dylan beautifully captures the rampaging lifestyle of the man and the poet - his strength and weakness and above all, his art. The divisions and tensions of Dylan's Welsh heritage and personal background are emphasised. He was a suburban boy who loved to play the enfant terrible, a genius in pursuit of innocence through self-destruction, a lover of home who could not stay there.
Everyone who reads this book will return to Dylan's extraordinary prose and poetry with fresh insights and understanding of the man and the genius. The book is superbly illustrated with photographs which combine with Andrew Sinclair's brilliant text to evoke the true qualities of Dylan Thomas, the tragic bard of his people."
Devised and produced by the Park and Roche Establishment, Schaan in 1975, this is a first edition copy, published in hardback, of film director and writer Andrew Sinclair's incredibly well-written and informative photographic book which he entitled, 'Dylan Thomas - Poet Of His People'.
This first edition copy was published by Michael Joseph, Bedford Square, London, and printed and bound in Italy by Amilcare Pizzi, based in Milan in 1975.
The format for 'Dylan Thomas - Poet Of His People' was designed by Crispin Fisher with picture research provided by Juliet Brightmore.
This beautiful book is illustrated throughout with stunning black and white photographs and was published by Michael Joseph on blue cloth boards with gilt lettering. This copy is also complete with the original dust-jacket which features the portrait of Dylan Thomas as painted by Augustus John around 1937.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 0-7181-1438-8.
The text from the cover notes of this first edition reads;
"Dylan Thomas was the best lyric poet of his age, who, by his life as well as his work, attracted a new mass audience to his craft. He was a cult in his own time as well as a poet for all time. Andrew Sinclair's new biography of Dylan beautifully captures the rampaging lifestyle of the man and the poet - his strength and weakness and above all, his art. The divisions and tensions of Dylan's Welsh heritage and personal background are emphasised. He was a suburban boy who loved to play the enfant terrible, a genius in pursuit of innocence through self-destruction, a lover of home who could not stay there.
Everyone who reads this book will return to Dylan's extraordinary prose and poetry with fresh insights and understanding of the man and the genius. The book is superbly illustrated with photographs which combine with Andrew Sinclair's brilliant text to evoke the true qualities of Dylan Thomas, the tragic bard of his people."
J. Alexander Rolph, 'Dylan Thomas : A Bibliography' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, 1956
Published by J. M. Dent and Sons, Bedford Street, London in 1956 and printed by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, this is a first edition copy, published in hardback, of J. Alexander Rolph's excellently researched volume, 'Dylan Thomas : A Bibliography'.
As well as being an incredibly well-researched book, listing all of Dylan Thomas's published writing up to, and including 1956, this invaluable book includes a foreword written by Dame Edith Sitwell, sixteen plates of photographs, featuring many of Dylan Thomas's rarer publications, portraits, facsimiles of text and personal letters and extensive notes.
The original price upon publication of this magnificent work in 1956 was forty-five shillings.
This copy was published on green cloth boards with gilt lettering on a red mount and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The text, taken from the publishers original cover notes, explains the function and need for this detailed bibliography;
"Dylan Thomas was an eccentric genius, and his casual attitude to his own writing has rendered the publication of a definitive bibliography not only desirable but indispensable. He was fortunate in his choice, some years ago, of his bookseller friend J. Alexander Rolph as his bibliographer. Mr. Rolph undertook the task with enthusiasm, and this valuable book is the result of his labours.
The bibliography lists all the published writings of Dylan Thomas, arranged chronologically in sections; poems, books and pamphlets, contributions to periodicals, contributions to books and translations of books. A supplementary section deals with gramophone recordings, and the book is also furnished with an exhaustive index, short bibliographical notes, and a number of illustrations of items of special interest. A feature of the book is its study, in the first section, of the textual history of each of Dylan Thomas's poems composed within the major period of his literary career."
Published by J. M. Dent and Sons, Bedford Street, London in 1956 and printed by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, this is a first edition copy, published in hardback, of J. Alexander Rolph's excellently researched volume, 'Dylan Thomas : A Bibliography'.
As well as being an incredibly well-researched book, listing all of Dylan Thomas's published writing up to, and including 1956, this invaluable book includes a foreword written by Dame Edith Sitwell, sixteen plates of photographs, featuring many of Dylan Thomas's rarer publications, portraits, facsimiles of text and personal letters and extensive notes.
The original price upon publication of this magnificent work in 1956 was forty-five shillings.
This copy was published on green cloth boards with gilt lettering on a red mount and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The text, taken from the publishers original cover notes, explains the function and need for this detailed bibliography;
"Dylan Thomas was an eccentric genius, and his casual attitude to his own writing has rendered the publication of a definitive bibliography not only desirable but indispensable. He was fortunate in his choice, some years ago, of his bookseller friend J. Alexander Rolph as his bibliographer. Mr. Rolph undertook the task with enthusiasm, and this valuable book is the result of his labours.
The bibliography lists all the published writings of Dylan Thomas, arranged chronologically in sections; poems, books and pamphlets, contributions to periodicals, contributions to books and translations of books. A supplementary section deals with gramophone recordings, and the book is also furnished with an exhaustive index, short bibliographical notes, and a number of illustrations of items of special interest. A feature of the book is its study, in the first section, of the textual history of each of Dylan Thomas's poems composed within the major period of his literary career."
The frontispiece to J. Alexander Rolph's informative work, 'Dylan Thomas - A Bibliography', featuring the Rollie McKenna photograph of Dylan Thomas which Dame Edith Sitwell referred to in her moving and beautifully written foreword.
'Poet In The Making - The Notebooks Of Dylan Thomas' Edited by Ralph Maud J.M. Dent and Sons, Second Impression,1968
Published by J.M. Dent and Sons Limited of Bedford Street, London and printed by Lowe and Brydone Limited, this is a first edition, second impression, of 'Poet In The Making - The Notebooks Of Dylan Thomas', Edited by Ralph Maud. This copy was published by J. M. Dent on light blue cloth boards with silver gilt lettering and was issued with the ISBN 460-03829-X.
This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The detailed publishers cover notes for this first edition read;
"When a writer's or musician's work is well known, a deeper understanding of it can often be realised from a study of the early drafts, records and sketches he has made in evolving his novel, symphony or poem. Beethoven's sketch books, so fortunately preserved and discovered for prosperity, are invaluable as an aid to the fuller appreciation of his genius, and Dylan Thomas's notebooks from his early years are similarly revealing. Through these riveting pages of youthful writing the reader becomes aware of new depth in the work of a man who is one of the most significant and influential poets born in this century.
The contents of the notebooks are verse to which Professor Maud has added authoritative editorial apparatus. What is significant is that one hundred and fifty of the poems, of varying quality, are entirely new and unpublished while in addition there are over forty recognisable as material appearing in more mature form later. For the first time the reader can glimpse Thomas's deep and abiding affiliation on poetic traditions and his complete dedication to his calling as a poet. As arranged by Professor Maud, this is a most agreeable text to read, based on the four manuscript exercise books in which Dylan copied much of his poetic output between the ages of fifteen and nineteen.
Even readers not specially attracted to Thomas's verse, or those that feel that much of it has to do with those private and personal feelings so characteristic of modern poetry, will find these notebooks rewarding reading; as many found the notebooks of Dame Edith Sitwell (an early champion of Dylan) on her poetry.
Professor Ralph Maud obtained his Harvard Ph.D. with his thesis on Dylan Thomas, and has also obtained Dexter and Guggenham travelling Fellowships to work on Thomas material. he is indisputably now one of the leading authorities on the poet."
Contemporary reviews for this publication included such praise as;
"An intelligent, scholarly and at the same time absorbingly readable piece of work". The Sunday Telegraph.
"He is lucky to have gained so judicious and sane an editor as Ralph Maud, whose 'Poet In The Making' is a fascinating mixture of surprises and corroborations". The Sunday Times.
"A professionally excellent job and an admirable one...see all those 'secret' poems, conceived but never brought to birth." The Saturday Review.
Published by J.M. Dent and Sons Limited of Bedford Street, London and printed by Lowe and Brydone Limited, this is a first edition, second impression, of 'Poet In The Making - The Notebooks Of Dylan Thomas', Edited by Ralph Maud. This copy was published by J. M. Dent on light blue cloth boards with silver gilt lettering and was issued with the ISBN 460-03829-X.
This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The detailed publishers cover notes for this first edition read;
"When a writer's or musician's work is well known, a deeper understanding of it can often be realised from a study of the early drafts, records and sketches he has made in evolving his novel, symphony or poem. Beethoven's sketch books, so fortunately preserved and discovered for prosperity, are invaluable as an aid to the fuller appreciation of his genius, and Dylan Thomas's notebooks from his early years are similarly revealing. Through these riveting pages of youthful writing the reader becomes aware of new depth in the work of a man who is one of the most significant and influential poets born in this century.
The contents of the notebooks are verse to which Professor Maud has added authoritative editorial apparatus. What is significant is that one hundred and fifty of the poems, of varying quality, are entirely new and unpublished while in addition there are over forty recognisable as material appearing in more mature form later. For the first time the reader can glimpse Thomas's deep and abiding affiliation on poetic traditions and his complete dedication to his calling as a poet. As arranged by Professor Maud, this is a most agreeable text to read, based on the four manuscript exercise books in which Dylan copied much of his poetic output between the ages of fifteen and nineteen.
Even readers not specially attracted to Thomas's verse, or those that feel that much of it has to do with those private and personal feelings so characteristic of modern poetry, will find these notebooks rewarding reading; as many found the notebooks of Dame Edith Sitwell (an early champion of Dylan) on her poetry.
Professor Ralph Maud obtained his Harvard Ph.D. with his thesis on Dylan Thomas, and has also obtained Dexter and Guggenham travelling Fellowships to work on Thomas material. he is indisputably now one of the leading authorities on the poet."
Contemporary reviews for this publication included such praise as;
"An intelligent, scholarly and at the same time absorbingly readable piece of work". The Sunday Telegraph.
"He is lucky to have gained so judicious and sane an editor as Ralph Maud, whose 'Poet In The Making' is a fascinating mixture of surprises and corroborations". The Sunday Times.
"A professionally excellent job and an admirable one...see all those 'secret' poems, conceived but never brought to birth." The Saturday Review.
'William T. Moynihan, 'The Craft And Art Of Dylan Thomas' Cornell University Press, American First Edition, 1966
An American first edition copy of William T. Moynihan's study of the poetic writing of Dylan Thomas entitled, 'The Craft and Art of Dylan Thomas'.
This copy was published by the Cornell University Press and printed by the Kingsport Press Incorporated in 1966 and issued with the Library of Congress catalogue number 65-28600.
The publishers cover notes read;
'This illuminating study of the writings of Dylan Thomas is the most comprehensive critical work to date on the great Welsh lyric poet. The focus throughout is on the poetry itself, rather than on the man and his life, although biographical material is introduced and Thomas's prose and dramatic writings are discussed wherever necessary to clarify the imaginative themes or to dispel the obscurity of some of the poems.
"The paradoxes of Thomas's work," says the author, "its lyric directness and verbal opacity, its contrived rhetoric and emotional simplicity, its intellectual limitations and its mythic universality - these are the 'cunning passageways' that must be traced." Tracing them with great care and insight, William T. Moynihan clearly reveals the nature and quality of Thomas's poetic achievement.
Professor Moynihan moves from an analysis of the poet's creative imagination and his conception of poetry to a discussion of his auditory, rhetorical, and metaphorical techniques. He elucidates the thematic statements found in Thomas's poetry from rebellion and denial in youth to questioning and debate and, at last, to praise and affirmation.
Turning finally to image clusters, the author describes Thomas's work in terms of the poet's obsessive concerns with images of creation, fall and regeneration.
From such varied perspectives - the auditory, the rhetorical, the thematic, and the metaphoric - Thomas's "struggle from darkness toward some measure of light" is clearly and fully analyzed.'
The Craft and Art of Dylan Thomas should help to make the work of a richly gifted but difficult poet more accessible and comprehensible to a far wider audience. Those readers already familiar with Thomas's poems will also find the book richly rewarding.'
This American first edition copy of 'The Craft and Art of Dylan Thomas' is complete with the original dust-jacket.
An American first edition copy of William T. Moynihan's study of the poetic writing of Dylan Thomas entitled, 'The Craft and Art of Dylan Thomas'.
This copy was published by the Cornell University Press and printed by the Kingsport Press Incorporated in 1966 and issued with the Library of Congress catalogue number 65-28600.
The publishers cover notes read;
'This illuminating study of the writings of Dylan Thomas is the most comprehensive critical work to date on the great Welsh lyric poet. The focus throughout is on the poetry itself, rather than on the man and his life, although biographical material is introduced and Thomas's prose and dramatic writings are discussed wherever necessary to clarify the imaginative themes or to dispel the obscurity of some of the poems.
"The paradoxes of Thomas's work," says the author, "its lyric directness and verbal opacity, its contrived rhetoric and emotional simplicity, its intellectual limitations and its mythic universality - these are the 'cunning passageways' that must be traced." Tracing them with great care and insight, William T. Moynihan clearly reveals the nature and quality of Thomas's poetic achievement.
Professor Moynihan moves from an analysis of the poet's creative imagination and his conception of poetry to a discussion of his auditory, rhetorical, and metaphorical techniques. He elucidates the thematic statements found in Thomas's poetry from rebellion and denial in youth to questioning and debate and, at last, to praise and affirmation.
Turning finally to image clusters, the author describes Thomas's work in terms of the poet's obsessive concerns with images of creation, fall and regeneration.
From such varied perspectives - the auditory, the rhetorical, the thematic, and the metaphoric - Thomas's "struggle from darkness toward some measure of light" is clearly and fully analyzed.'
The Craft and Art of Dylan Thomas should help to make the work of a richly gifted but difficult poet more accessible and comprehensible to a far wider audience. Those readers already familiar with Thomas's poems will also find the book richly rewarding.'
This American first edition copy of 'The Craft and Art of Dylan Thomas' is complete with the original dust-jacket.
G. S. Fraser, 'Writers And Their Work - Dylan Thomas' Longmans, Green and Company, Second Impression, 1960
Published by Longmans, Green and Company on behalf of The British Council and the National Book League this is a second impression edition of G.S. Fraser's critical study of the work of Dylan Thomas.
This booklet, originally published in 1957 and preserved in near mint condition, was issue number ninety in a series of critical studies which included such other subjects as W. H. Auden, Walter De La Mare, Winston Churchill, T. S. Eliot, Robert Graves, Edith Sitwell, Virginia Woolf and George Orwell.
The general editor for this publication was Bonamy Dobree.
This delightful booklet was published by Longman, Green and Company based in Clifford Street, London and was printed by Unwin Brothers Limited based in Woking and London.
The price of this issue on publication in 1960 was two shillings and sixpence.
The brief cover notes for this booklet read;
"When Dylan Thomas died in New York in 1953 he was at the height of his fame. His 'Collected Poems' had already enjoyed great success and he had shown exceptional gifts as broadcaster, entertainer, conversationalist and story-teller. Since his death, argument about his work has continued, and the current response to 'Under Milk Wood' shows how alive general interest remains. This affectionate portrayal of life in a Welsh village, originally written for broadcasting, has enjoyed wide success on stage and television.
Mr. G. S. Fraser, who will be remembered particularly for his study of W. B. Yeats in this series (it was the 50th issue) has written a highly personal study of Dylan Thomas's poetry. It will be of value to all who wish both to understand his impact on contemporaries and to asses his place in literature".
This edition also includes a detailed and selective Dylan Thomas bibliography.
Published by Longmans, Green and Company on behalf of The British Council and the National Book League this is a second impression edition of G.S. Fraser's critical study of the work of Dylan Thomas.
This booklet, originally published in 1957 and preserved in near mint condition, was issue number ninety in a series of critical studies which included such other subjects as W. H. Auden, Walter De La Mare, Winston Churchill, T. S. Eliot, Robert Graves, Edith Sitwell, Virginia Woolf and George Orwell.
The general editor for this publication was Bonamy Dobree.
This delightful booklet was published by Longman, Green and Company based in Clifford Street, London and was printed by Unwin Brothers Limited based in Woking and London.
The price of this issue on publication in 1960 was two shillings and sixpence.
The brief cover notes for this booklet read;
"When Dylan Thomas died in New York in 1953 he was at the height of his fame. His 'Collected Poems' had already enjoyed great success and he had shown exceptional gifts as broadcaster, entertainer, conversationalist and story-teller. Since his death, argument about his work has continued, and the current response to 'Under Milk Wood' shows how alive general interest remains. This affectionate portrayal of life in a Welsh village, originally written for broadcasting, has enjoyed wide success on stage and television.
Mr. G. S. Fraser, who will be remembered particularly for his study of W. B. Yeats in this series (it was the 50th issue) has written a highly personal study of Dylan Thomas's poetry. It will be of value to all who wish both to understand his impact on contemporaries and to asses his place in literature".
This edition also includes a detailed and selective Dylan Thomas bibliography.
The frontispiece to the Dylan Thomas edition of 'Writers And Their Work' by G. S. Fraser, published in 1960.
David Holbrook, 'Llareggub Revisited' Bowes & Bowes Publishers Limited, First Edition, 1962
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of David Holbrook's academic study entitled, 'Llareggub Revisited - Dylan Thomas And The State Of Modern Poetry'.
This edition was published by Bowes and Bowes Publishers Limited, Great Russell Street, London in 1962 and printed by The Alden Press, Oxford and at the time of publication was priced at twenty-one shillings.
In an extract of text taken from the cover notes, the publishers explain the reasoning and purpose behind this critical study;
"One of Britain's most challenging critics, a poet himself, analyses the dissatisfaction he feels in reading most contemporary poetry.
In the first section of this book, author, poet and critic David Holbrook searches for the touchstones of true poetry. He suggests that its essential quality, wherein its greatness lies, is metaphorical, but it must also be governed by the impulse to explore and extend morality, to develop attitudes to life. Without the presence of this 'metaphorical responsibility' poetry comes to lack vitality - in a way that folk songs and poems by children never do.
The author then examines these true voices of poetry. there are chapters on folk song and children's verse, relating them to recent and contemporary poetry. A chapter on T. S. Eliot distinguishes the good influences of that poet's genuine power from the unfortunate effects of his 'attitudes of rejection'.
In the second part of the book Mr. Holbrook finds a focus for his dissatisfaction with modern 'repro-poetry' in the work of Dylan Thomas. He makes an extended analysis of the utterances of critics and disciples, as well as of Thomas's poetry itself. Distinguishing Thomas's true poetic gifts from his verbal irresponsibility and desires to shock, Mr. Holbrook vigorously displays the disastrous ends to which such characteristics can lead their imitators."
This copy was published on red cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket. Other subjects in this series of Studies in Modern European Literature and Thought include volumes relating to Sartre, Lorca, Rilke, Valery and Baudelaire, each published by Bowes and Bowes in this format.
David Holbrook, writer, poet, academic and Fellow of King's College, Cambridge was born in Norwich in 1923. After graduating from Cambridge his first position was as editor of the communist cultural periodical 'Our Time' before becoming a full-time writer in the early 1960's.
As well as being a novelist, (his books mainly being centered around his personal experiences during World War II and his own fascinating family history), he was also a talented poet, having his work published by such reputable companies as Putnam, Methuen and The Anvil Press.
As well as 'Llareggub Revisited', David Holbrook also wrote two other works regarding the poet; 'Dylan Thomas And Poetic Dissociation' and 'Code Of Night', published in 1964 and 1972 respectively. He had also had published other works of literary criticism concerning, amongst others, Tolstoy, C.S. Lewis, Dickens, Lewis Carroll and Sylvia Plath.
As well as being a Fellow of King's College, Cambridge he was made a Fellow of Downing College and an Emeritus Fellow in 1981 and 1988.
David Holbrook died, at the age of 88, on the 11th of August, 2011.
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of David Holbrook's academic study entitled, 'Llareggub Revisited - Dylan Thomas And The State Of Modern Poetry'.
This edition was published by Bowes and Bowes Publishers Limited, Great Russell Street, London in 1962 and printed by The Alden Press, Oxford and at the time of publication was priced at twenty-one shillings.
In an extract of text taken from the cover notes, the publishers explain the reasoning and purpose behind this critical study;
"One of Britain's most challenging critics, a poet himself, analyses the dissatisfaction he feels in reading most contemporary poetry.
In the first section of this book, author, poet and critic David Holbrook searches for the touchstones of true poetry. He suggests that its essential quality, wherein its greatness lies, is metaphorical, but it must also be governed by the impulse to explore and extend morality, to develop attitudes to life. Without the presence of this 'metaphorical responsibility' poetry comes to lack vitality - in a way that folk songs and poems by children never do.
The author then examines these true voices of poetry. there are chapters on folk song and children's verse, relating them to recent and contemporary poetry. A chapter on T. S. Eliot distinguishes the good influences of that poet's genuine power from the unfortunate effects of his 'attitudes of rejection'.
In the second part of the book Mr. Holbrook finds a focus for his dissatisfaction with modern 'repro-poetry' in the work of Dylan Thomas. He makes an extended analysis of the utterances of critics and disciples, as well as of Thomas's poetry itself. Distinguishing Thomas's true poetic gifts from his verbal irresponsibility and desires to shock, Mr. Holbrook vigorously displays the disastrous ends to which such characteristics can lead their imitators."
This copy was published on red cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket. Other subjects in this series of Studies in Modern European Literature and Thought include volumes relating to Sartre, Lorca, Rilke, Valery and Baudelaire, each published by Bowes and Bowes in this format.
David Holbrook, writer, poet, academic and Fellow of King's College, Cambridge was born in Norwich in 1923. After graduating from Cambridge his first position was as editor of the communist cultural periodical 'Our Time' before becoming a full-time writer in the early 1960's.
As well as being a novelist, (his books mainly being centered around his personal experiences during World War II and his own fascinating family history), he was also a talented poet, having his work published by such reputable companies as Putnam, Methuen and The Anvil Press.
As well as 'Llareggub Revisited', David Holbrook also wrote two other works regarding the poet; 'Dylan Thomas And Poetic Dissociation' and 'Code Of Night', published in 1964 and 1972 respectively. He had also had published other works of literary criticism concerning, amongst others, Tolstoy, C.S. Lewis, Dickens, Lewis Carroll and Sylvia Plath.
As well as being a Fellow of King's College, Cambridge he was made a Fellow of Downing College and an Emeritus Fellow in 1981 and 1988.
David Holbrook died, at the age of 88, on the 11th of August, 2011.
David Holbrook, 'Dylan Thomas - The Code Of Night'
The Athlone Press, First Edition, 1972
A first edition, hardback copy, of the third book relating to Dylan Thomas to be written by David Holbrook entitled, 'Dylan Thomas - The Code Of Night'.
This is a first edition copy which was published by The Athlone Press, a subsidiary publishing company of The University of London, Gower Street, London and printed by Western Printing Services Limited based in Bristol in 1972.
This edition was distributed by Tiptree Book Services Limited, Essex.
Published by The Athlone Press on red cloth boards with gilt lettering, this edition is complete with the original dust-jacket and was issued with the ISBN 0-485-11135-7.
This copy features an in-depth introduction entitled 'The Genesis Of Identity' and an and detailed extensive bibliography.
The following text is taken from the publishers cover notes;
"Mr. Holbrook here offers a new interpretation of Dylan Thomas which seeks, by uncovering the roots of his predicament as man and artist, to show what is of lasting value in his achievement. This undertaking involves the consideration of some profound questions of human personality and of human creativity and its denial.
Mr. Holbrook's use of the notable psychoanalytical studies of W. D. Fairbairn, Harry Guntrip, D. W. Winnicott and others should not perturb unduly the literary or general reader. By such means he succeeds, where more orthodox criticism falls short, in demonstrating the strange coherence which underlies the seemingly merely conflicting, chaotic or impenetrable elements in Thomas's work and in unravelling Thomas's self-imposed 'code of night'."
The Athlone Press, First Edition, 1972
A first edition, hardback copy, of the third book relating to Dylan Thomas to be written by David Holbrook entitled, 'Dylan Thomas - The Code Of Night'.
This is a first edition copy which was published by The Athlone Press, a subsidiary publishing company of The University of London, Gower Street, London and printed by Western Printing Services Limited based in Bristol in 1972.
This edition was distributed by Tiptree Book Services Limited, Essex.
Published by The Athlone Press on red cloth boards with gilt lettering, this edition is complete with the original dust-jacket and was issued with the ISBN 0-485-11135-7.
This copy features an in-depth introduction entitled 'The Genesis Of Identity' and an and detailed extensive bibliography.
The following text is taken from the publishers cover notes;
"Mr. Holbrook here offers a new interpretation of Dylan Thomas which seeks, by uncovering the roots of his predicament as man and artist, to show what is of lasting value in his achievement. This undertaking involves the consideration of some profound questions of human personality and of human creativity and its denial.
Mr. Holbrook's use of the notable psychoanalytical studies of W. D. Fairbairn, Harry Guntrip, D. W. Winnicott and others should not perturb unduly the literary or general reader. By such means he succeeds, where more orthodox criticism falls short, in demonstrating the strange coherence which underlies the seemingly merely conflicting, chaotic or impenetrable elements in Thomas's work and in unravelling Thomas's self-imposed 'code of night'."
Rushworth M. Kidder, 'Dylan Thomas - The Country Of The Spirit' The Princeton University Press, First Edition, 1973
"God is the country of the spirit, and each of us is given a little holding of ground in that country." Dylan Thomas, in a letter to Pamela Hansford-Johnson.
An American first edition, published in hardback, of Rushworth M. Kidder's critical study of the work of Dylan Thomas entitled, 'Dylan Thomas - The Country Of The Spirit'.
This edition was published and printed by The Princeton University Press, New Jersey with the assistance of the Research Committee of the Witchita State University in 1973 and was issued with the ISBN 0-091-06257-9.
The first part of this book examines the nature of religious poetry and the application of that term to the poetic work of Dylan Thomas and continues the examination which includes a study into the same relationship within his letters and prose writing. The final part of this book contains an in-depth study of religious imagery contained in the poetry in Dylan Thomas's major works which involves the study of 18 Poems, Twenty-Five Poems, The Map Of Love, Deaths And Entrances and In Country Sleep.
The publishers text, taken from the extensive cover notes for this edition, reads;
"An appealing view of Thomas, balanced in concept and execution, and graced by the critic's acuity, learning, and sense of humour." - William L. Howarth.
"Since the Bible appears so frequently in Dylan Thomas's work, some critics have decided that he must be a religious poet. Others, noting blasphemous statements and certain irreligious aspects of Thomas's personal life, contend that he was no such thing. Rushworth M. Kidder, investigating this problem, looks below the surface of the obviously religious imagery and discovers a more profound poetry.
The first part of this book discusses the nature of religious poetry and the application of that term to Thomas's work; it then develops the necessary background based on his letters and prose comments to provide a foundation for the study; and finally it examines the relationship between the religious aspects of his poetry and his well-known ambiguity. The author re-defines the vocabulary for dealing with religious imagery by establishing three distinctive categories of imagery: referential, allusive and thematic. This original technique is used to examine critically Thomas's poems to show the development of his religious and poetic thought. There are numerous close, sensitive readings of individual poems to show how his poetry, like the Bible, teaches by parable, speaking deliberate ambiguity rather than simple dogma.
This strategy inspired poetry that is technically complex but thematically simple, a mode of verse that became more explicitly religious in the poet's final years."
This copy of 'The Country Of The Spirit' was published by The Princeton University Press on pale green cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
Rushworth Moulton Kidder, born in 1944, was an American author and ethicist, best known as being the founder of The Institute For Global Ethics in 1990 and for his column and editorial work on 'The Christian Science Monitor'.
Rushworth Kidder died in Florida in 2012 at the age of 67.
"God is the country of the spirit, and each of us is given a little holding of ground in that country." Dylan Thomas, in a letter to Pamela Hansford-Johnson.
An American first edition, published in hardback, of Rushworth M. Kidder's critical study of the work of Dylan Thomas entitled, 'Dylan Thomas - The Country Of The Spirit'.
This edition was published and printed by The Princeton University Press, New Jersey with the assistance of the Research Committee of the Witchita State University in 1973 and was issued with the ISBN 0-091-06257-9.
The first part of this book examines the nature of religious poetry and the application of that term to the poetic work of Dylan Thomas and continues the examination which includes a study into the same relationship within his letters and prose writing. The final part of this book contains an in-depth study of religious imagery contained in the poetry in Dylan Thomas's major works which involves the study of 18 Poems, Twenty-Five Poems, The Map Of Love, Deaths And Entrances and In Country Sleep.
The publishers text, taken from the extensive cover notes for this edition, reads;
"An appealing view of Thomas, balanced in concept and execution, and graced by the critic's acuity, learning, and sense of humour." - William L. Howarth.
"Since the Bible appears so frequently in Dylan Thomas's work, some critics have decided that he must be a religious poet. Others, noting blasphemous statements and certain irreligious aspects of Thomas's personal life, contend that he was no such thing. Rushworth M. Kidder, investigating this problem, looks below the surface of the obviously religious imagery and discovers a more profound poetry.
The first part of this book discusses the nature of religious poetry and the application of that term to Thomas's work; it then develops the necessary background based on his letters and prose comments to provide a foundation for the study; and finally it examines the relationship between the religious aspects of his poetry and his well-known ambiguity. The author re-defines the vocabulary for dealing with religious imagery by establishing three distinctive categories of imagery: referential, allusive and thematic. This original technique is used to examine critically Thomas's poems to show the development of his religious and poetic thought. There are numerous close, sensitive readings of individual poems to show how his poetry, like the Bible, teaches by parable, speaking deliberate ambiguity rather than simple dogma.
This strategy inspired poetry that is technically complex but thematically simple, a mode of verse that became more explicitly religious in the poet's final years."
This copy of 'The Country Of The Spirit' was published by The Princeton University Press on pale green cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
Rushworth Moulton Kidder, born in 1944, was an American author and ethicist, best known as being the founder of The Institute For Global Ethics in 1990 and for his column and editorial work on 'The Christian Science Monitor'.
Rushworth Kidder died in Florida in 2012 at the age of 67.
Derek Stanford, 'Dylan Thomas' Neville Spearman Limited, First Edition, 1954
A first edition copy, in hardback, of the Derek Stanford biography, simply entitled, 'Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published by Neville Spearman Limited, based in Fitzroy Street, London and was printed by Page Brothers Limited of Norwich.
This copy was published on blue boards with gilt lettering on the spine and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
At the time of publication, in 1954, this edition cost fifteen shillings.
The cover notes to this early posthumous biography read in their entirety;
"By the death last Autumn, of Dylan Thomas, the English literary scene has lost its most colourful, poetic figure; for both in the writing of verse and in living the Welsh poet was the personification of William Blake's dictum that 'Life delights in Life'.
From the time of his 'discovery' in 1934 by Victor S. Neuberg, then Poetry Editor of the Sunday Referee - and the consequent recognition given him by Dr. Edith Sitwell - Thomas became a magnet for the most violent abuse and fervent admiration. Among those critics favourable to him, Sir Herbert Read remarked that Thomas had produced 'the most absolute poetry that has been written in our time'. Others accused him of excessive obscurity; and so the debate went on - with his artistic reputation steadily gaining ground - until the poet's death at the age of thirty-nine.
Out of this divided opinion, Mr. Derek Stanford, himself a poet, and author of the first study of Christopher Fry, sets out to create a unified picture. He begins by conveying the tone and colour of Thomas's lusty career and showing us the myth of the poet in the making. The brilliant child of nature is seen in relation to his poetry, the particular genius of which is so opposite to his character. Both in living and in writing, Thomas was unmistakably the most original member of his calling.
In dealing with the poet's verse, Mr. Stanford conducts us on a tour of the poems and his profound analyses of Thomas's obscurer themes, coupled with his expert evaluation of the technique itself is not only of absorbing interest to the poet's admirers, but will enable new readers to understand and enjoy the poems. Mr. Stanford has also written an original chapter on the sexual world of Thomas's poetry.
The book contains, in addition, an examination of the poet's prose-writings, of his film scenario 'The Doctor and the Devils' and of his broadcast-drama 'Under Milk Wood'. Mr. Stanford's book is the most useful companion possible to Messrs. Dent's edition of Thomas's Collected Poems".
A first edition copy, in hardback, of the Derek Stanford biography, simply entitled, 'Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published by Neville Spearman Limited, based in Fitzroy Street, London and was printed by Page Brothers Limited of Norwich.
This copy was published on blue boards with gilt lettering on the spine and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
At the time of publication, in 1954, this edition cost fifteen shillings.
The cover notes to this early posthumous biography read in their entirety;
"By the death last Autumn, of Dylan Thomas, the English literary scene has lost its most colourful, poetic figure; for both in the writing of verse and in living the Welsh poet was the personification of William Blake's dictum that 'Life delights in Life'.
From the time of his 'discovery' in 1934 by Victor S. Neuberg, then Poetry Editor of the Sunday Referee - and the consequent recognition given him by Dr. Edith Sitwell - Thomas became a magnet for the most violent abuse and fervent admiration. Among those critics favourable to him, Sir Herbert Read remarked that Thomas had produced 'the most absolute poetry that has been written in our time'. Others accused him of excessive obscurity; and so the debate went on - with his artistic reputation steadily gaining ground - until the poet's death at the age of thirty-nine.
Out of this divided opinion, Mr. Derek Stanford, himself a poet, and author of the first study of Christopher Fry, sets out to create a unified picture. He begins by conveying the tone and colour of Thomas's lusty career and showing us the myth of the poet in the making. The brilliant child of nature is seen in relation to his poetry, the particular genius of which is so opposite to his character. Both in living and in writing, Thomas was unmistakably the most original member of his calling.
In dealing with the poet's verse, Mr. Stanford conducts us on a tour of the poems and his profound analyses of Thomas's obscurer themes, coupled with his expert evaluation of the technique itself is not only of absorbing interest to the poet's admirers, but will enable new readers to understand and enjoy the poems. Mr. Stanford has also written an original chapter on the sexual world of Thomas's poetry.
The book contains, in addition, an examination of the poet's prose-writings, of his film scenario 'The Doctor and the Devils' and of his broadcast-drama 'Under Milk Wood'. Mr. Stanford's book is the most useful companion possible to Messrs. Dent's edition of Thomas's Collected Poems".
William York Tindall, 'A Reader's Guide To Dylan Thomas
Thames & Hudson, First Edition, 1962
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of William York Tindall's academic study of the poems of Dylan Thomas entitled, 'A Reader's Guide To Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published by Thames And Hudson, London in 1962 and printed by The Garden City Press Limited based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
Published by Thames and Hudson on red cloth boards with gilt lettering, this edition is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The extensive cover notes for this first edition read;
"Dylan Thomas is one of the most brilliant and difficult of modern poets. Although his extraordinary poems were well-received in England and perhaps even more so in America, they still present problems to the most expert reader. Surprising juxtapositions, elaborate metaphors, puns and paradoxes, complex metres and rhymes - all these are to be found in his poems, as well as traces of his early interest in surrealism. (At the Surrealist Exhibition of 1936 Thomas entered carrying a cup of boiled string, "Weak or strong?" he asked offering it to Andre Breton and Sir Herbert Read). In this book William Tindall, Professor at Columbia University, drawing extensively on his long friendship with Thomas, the manuscripts at Buffalo University and his own erudition, has produced a poem-by-poem analysis of Thomas's work.
Commenting recently on the author's study of 'The Ballad Of The Long-Legged Bait', the Times Literary Supplement said : 'Mr. Tindall has obviously got Thomas's 'wave-length'. In explaining these convoluted and intensely personal poems, being on the right 'wave-length' is undoubtedly the most valuable asset a critic can have."
The original price of this first edition copy of 'A Reader's Guide To Dylan Thomas' in 1962 was twenty-five shillings.
Born in Vermont in 1903, William York Tindall was an American scholar and teacher of literary criticism at Columbia University for over four decades.
Aside from this book, Tindall wrote thirteen volumes of literary criticism, several of which are still in print, including works on W. B. Yeats, Samuel Beckett, D.H. Lawrence and James Joyce.
William York Tindall was widely regarded as being an expert on the works of James Joyce and two other titles from this series, 'A Reader's Guide To James Joyce' and 'To Finnigan's Wake' are considered to be the definitive study aids to scholars of Joyce.
William York Tindall died in 1981 aged seventy-eight.
Thames & Hudson, First Edition, 1962
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of William York Tindall's academic study of the poems of Dylan Thomas entitled, 'A Reader's Guide To Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published by Thames And Hudson, London in 1962 and printed by The Garden City Press Limited based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
Published by Thames and Hudson on red cloth boards with gilt lettering, this edition is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The extensive cover notes for this first edition read;
"Dylan Thomas is one of the most brilliant and difficult of modern poets. Although his extraordinary poems were well-received in England and perhaps even more so in America, they still present problems to the most expert reader. Surprising juxtapositions, elaborate metaphors, puns and paradoxes, complex metres and rhymes - all these are to be found in his poems, as well as traces of his early interest in surrealism. (At the Surrealist Exhibition of 1936 Thomas entered carrying a cup of boiled string, "Weak or strong?" he asked offering it to Andre Breton and Sir Herbert Read). In this book William Tindall, Professor at Columbia University, drawing extensively on his long friendship with Thomas, the manuscripts at Buffalo University and his own erudition, has produced a poem-by-poem analysis of Thomas's work.
Commenting recently on the author's study of 'The Ballad Of The Long-Legged Bait', the Times Literary Supplement said : 'Mr. Tindall has obviously got Thomas's 'wave-length'. In explaining these convoluted and intensely personal poems, being on the right 'wave-length' is undoubtedly the most valuable asset a critic can have."
The original price of this first edition copy of 'A Reader's Guide To Dylan Thomas' in 1962 was twenty-five shillings.
Born in Vermont in 1903, William York Tindall was an American scholar and teacher of literary criticism at Columbia University for over four decades.
Aside from this book, Tindall wrote thirteen volumes of literary criticism, several of which are still in print, including works on W. B. Yeats, Samuel Beckett, D.H. Lawrence and James Joyce.
William York Tindall was widely regarded as being an expert on the works of James Joyce and two other titles from this series, 'A Reader's Guide To James Joyce' and 'To Finnigan's Wake' are considered to be the definitive study aids to scholars of Joyce.
William York Tindall died in 1981 aged seventy-eight.
'Dylan Thomas -The Legend And The Poet'
Edited by E. W. Tedlock, The Windmill Press, First Edition, 1960
Edited by E.W. Tedlock and subtitled, 'A Collection of Biographical and Critical Essays', this is a first edition hardback copy of 'Dylan Thomas - The Legend And The Poet'.
This edition was published by Heinemann Limited and printed by The Windmill Press Limited, Kingswood, Surrey in 1960.
This copy was published on brown cloth boards with silver gilt lettering, sadly this edition is incomplete, having lost it's original dust-jacket.
Contained in this volume are essays written by numerous authors which relate, for the first part, to 'Dylan -The Man', and for the second part, 'Dylan -The Poet'.
Contributors include, among many others, Augustus John, Louis MacNeice, John Davenport, Lawrence Durrell, Edith Sitwell, Geoffrey Grigson, Pamela Hansford-Johnson, Daniel Jones and Philip Burton.
The essays regarding Dylan Thomas's poetry include such titles as, 'The Religious Poet', 'Rhetorician In Mid-Career', 'Unsex The Skeleton' and 'How Much Me Now Your Acrobatics Amaze'.
This edition includes an introduction by E.W. Tedlock himself which was written during his tenure at the University Of Mexico in 1959.
Edited by E. W. Tedlock, The Windmill Press, First Edition, 1960
Edited by E.W. Tedlock and subtitled, 'A Collection of Biographical and Critical Essays', this is a first edition hardback copy of 'Dylan Thomas - The Legend And The Poet'.
This edition was published by Heinemann Limited and printed by The Windmill Press Limited, Kingswood, Surrey in 1960.
This copy was published on brown cloth boards with silver gilt lettering, sadly this edition is incomplete, having lost it's original dust-jacket.
Contained in this volume are essays written by numerous authors which relate, for the first part, to 'Dylan -The Man', and for the second part, 'Dylan -The Poet'.
Contributors include, among many others, Augustus John, Louis MacNeice, John Davenport, Lawrence Durrell, Edith Sitwell, Geoffrey Grigson, Pamela Hansford-Johnson, Daniel Jones and Philip Burton.
The essays regarding Dylan Thomas's poetry include such titles as, 'The Religious Poet', 'Rhetorician In Mid-Career', 'Unsex The Skeleton' and 'How Much Me Now Your Acrobatics Amaze'.
This edition includes an introduction by E.W. Tedlock himself which was written during his tenure at the University Of Mexico in 1959.
'Dylan Thomas - The Legend And The Poet' Edited by E. W. Tedlock, Mercury Books, First Edition, 1963
A first edition copy, published in a paperback format, of 'Dylan Thomas - The Legend and the Poet', edited by E. W. Tedlock. This copy was published by Mercury Books, a subsidiary of the Heinemann Group of Publishers in 1963 and was printed by the Windmill Press Limited of Surrey.
The list of writers who contributed to this impressive volume include such names as; Philip Burton, John Davenport, Lawrence Durrell, Augustus John, Pamela Hansford Johnson, Daniel Jones, Louis MacNeice and Edith Sitwell.
The publishers cover notes to this paperback edition read;
"This symposium provides both an intimate biography and a critical study of Thomas. The essays in the first, purely biographical, section, several of which were written soon after the poet's death in 1953, contain revealing, often startling, glimpses of his life; as a boy in Wales, a young poet in London, in pubs, reading his poetry on the B.B.C., doing the American 'reading circuit'. Readers who are dismayed by such recollections as Richard Ebehart waking Thomas by 'plugging his mouth with a bottle of beer' will find them countered by more sober reminiscences; his utter absorption with words, his irresistible zest for people and living, his struggles for the pennies of existence.
In the second section critics from both sides of the Atlantic give a balanced, comprehensive view of Dylan Thomas's poetry. There are his admirers' early efforts to explain this literary enfant terrible; the pretence of his detractors to see nothing in his work but ingenious juggling; and serious attempts to give detailed explanations of Thomas's difficult imagery, his biblical allusions, his Freudian symbolism.
From these thirty-eight essays there emerges the picture of a man 'who will not be dismissed...a tremendous talent who stung himself into insensibility because he could not face the obligations of intellectual life', a man who, in spite of grave weaknesses, may fairly be called the greatest lyricist of our time
A first edition copy, published in a paperback format, of 'Dylan Thomas - The Legend and the Poet', edited by E. W. Tedlock. This copy was published by Mercury Books, a subsidiary of the Heinemann Group of Publishers in 1963 and was printed by the Windmill Press Limited of Surrey.
The list of writers who contributed to this impressive volume include such names as; Philip Burton, John Davenport, Lawrence Durrell, Augustus John, Pamela Hansford Johnson, Daniel Jones, Louis MacNeice and Edith Sitwell.
The publishers cover notes to this paperback edition read;
"This symposium provides both an intimate biography and a critical study of Thomas. The essays in the first, purely biographical, section, several of which were written soon after the poet's death in 1953, contain revealing, often startling, glimpses of his life; as a boy in Wales, a young poet in London, in pubs, reading his poetry on the B.B.C., doing the American 'reading circuit'. Readers who are dismayed by such recollections as Richard Ebehart waking Thomas by 'plugging his mouth with a bottle of beer' will find them countered by more sober reminiscences; his utter absorption with words, his irresistible zest for people and living, his struggles for the pennies of existence.
In the second section critics from both sides of the Atlantic give a balanced, comprehensive view of Dylan Thomas's poetry. There are his admirers' early efforts to explain this literary enfant terrible; the pretence of his detractors to see nothing in his work but ingenious juggling; and serious attempts to give detailed explanations of Thomas's difficult imagery, his biblical allusions, his Freudian symbolism.
From these thirty-eight essays there emerges the picture of a man 'who will not be dismissed...a tremendous talent who stung himself into insensibility because he could not face the obligations of intellectual life', a man who, in spite of grave weaknesses, may fairly be called the greatest lyricist of our time
'Dylan Thomas - Early Prose Writings' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, 1971
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of the prose collection entitled 'Dylan Thomas - Early Prose Writings', an early edition which was edited and introduced by Professor Walford Davies.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons, Aldine House, Bedford Street, London and was printed and bound by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1971 and issued with the ISBN 0-460-03990-3.
This copy was published by J. M. Dent on black boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The first part of this book contains short stories and excepts from unpublished works and film scripts whilst the second half of the book contains critical and other writings.
The descriptive cover notes written for this edition reveal that;
"The prospect of a substantial volume of little-seen prose by one of the great literary craftsmen of the century must lift the spirits of every serious reader. That prospect is well realized. The book has the excitement, the anticipation of the unexpected in both thought and and expression that Dylan Thomas imparted in everything he wrote.
This new book is a selection of Dylan Thomas's prose left either uncollected or, in some cases, unpublished. It gathers into one convenient volume examples of his work in the form of the short story, the novel, the broadcast, the critical review and the film script. Some examples of Thomas's writing which conditions prevailing during the 1930's made it impossible to publish are here included. Though its scope extends over Thomas's entire career, it is of particular interest in presenting early short stories from magazine and manuscript sources which extend our knowledge of the writer's early work in the medium. An except of his novel, 'The Death Of The King's Canary', is published for the first time.
The editor has added an essay of introduction and also source and explanatory notes. The introduction discusses bibliographical and psychological contest of the early plans to publish a fuller collection of his prose works that proved possible in the result.
By supplementing the more readily available body of the poet's work in prose, 'Early Prose Writings' helps to clarify and chart Dylan Thomas's progress towards the comic idiom of which he became one of the supreme masters in English."
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of the prose collection entitled 'Dylan Thomas - Early Prose Writings', an early edition which was edited and introduced by Professor Walford Davies.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons, Aldine House, Bedford Street, London and was printed and bound by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1971 and issued with the ISBN 0-460-03990-3.
This copy was published by J. M. Dent on black boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The first part of this book contains short stories and excepts from unpublished works and film scripts whilst the second half of the book contains critical and other writings.
The descriptive cover notes written for this edition reveal that;
"The prospect of a substantial volume of little-seen prose by one of the great literary craftsmen of the century must lift the spirits of every serious reader. That prospect is well realized. The book has the excitement, the anticipation of the unexpected in both thought and and expression that Dylan Thomas imparted in everything he wrote.
This new book is a selection of Dylan Thomas's prose left either uncollected or, in some cases, unpublished. It gathers into one convenient volume examples of his work in the form of the short story, the novel, the broadcast, the critical review and the film script. Some examples of Thomas's writing which conditions prevailing during the 1930's made it impossible to publish are here included. Though its scope extends over Thomas's entire career, it is of particular interest in presenting early short stories from magazine and manuscript sources which extend our knowledge of the writer's early work in the medium. An except of his novel, 'The Death Of The King's Canary', is published for the first time.
The editor has added an essay of introduction and also source and explanatory notes. The introduction discusses bibliographical and psychological contest of the early plans to publish a fuller collection of his prose works that proved possible in the result.
By supplementing the more readily available body of the poet's work in prose, 'Early Prose Writings' helps to clarify and chart Dylan Thomas's progress towards the comic idiom of which he became one of the supreme masters in English."
'Dylan Thomas - The Poems' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited,
Revised Edition, 1978
A later, revised edition of 'Dylan Thomas - The Poems', originally published in 1971, this is the updated edition published in 1978 which was printed by The Aldine Press, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire which was issued with the ISBN 0-460-04181-9.
This edition was edited and introduced by Daniel Jones.
The cover was designed for J. M. Dent by John Douet. The book was published on rich burgundy cloth boards with gilt lettering.
The cover notes for this 1978 edition read;
"This volume contains nearly two hundred poems by the Welsh poet whose untimely death in 1953 robbed the world of a unique literary talent. it contains all the verse from the 'Collected Poems 1934-1952', plus over one hundred other poems previously either quite inaccessible or not easily accessible. It is therefore the most representative collection of the poet's work available in one volume.
A poet does not live in a vacuum, and the various influences on Thomas's life emerge clearly from the chronological presentation of his work which is a feature of this edition, and reveal something of the relationship between poems written about the same time and the development of the poet's technique and imagery.
The 1978 printing of 'The Poems', which marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of Dylan Thomas's death, includes an example of Thomas's 'Pub Poetry' recently discovered by Wynford Vaughn Thomas, and has never been published in any anthology."
Contemporary reviews for this edition include;
"A collection of the poems that is exceedingly valuable to us. Dr. Jones's note on the verse patterns is quite excellent." The Scotsman.
"Deftly edited by a man uniquely qualified to produce an authoritative edition." Poetry Wales.
Revised Edition, 1978
A later, revised edition of 'Dylan Thomas - The Poems', originally published in 1971, this is the updated edition published in 1978 which was printed by The Aldine Press, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire which was issued with the ISBN 0-460-04181-9.
This edition was edited and introduced by Daniel Jones.
The cover was designed for J. M. Dent by John Douet. The book was published on rich burgundy cloth boards with gilt lettering.
The cover notes for this 1978 edition read;
"This volume contains nearly two hundred poems by the Welsh poet whose untimely death in 1953 robbed the world of a unique literary talent. it contains all the verse from the 'Collected Poems 1934-1952', plus over one hundred other poems previously either quite inaccessible or not easily accessible. It is therefore the most representative collection of the poet's work available in one volume.
A poet does not live in a vacuum, and the various influences on Thomas's life emerge clearly from the chronological presentation of his work which is a feature of this edition, and reveal something of the relationship between poems written about the same time and the development of the poet's technique and imagery.
The 1978 printing of 'The Poems', which marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of Dylan Thomas's death, includes an example of Thomas's 'Pub Poetry' recently discovered by Wynford Vaughn Thomas, and has never been published in any anthology."
Contemporary reviews for this edition include;
"A collection of the poems that is exceedingly valuable to us. Dr. Jones's note on the verse patterns is quite excellent." The Scotsman.
"Deftly edited by a man uniquely qualified to produce an authoritative edition." Poetry Wales.
'Dylan Thomas - Selected Works' The Book Club Associates, First Edition, 1976
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of The Book Club Associates edition of
'Dylan Thomas - Selected Works'.
As an edition, only available to members of The Book Club Associates, this collection was published with arrangement with the Trustees of the Dylan Thomas Estate and with J. M. Dent and Sons, and was printed by Redwood Burn Limited, based in Trowbridge and Esher in 1976.
This copy was published on orange cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
This edition was only available through The Book Club Associates and at the time of the publication of this edition of 'Dylan Thomas - Selected Works' two other poetry collections were available to members of The Book Club Associates'; 'John Betjeman - The Collected Poems' and 'The Complete Poems And Plays Of T. S. Eliot.'
According to the cover notes, the publishers synopsis of this particular collection states that;
"Poet, playwright, radio broadcaster and prose writer; Dylan Thomas was all these things and more during his short life. this book, including as it does Thomas' poetry, a selection of his prose and radio broadcasts as well as 'Under Milk Wood', should be a good introduction to his work for the uninitiated, and also provide a unique "portable Dylan Thomas" for his many admirers.
The collection is broken down into three parts. The first section includes four stories and two autobiographical broadcasts; part two contains a large selection of Thomas' poetry, including all his best-known poems as well as some less familiar works; part three consists of the complete text of his last major work, 'Under Milk Wood'.
The book is introduced by Michael O'Mara who has also written an explanatory preface for 'Under Milk Wood'.
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of The Book Club Associates edition of
'Dylan Thomas - Selected Works'.
As an edition, only available to members of The Book Club Associates, this collection was published with arrangement with the Trustees of the Dylan Thomas Estate and with J. M. Dent and Sons, and was printed by Redwood Burn Limited, based in Trowbridge and Esher in 1976.
This copy was published on orange cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
This edition was only available through The Book Club Associates and at the time of the publication of this edition of 'Dylan Thomas - Selected Works' two other poetry collections were available to members of The Book Club Associates'; 'John Betjeman - The Collected Poems' and 'The Complete Poems And Plays Of T. S. Eliot.'
According to the cover notes, the publishers synopsis of this particular collection states that;
"Poet, playwright, radio broadcaster and prose writer; Dylan Thomas was all these things and more during his short life. this book, including as it does Thomas' poetry, a selection of his prose and radio broadcasts as well as 'Under Milk Wood', should be a good introduction to his work for the uninitiated, and also provide a unique "portable Dylan Thomas" for his many admirers.
The collection is broken down into three parts. The first section includes four stories and two autobiographical broadcasts; part two contains a large selection of Thomas' poetry, including all his best-known poems as well as some less familiar works; part three consists of the complete text of his last major work, 'Under Milk Wood'.
The book is introduced by Michael O'Mara who has also written an explanatory preface for 'Under Milk Wood'.
'Dylan Thomas - Selected Works' The Book Club Associates, Second Impression, 1980
A later copy of The Book Club Associates edition of 'Dylan Thomas - Selected Works'.
This later edition was also published by arrangement with the Trustees of the Dylan Thomas Estate and J. M. Dent and Sons Limited in 1980 and was printed by Redwood Burn Limited based in Trowbridge and Esher.
This copy of 'Dylan Thomas - Selected Works', as in the previous earlier edition, contains a complete reprinting of 'The Map Of Love' and 'Under Milk Wood' alongside a selection of Dylan Thomas's best known and most beloved poems.
As in the previous earlier edition, also included in this copy is a short introduction written by Michael O'Mara.
This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket, which slightly differs from the first edition as this later dust-jacket was printed with green lettering and a green plain back rather than in orange as in the original edition. The book itself is of a slightly larger format than the first Book Club Associates edition.
A later copy of The Book Club Associates edition of 'Dylan Thomas - Selected Works'.
This later edition was also published by arrangement with the Trustees of the Dylan Thomas Estate and J. M. Dent and Sons Limited in 1980 and was printed by Redwood Burn Limited based in Trowbridge and Esher.
This copy of 'Dylan Thomas - Selected Works', as in the previous earlier edition, contains a complete reprinting of 'The Map Of Love' and 'Under Milk Wood' alongside a selection of Dylan Thomas's best known and most beloved poems.
As in the previous earlier edition, also included in this copy is a short introduction written by Michael O'Mara.
This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket, which slightly differs from the first edition as this later dust-jacket was printed with green lettering and a green plain back rather than in orange as in the original edition. The book itself is of a slightly larger format than the first Book Club Associates edition.
John Malcolm Brinnin, 'Dylan Thomas In America'
Arlington Books (Publishers), First Edition, 1988
A first edition copy, published in this format, of a much later hardback edition of John Malcolm Brinnin's controversial biography entitled, 'Dylan Thomas In America'.
This copy was published by Arlington Books (Publishers), King James's, London in 1988 and printed and bound by Billing and Son's Limited based in Worcester and issued with the ISBN 0-85140-740-3.
Published on blue boards with gilt lettering, this edition is illustrated with the same black and white photographs as in the first 1956 publication.
This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket, featuring the portrait of Dylan Thomas by Rupert Shephard which now hangs in The National Portrait Gallery, London.
This new edition features an updated 'Afterword' written by the author of the original 1956 copy, John Malcolm Brinnin.
The text, taken from the revised cover notes, reads;
"Dylan Thomas first went to America in January 1950 at the invitation of John Malcolm Brinnin, poet and director of the YM /YWHA Poetry Centre in New York. Thomas was thirty-five years old and at the height of his fame as one of the greatest lyrical poets of the twentieth century. For the first time since Byron here was a man who fulfilled in his every act and work the public conception of the wild, amoral, romantic poet. He had become a legend in his own time - not only for his work - but for his dramatic powers as a reader of poetry, his carousals and drunken escapades and for his direct and uninhibited overtures to women.
John Malcolm Brinnin not only became Thomas's lecture planner, business manager and personal adviser, but a trusted friend and confidant whose friendship lasted the four turbulent years until Thomas's tragic death in a New York hospital of acute and chronic alcoholism.
'Dylan Thomas In America' is a candid, deeply moving account of those years as Brinnin watched Thomas travelling from campus to campus, the legend and the genius growing, the alcoholism destroying him. The book describes in detail Thomas's unorthodox behaviour, compulsive drinking, his tempestuous relationship with his Irish wife, Caitlin, and the mistresses he took while in America. By contrast, in the two visits Brinnin made to Laugharne, the fishing village in Wales where Thomas lived, we see a different portrait; a man devoted to his parents and children.
The final trip to America was in the autumn of 1953. After repeated warnings that he was destroying himself Thomas was rushed to hospital in a coma, never to regain consciousness. He died at the age of thirty-nine.
Twenty-five years after 'Dylan Thomas In America' was first published, this harrowing account of Thomas's last four years remains as fresh as when it was written. Here the reader is given an intimate insight into the life of one of this century's most enigmatic poets".
John Malcolm Brinnin has written a new foreword and afterword for this edition. They are written in retrospective; bittersweet thirty years after the event."
Arlington Books (Publishers), First Edition, 1988
A first edition copy, published in this format, of a much later hardback edition of John Malcolm Brinnin's controversial biography entitled, 'Dylan Thomas In America'.
This copy was published by Arlington Books (Publishers), King James's, London in 1988 and printed and bound by Billing and Son's Limited based in Worcester and issued with the ISBN 0-85140-740-3.
Published on blue boards with gilt lettering, this edition is illustrated with the same black and white photographs as in the first 1956 publication.
This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket, featuring the portrait of Dylan Thomas by Rupert Shephard which now hangs in The National Portrait Gallery, London.
This new edition features an updated 'Afterword' written by the author of the original 1956 copy, John Malcolm Brinnin.
The text, taken from the revised cover notes, reads;
"Dylan Thomas first went to America in January 1950 at the invitation of John Malcolm Brinnin, poet and director of the YM /YWHA Poetry Centre in New York. Thomas was thirty-five years old and at the height of his fame as one of the greatest lyrical poets of the twentieth century. For the first time since Byron here was a man who fulfilled in his every act and work the public conception of the wild, amoral, romantic poet. He had become a legend in his own time - not only for his work - but for his dramatic powers as a reader of poetry, his carousals and drunken escapades and for his direct and uninhibited overtures to women.
John Malcolm Brinnin not only became Thomas's lecture planner, business manager and personal adviser, but a trusted friend and confidant whose friendship lasted the four turbulent years until Thomas's tragic death in a New York hospital of acute and chronic alcoholism.
'Dylan Thomas In America' is a candid, deeply moving account of those years as Brinnin watched Thomas travelling from campus to campus, the legend and the genius growing, the alcoholism destroying him. The book describes in detail Thomas's unorthodox behaviour, compulsive drinking, his tempestuous relationship with his Irish wife, Caitlin, and the mistresses he took while in America. By contrast, in the two visits Brinnin made to Laugharne, the fishing village in Wales where Thomas lived, we see a different portrait; a man devoted to his parents and children.
The final trip to America was in the autumn of 1953. After repeated warnings that he was destroying himself Thomas was rushed to hospital in a coma, never to regain consciousness. He died at the age of thirty-nine.
Twenty-five years after 'Dylan Thomas In America' was first published, this harrowing account of Thomas's last four years remains as fresh as when it was written. Here the reader is given an intimate insight into the life of one of this century's most enigmatic poets".
John Malcolm Brinnin has written a new foreword and afterword for this edition. They are written in retrospective; bittersweet thirty years after the event."
Andrew Lycett, 'Dylan Thomas - A New Life'
Weidenfield & Nicolson, Signed First Edition, 2003
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of the outstanding Andrew Lycett biography entitled, 'Dylan Thomas - A New Life'.
This is a 2003 first edition copy which was published by Weidenfield And Nicolson, a subsidiary company within the Orion Publishing Group Limited based in St. Martin's Lane, London and printed by Butler And Tanner Limited, based in Frome And London.
This edition was published by Weidenfield And Nicolson on black cloth boards with silver gilt lettering and issued with the ISBN 0-297-607936.
This edition is illustrated with black and white photographs and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
Also included in this outstanding biography is an in-depth introduction, bibliography, notes and a complete Thomas family tree, dating back to the 1700's.
A lovely addition to this first edition copy of 'Dylan Thomas - A New Life', is that it has been personally signed by the author, Andrew Lycett.
The complete cover notes for this first edition copy read;
"When he died in New York in November, 1953, Swansea-born Dylan Thomas was at the height of his fame. Acclaimed as one of the twentieth century's most inventive and lyrical poets, he had begun to reach new audiences as a performance artist - particularly in the United States, where he took verse out of the drawing room and into the concert hall. Through his readings and his 'play for voices', Under Milk Wood, he had become the first literary star of the age of popular culture. But his personal life was in chaos. His marriage to his passionate Irish wife Caitlin had broken down. And so often during his brief but colourful existence, the contradictions were too difficult to reconcile.
At his death, he was only thirty-nine, and the myths soon took hold. Dylan Thomas became the Keats and the Byron of his generation - the romantic poet who died too young, his potential unfulfilled. In his Dionysiac excesses, he also anticipated the rock stars of the following decade. Typically, he stood on the cusp of two wildly different traditions.
In this riveting new biography, Andrew Lycett goes behind the fables to reveal the real Dylan Thomas. He returns to Thomas's roots in suburban Swansea and rural Carmarthenshire to illuminate the world of the 'Rimbaud of Cwmdonkin Drive'. With access to original material from archives and personal papers, he shows the development of the budding bard and brings important new insights to Thomas's youthful poetry.
When Thomas came to London in the early 1930's, he was taken up as a new voice. Yet, despite a wide circle of friends and acquaintances from T. S. Eliot to Augustus John, he never felt at home. He tried to foster Welsh writing, but his ambition was to conquer the English-speaking world. He used to say he was Welsh in England and English in Wales. And although he earned good money in subsidiary careers in films and at the B.B.C., he could never save. As debts mounted, he soon found solace in drink and sexual promiscuity.
Lycett has unearthed fascinating detail about Thomas's many affairs. But he never loses sight of the overriding relationship in Thomas's life - his tempestuous marriage to Caitlin. The cast of supporting characters is magnificent, the various ambivalences make for an absorbing story, and the social and historical background is brought out as never before. Lycett's main achievement is to show how Thomas struggled with his personal demons - and, where necessary, overcame them - to compose some of the most dramatic and enduringly popular poetry in English literature".
Weidenfield & Nicolson, Signed First Edition, 2003
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of the outstanding Andrew Lycett biography entitled, 'Dylan Thomas - A New Life'.
This is a 2003 first edition copy which was published by Weidenfield And Nicolson, a subsidiary company within the Orion Publishing Group Limited based in St. Martin's Lane, London and printed by Butler And Tanner Limited, based in Frome And London.
This edition was published by Weidenfield And Nicolson on black cloth boards with silver gilt lettering and issued with the ISBN 0-297-607936.
This edition is illustrated with black and white photographs and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
Also included in this outstanding biography is an in-depth introduction, bibliography, notes and a complete Thomas family tree, dating back to the 1700's.
A lovely addition to this first edition copy of 'Dylan Thomas - A New Life', is that it has been personally signed by the author, Andrew Lycett.
The complete cover notes for this first edition copy read;
"When he died in New York in November, 1953, Swansea-born Dylan Thomas was at the height of his fame. Acclaimed as one of the twentieth century's most inventive and lyrical poets, he had begun to reach new audiences as a performance artist - particularly in the United States, where he took verse out of the drawing room and into the concert hall. Through his readings and his 'play for voices', Under Milk Wood, he had become the first literary star of the age of popular culture. But his personal life was in chaos. His marriage to his passionate Irish wife Caitlin had broken down. And so often during his brief but colourful existence, the contradictions were too difficult to reconcile.
At his death, he was only thirty-nine, and the myths soon took hold. Dylan Thomas became the Keats and the Byron of his generation - the romantic poet who died too young, his potential unfulfilled. In his Dionysiac excesses, he also anticipated the rock stars of the following decade. Typically, he stood on the cusp of two wildly different traditions.
In this riveting new biography, Andrew Lycett goes behind the fables to reveal the real Dylan Thomas. He returns to Thomas's roots in suburban Swansea and rural Carmarthenshire to illuminate the world of the 'Rimbaud of Cwmdonkin Drive'. With access to original material from archives and personal papers, he shows the development of the budding bard and brings important new insights to Thomas's youthful poetry.
When Thomas came to London in the early 1930's, he was taken up as a new voice. Yet, despite a wide circle of friends and acquaintances from T. S. Eliot to Augustus John, he never felt at home. He tried to foster Welsh writing, but his ambition was to conquer the English-speaking world. He used to say he was Welsh in England and English in Wales. And although he earned good money in subsidiary careers in films and at the B.B.C., he could never save. As debts mounted, he soon found solace in drink and sexual promiscuity.
Lycett has unearthed fascinating detail about Thomas's many affairs. But he never loses sight of the overriding relationship in Thomas's life - his tempestuous marriage to Caitlin. The cast of supporting characters is magnificent, the various ambivalences make for an absorbing story, and the social and historical background is brought out as never before. Lycett's main achievement is to show how Thomas struggled with his personal demons - and, where necessary, overcame them - to compose some of the most dramatic and enduringly popular poetry in English literature".
The frontispiece to this first edition copy of 'Dylan Thomas - A New Life', signed by the author, Andrew Lycett.
Jonathan Fryer, 'Dylan - The Nine Lives Of Dylan Thomas' Kyle Cathie Limited, First Edition, 1993
Published in 1993 by Kyle Cathie Limited, Hatherley Street, London and printed and bound by The Cambridge University Press, this is a first edition copy, published in hardback, of the fascinating and in-depth Jonathan Fryer biography entitled, 'The Nine Lives Of Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published on blue cloth boards with silver gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
Published by Kyle Cathie Limited with the ISBN1-85626-090-9, this copy is illustrated with black and white photographs.
The dust-jacket was designed for Kyle Cathie by Gavin Dodds.
The text, from the publishers extensive cover notes, reads;
"Probably more than any other writer of his generation, Dylan Thomas merited the cliched description of 'a legend in his own time'. It was a legend he nurtured himself, from his sickly, cosseted Swansea suburban childhood on. as the self-styled Rimbaud of Cwmdonkin Drive, the schoolboy Dylan had already decided how a poet ought to live and behave.
Jonathan Fryer's startling reappraisal of Dylan Thomas's life sees most of the poet's adult existence as a series of acts deliberately designed to fit into this mould, leading inevitably to an early, sordid death. The drunkenness and clumsy passes at attractive women became part and parcel of the cultivated Dylan Thomas myth. Yet even towards the end of his life, Dylan could snap out of this and get down to serious work.
This biography places him firmly as a writer of the 1930's, the decade in which the vast majority of his poetry was written or conceived. Encouraged and promoted by figures as diverse as Edith Sitwell and Stephen Spender, Dylan consciously eschewed the politicizing of the so-called Auden group and the wilder experiments of the surrealists in favour of a powerful lyricism that still wins huge numbers of devotees on both sides of the Atlantic.
Initially suffocated by his Welsh background, Dylan soon realized it was his passport into literary London, as well as a rich source of material for use in poems, stories and radio broadcasts. He was a fish out of water whenever he left the British Isles, and needed regular trips back to Wales for the sort of comforting reassurance he also looked for in women.
Dylan also needed a supporting cast of friends, although he treated many of them - and his relatives - abominably. Whether in London's Soho, New York or Laugharne in South Wales, he had a talent to win fiercely loyal patrons and admirers. While highly critical of the poet's selfish and dishonest ways, Jonathan Fryer highlights what it was about the man and his work that inspired such devotion.
His portrait of Dylan draws on many sources including close friends and relatives, a provides a refreshingly honest and timely reappraisal of Wales' most famous twentieth-century poet".
Published in 1993 by Kyle Cathie Limited, Hatherley Street, London and printed and bound by The Cambridge University Press, this is a first edition copy, published in hardback, of the fascinating and in-depth Jonathan Fryer biography entitled, 'The Nine Lives Of Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published on blue cloth boards with silver gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
Published by Kyle Cathie Limited with the ISBN1-85626-090-9, this copy is illustrated with black and white photographs.
The dust-jacket was designed for Kyle Cathie by Gavin Dodds.
The text, from the publishers extensive cover notes, reads;
"Probably more than any other writer of his generation, Dylan Thomas merited the cliched description of 'a legend in his own time'. It was a legend he nurtured himself, from his sickly, cosseted Swansea suburban childhood on. as the self-styled Rimbaud of Cwmdonkin Drive, the schoolboy Dylan had already decided how a poet ought to live and behave.
Jonathan Fryer's startling reappraisal of Dylan Thomas's life sees most of the poet's adult existence as a series of acts deliberately designed to fit into this mould, leading inevitably to an early, sordid death. The drunkenness and clumsy passes at attractive women became part and parcel of the cultivated Dylan Thomas myth. Yet even towards the end of his life, Dylan could snap out of this and get down to serious work.
This biography places him firmly as a writer of the 1930's, the decade in which the vast majority of his poetry was written or conceived. Encouraged and promoted by figures as diverse as Edith Sitwell and Stephen Spender, Dylan consciously eschewed the politicizing of the so-called Auden group and the wilder experiments of the surrealists in favour of a powerful lyricism that still wins huge numbers of devotees on both sides of the Atlantic.
Initially suffocated by his Welsh background, Dylan soon realized it was his passport into literary London, as well as a rich source of material for use in poems, stories and radio broadcasts. He was a fish out of water whenever he left the British Isles, and needed regular trips back to Wales for the sort of comforting reassurance he also looked for in women.
Dylan also needed a supporting cast of friends, although he treated many of them - and his relatives - abominably. Whether in London's Soho, New York or Laugharne in South Wales, he had a talent to win fiercely loyal patrons and admirers. While highly critical of the poet's selfish and dishonest ways, Jonathan Fryer highlights what it was about the man and his work that inspired such devotion.
His portrait of Dylan draws on many sources including close friends and relatives, a provides a refreshingly honest and timely reappraisal of Wales' most famous twentieth-century poet".
'The Notebook Poems 1930-1934' Edited By Professor Ralph Maud, J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, 1989
Published by J. M. Dent And Sons, Clapham High Street, London and printed by Butler And Tanner Limited, based in Frome and London, this is a first edition copy, in hardback, of 'Dylan Thomas - The Notebook Poems 1930-1934' which was first published in 1989.
Edited by Ralph Maud, Professor of English at the Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, this volume focuses on the four exercise notebooks currently held at the State University Of New York.
This copy was published on green cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket featuring the portrait of Dylan Thomas by Alfred Janes and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-04792-5.
A brief history of the early notebooks is covered in this edition's cover notes;
"Dylan Thomas's notebooks from his early years are invaluable as an aid to a fuller appreciation of his genius. Not only are they important in illustrating how Thomas came to be the poet he was but they are critical to our understanding of his middle period, as we see him returning to some of his early poems and rewriting them for publication up to 1941. This new volume is definitive for all the poetry written between the ages of fifteen and nineteen, in the same way that the 'Collected Poems 1934-1952' is definitive for the poet's published volumes.
The first edition of the Notebook Poems, 'Poet In the Making', presented the notebooks with all their seams showing and idiosyncrasies left intact. In this edition the editor has aimed to give the poems themselves the chance to be enjoyed without any intrusive paraphernalia. The result is a much more readable volume. However, the reader can rest assured that no textual matter of significance or interest has been neglected.
The volume is divided into seven sections, each with its own introduction. The four exercise notebooks at the State University of New York (Buffalo) provide the solid core, they are complemented by a section of Thomas's schoolboy rhymed verse, 'Typescript Poems', and 'Collateral Poems'. The editor has also taken the opportunity of placing each poem in its biographical context and of annotating obscure references.
Enhanced, extensively annotated, and with the poems given a new definitive form, this edition is an exciting prospect for anyone seeking a further understanding of one of the most significant and influential poets born in this century."
This copy is not illustrated aside from a reproduction of a page from the August 1933 notebook which features a draft of 'The Force That Through The Green Fuse Drives the Flower' which is held in the University Library at Buffalo.
The dust-jacket portrait of Dylan Thomas is the famous work by Alfred Janes, which now hangs in the National Museum of Wales.
One of the leading American authorities on Dylan Thomas, Ralph Maud's previous volumes include, 'Entrances To Dylan Thomas' Poetry', (with Aneirin Talfan Davies), and 'The Colour Of Saying, An Anthology Of Verse Spoken By Dylan Thomas'. Ralph Maud was also the co-editor, along with Walford Davies, of the 1988 edition of 'The Collected Poems 1934-1952'.
Published by J. M. Dent And Sons, Clapham High Street, London and printed by Butler And Tanner Limited, based in Frome and London, this is a first edition copy, in hardback, of 'Dylan Thomas - The Notebook Poems 1930-1934' which was first published in 1989.
Edited by Ralph Maud, Professor of English at the Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, this volume focuses on the four exercise notebooks currently held at the State University Of New York.
This copy was published on green cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket featuring the portrait of Dylan Thomas by Alfred Janes and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-04792-5.
A brief history of the early notebooks is covered in this edition's cover notes;
"Dylan Thomas's notebooks from his early years are invaluable as an aid to a fuller appreciation of his genius. Not only are they important in illustrating how Thomas came to be the poet he was but they are critical to our understanding of his middle period, as we see him returning to some of his early poems and rewriting them for publication up to 1941. This new volume is definitive for all the poetry written between the ages of fifteen and nineteen, in the same way that the 'Collected Poems 1934-1952' is definitive for the poet's published volumes.
The first edition of the Notebook Poems, 'Poet In the Making', presented the notebooks with all their seams showing and idiosyncrasies left intact. In this edition the editor has aimed to give the poems themselves the chance to be enjoyed without any intrusive paraphernalia. The result is a much more readable volume. However, the reader can rest assured that no textual matter of significance or interest has been neglected.
The volume is divided into seven sections, each with its own introduction. The four exercise notebooks at the State University of New York (Buffalo) provide the solid core, they are complemented by a section of Thomas's schoolboy rhymed verse, 'Typescript Poems', and 'Collateral Poems'. The editor has also taken the opportunity of placing each poem in its biographical context and of annotating obscure references.
Enhanced, extensively annotated, and with the poems given a new definitive form, this edition is an exciting prospect for anyone seeking a further understanding of one of the most significant and influential poets born in this century."
This copy is not illustrated aside from a reproduction of a page from the August 1933 notebook which features a draft of 'The Force That Through The Green Fuse Drives the Flower' which is held in the University Library at Buffalo.
The dust-jacket portrait of Dylan Thomas is the famous work by Alfred Janes, which now hangs in the National Museum of Wales.
One of the leading American authorities on Dylan Thomas, Ralph Maud's previous volumes include, 'Entrances To Dylan Thomas' Poetry', (with Aneirin Talfan Davies), and 'The Colour Of Saying, An Anthology Of Verse Spoken By Dylan Thomas'. Ralph Maud was also the co-editor, along with Walford Davies, of the 1988 edition of 'The Collected Poems 1934-1952'.
'Dylan Thomas - The Filmscripts', Edited By John Ackerman
J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, 1995
Published by J. M. Dent, St. Martin's Lane, London and printed by Butler and Tanner Limited, based in Frome and London, this is the 1995 first edition, published in hardback, of, 'Dylan Thomas - The Filmscripts'.
Edited by John Ackerman, this volume contains all the known film-scripts upon which Dylan Thomas worked and completed during his time commissioned by, and working for, Strand and Gainsborough Films.
The first part of this book comprises of what Dylan Thomas liked to term as 'his war work', the scripts for the short propaganda documentary films commissioned by Strand Films. The scripts for films such as 'Our Country', 'A City Reborn' and 'Balloon Site 568' provide a vivid and moving account of war-torn Britain and the destruction of London and Coventry during the Blitz. The scripts for the films such as 'These are The Men' and 'The Unconquerable People', written to raise public moral, reveal Dylan Thomas's political and social views. The script for the most famous of Dylan Thomas's short films, 'These Are The Men' also gives the reader, and viewer, a glimpse of Dylan Thomas's wicked and clever sense of humour.
The later chapters of this book focus on the filmscripts mainly written for Gainsborough Pictures; 'The Beach of Falesa', 'The Doctor and the Devils', ''Rebecca's Daughters' and 'Three Weird Sisters' amongst them.
The cover notes explain the importance of Dylan Thomas's filmscripts in relation to his poetry and prose;
"This is the first collection of Dylan Thomas's filmscripts and a unique portrait of his life and times as a professional film writer. Dylan Thomas delighted in the cinema and in the film world. He wrote an essay on 'The Films' for his school magazine, and his last-but-one public appearance was at a symposium on 'Poetry And The Film' in New York in October 1953.
'My war work' he called his propaganda documentary films. His scripts provide a vivid and moving account of war-torn Britain and of London and Coventry in the Blitz, as well as a wider picture of the world at war. written to raise public morale, they also reveal Dylan's political and social views, promoting a vision of a more just post-war society of social welfare and full employment worth fighting for - in contrast to the pre-war unemployment and poverty.
His feature films show him at his best in dialogue and in the powerful and exact evocation of scene and atmosphere, as in the horrors of 'The Doctor And The Devils'. In 'The Beach of Falesa', the exotic South seas setting is the background for a tale of romance, murder and black magic mayhem. 'Rebecca's Daughters' is alive with the conflict and riots which shook rural Wales in the 1840's. adapting an American detective thriller, he relocates the plot of 'The Three Weird Sisters' to a South Wales mining village, so that the film highlights the political and cultural cross-currents of Dylan Thomas's own Welshness."
This edition of 'Dylan Thomas - The Filmscripts' was published by J. M. Dent on red cloth boards with silver gilt lettering and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-86067-4. This edition also features an in-depth introduction by John Ackerman and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, 1995
Published by J. M. Dent, St. Martin's Lane, London and printed by Butler and Tanner Limited, based in Frome and London, this is the 1995 first edition, published in hardback, of, 'Dylan Thomas - The Filmscripts'.
Edited by John Ackerman, this volume contains all the known film-scripts upon which Dylan Thomas worked and completed during his time commissioned by, and working for, Strand and Gainsborough Films.
The first part of this book comprises of what Dylan Thomas liked to term as 'his war work', the scripts for the short propaganda documentary films commissioned by Strand Films. The scripts for films such as 'Our Country', 'A City Reborn' and 'Balloon Site 568' provide a vivid and moving account of war-torn Britain and the destruction of London and Coventry during the Blitz. The scripts for the films such as 'These are The Men' and 'The Unconquerable People', written to raise public moral, reveal Dylan Thomas's political and social views. The script for the most famous of Dylan Thomas's short films, 'These Are The Men' also gives the reader, and viewer, a glimpse of Dylan Thomas's wicked and clever sense of humour.
The later chapters of this book focus on the filmscripts mainly written for Gainsborough Pictures; 'The Beach of Falesa', 'The Doctor and the Devils', ''Rebecca's Daughters' and 'Three Weird Sisters' amongst them.
The cover notes explain the importance of Dylan Thomas's filmscripts in relation to his poetry and prose;
"This is the first collection of Dylan Thomas's filmscripts and a unique portrait of his life and times as a professional film writer. Dylan Thomas delighted in the cinema and in the film world. He wrote an essay on 'The Films' for his school magazine, and his last-but-one public appearance was at a symposium on 'Poetry And The Film' in New York in October 1953.
'My war work' he called his propaganda documentary films. His scripts provide a vivid and moving account of war-torn Britain and of London and Coventry in the Blitz, as well as a wider picture of the world at war. written to raise public morale, they also reveal Dylan's political and social views, promoting a vision of a more just post-war society of social welfare and full employment worth fighting for - in contrast to the pre-war unemployment and poverty.
His feature films show him at his best in dialogue and in the powerful and exact evocation of scene and atmosphere, as in the horrors of 'The Doctor And The Devils'. In 'The Beach of Falesa', the exotic South seas setting is the background for a tale of romance, murder and black magic mayhem. 'Rebecca's Daughters' is alive with the conflict and riots which shook rural Wales in the 1840's. adapting an American detective thriller, he relocates the plot of 'The Three Weird Sisters' to a South Wales mining village, so that the film highlights the political and cultural cross-currents of Dylan Thomas's own Welshness."
This edition of 'Dylan Thomas - The Filmscripts' was published by J. M. Dent on red cloth boards with silver gilt lettering and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-86067-4. This edition also features an in-depth introduction by John Ackerman and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
Ralph Maud, 'Dylan Thomas In Print - A Bibliographical History' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, 1970
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of Professor Ralph Maud's in-depth book entitled, 'Dylan Thomas In Print - A Biographical History'.
This is Ralph Maud's detailed study of the entire catalogue of poetry and prose which Dylan Thomas had published during his lifetime and posthumously up to the year 1970, including many biographical works written about him which would interest the Dylan Thomas enthusiast, literary historian or general reader.
This incredibly well- researched volume also includes sections relating to periodicals and newspapers published in Wales, England, The United States and Canada.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons, Bedford Street, London in 1970 and was printed by The Aldine Press, Letchworth, Hertfordshire and bound by Biddles Limited, based in Guildford, Surrey.
This marvellous work also includes a detailed appendix compiled by Professor Walford Davies and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
William White, reviewing this book for 'The American Book Collector noted;
"Occasionally there are annotations that are so good you wish there had been many more...Who said bibliographies were dull?"
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited on blue cloth boards with gilt lettering and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-07836-4.
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of Professor Ralph Maud's in-depth book entitled, 'Dylan Thomas In Print - A Biographical History'.
This is Ralph Maud's detailed study of the entire catalogue of poetry and prose which Dylan Thomas had published during his lifetime and posthumously up to the year 1970, including many biographical works written about him which would interest the Dylan Thomas enthusiast, literary historian or general reader.
This incredibly well- researched volume also includes sections relating to periodicals and newspapers published in Wales, England, The United States and Canada.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons, Bedford Street, London in 1970 and was printed by The Aldine Press, Letchworth, Hertfordshire and bound by Biddles Limited, based in Guildford, Surrey.
This marvellous work also includes a detailed appendix compiled by Professor Walford Davies and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
William White, reviewing this book for 'The American Book Collector noted;
"Occasionally there are annotations that are so good you wish there had been many more...Who said bibliographies were dull?"
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited on blue cloth boards with gilt lettering and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-07836-4.
Clark Emery, 'The World Of Dylan Thomas'
J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, 1971
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of Award-winning writer, critic and poet, Professor Clark Emery's highly important critical study entitled, 'The World Of Dylan Thomas'.
This first edition copy was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Aldine House, London and printed by Lowe and Brydone Limited, London in 1971 and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-03921-0 and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The text of the cover notes, taken from a review of this book by the 'Library Journal', reads in it's entirety;
"This important study is a detailed critique of Dylan Thomas's poetry. Professor Emery's contributions range from a full-dress interpretation of the poems that need it to critical comment upon those that do not.
The purpose throughout is to meet Thomas on human and humane level. The poems are not regarded as exercises in Freudian or Jungian symbolism nor as the undisciplined spoutings of a 'boily boy'. They are understood as taking their place within the tradition of English poetry, lyric and didactic, products of a craftsman who had the mastery of his tools, of an acute observer of the human scene, and of a teacher who had a subject to teach.
'Confirmed Dylanists' and baffled neophytes alike will find rich pasturage...
Though Emery cites many critics and acknowledges extensive use of preceding book-length treatises...this is no pedantic variorum or synthesis; each poem is tackled with gusto and insight, unashamed recourse to prose paraphrase being made where Dylanian opaqueness or multi-levels of expression require it...Worth the price of the book itself is Emery's packed and scintillant twenty-eight page preface; rarely has Thomas - or any other modern poet - been 'done' with such gusto, sanity and precision in equivalent space.
In short this book belongs on all library shelves featuring modern literature".
J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, 1971
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of Award-winning writer, critic and poet, Professor Clark Emery's highly important critical study entitled, 'The World Of Dylan Thomas'.
This first edition copy was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Aldine House, London and printed by Lowe and Brydone Limited, London in 1971 and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-03921-0 and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The text of the cover notes, taken from a review of this book by the 'Library Journal', reads in it's entirety;
"This important study is a detailed critique of Dylan Thomas's poetry. Professor Emery's contributions range from a full-dress interpretation of the poems that need it to critical comment upon those that do not.
The purpose throughout is to meet Thomas on human and humane level. The poems are not regarded as exercises in Freudian or Jungian symbolism nor as the undisciplined spoutings of a 'boily boy'. They are understood as taking their place within the tradition of English poetry, lyric and didactic, products of a craftsman who had the mastery of his tools, of an acute observer of the human scene, and of a teacher who had a subject to teach.
'Confirmed Dylanists' and baffled neophytes alike will find rich pasturage...
Though Emery cites many critics and acknowledges extensive use of preceding book-length treatises...this is no pedantic variorum or synthesis; each poem is tackled with gusto and insight, unashamed recourse to prose paraphrase being made where Dylanian opaqueness or multi-levels of expression require it...Worth the price of the book itself is Emery's packed and scintillant twenty-eight page preface; rarely has Thomas - or any other modern poet - been 'done' with such gusto, sanity and precision in equivalent space.
In short this book belongs on all library shelves featuring modern literature".
'Dylan Thomas-The Collected Letters' Edited by Paul Ferris
J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, 1985
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of 'Dylan Thomas -The Collected Letters'.
This collection was edited by Paul Ferris and was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Welbeck Street, London, and printed by Mackays of Chatham in 1985.
This copy was issued with the ISBN 0-460-04635-7.
This edition features a detailed chronology and introduction, detailed notes, a list of recipients and an index of other incidental and miscellaneous letters.
This first edition copy was published on blue cloth boards with silver gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The text, taken from the publishers cover notes, reveal a detailed synopsis;
"Although Dylan Thomas is famous because he was a poet, he was also, like many poets, a distinguished writer of prose. his stories recently appeared in a collected edition. Now his letters - perhaps his finest prose, and certainly the most revealing - have been brought together for the first time in this long-awaited volume.
It is a major literary landmark, and can do nothing but enhance the continuing interest in Thomas as a person. His letters - sad, comic, begging, bawdy, and - when he writes of the craft of poetry - intensely professional, bring him vividly to life. A romantic with a sharp mind, a devious charm and an unfailing eye for the detail of human behaviour - including his own - he was a born letter-writer, and devoted much energy to his correspondence. The letters sparkle with wit and shrewd analysis, they are in turn touching, intimate and scurrilous. For candour, readability and beguiling insight, it would be hard to imagine a more fascinating collection.
When the 'Selected Letters' were published twenty years ago, it was recognised that they formed an interim volume. Paul Ferris, who wrote Thomas's biography in 1977, has now brought together almost three times as much material as before. The new letters cover every aspect of his life; to literary contemporaries, such as Edith Sitwell, John Davenport and Geoffrey Grigson, to his parents and his sister; to Desmond Hawkins, when Thomas was the young poet-about-town in the 1930's, to the BBC, a revealing group that helps to chart his erratic career as a radio writer and actor, to his publishers and agents in Britain and the United States, to whom he was often writing in the desperate need that characterised so much of his life, to various women friends, and above all, the passionate outpourings to his wife, Caitlin - 'echoes of a deep and turbulent relationship'.
All this new material takes its place alongside the text of 'Selected Letters', which itself has been entirely re-edited to restore many passages previously omitted.
Here, unabridged for the first time, in this remarkable series of letters to Pamela Hansford Johnson, written in his adolescence, together with two later letters; the letters to Vernon Watkins (first published nearly thirty years ago, in a separate volume) with new material now added, the gossipy, saloon-bar letters to close friends, the shamefaced, ingratiating pleas to his patrons such as Princess Caetani and Margaret Taylor.
Through all his correspondence, Dylan Thomas's gleeful word-play is given full rein. His self-conscious posturing, his gift for high-grade clowning, his delight in a friendship, his concern with language - all are on display.
Paul Ferris's meticulous edition of The Collected Letters performs a notable service to the memory of this complex, maddening, enchanting and ultimately tragic personality."
J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, 1985
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of 'Dylan Thomas -The Collected Letters'.
This collection was edited by Paul Ferris and was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Welbeck Street, London, and printed by Mackays of Chatham in 1985.
This copy was issued with the ISBN 0-460-04635-7.
This edition features a detailed chronology and introduction, detailed notes, a list of recipients and an index of other incidental and miscellaneous letters.
This first edition copy was published on blue cloth boards with silver gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The text, taken from the publishers cover notes, reveal a detailed synopsis;
"Although Dylan Thomas is famous because he was a poet, he was also, like many poets, a distinguished writer of prose. his stories recently appeared in a collected edition. Now his letters - perhaps his finest prose, and certainly the most revealing - have been brought together for the first time in this long-awaited volume.
It is a major literary landmark, and can do nothing but enhance the continuing interest in Thomas as a person. His letters - sad, comic, begging, bawdy, and - when he writes of the craft of poetry - intensely professional, bring him vividly to life. A romantic with a sharp mind, a devious charm and an unfailing eye for the detail of human behaviour - including his own - he was a born letter-writer, and devoted much energy to his correspondence. The letters sparkle with wit and shrewd analysis, they are in turn touching, intimate and scurrilous. For candour, readability and beguiling insight, it would be hard to imagine a more fascinating collection.
When the 'Selected Letters' were published twenty years ago, it was recognised that they formed an interim volume. Paul Ferris, who wrote Thomas's biography in 1977, has now brought together almost three times as much material as before. The new letters cover every aspect of his life; to literary contemporaries, such as Edith Sitwell, John Davenport and Geoffrey Grigson, to his parents and his sister; to Desmond Hawkins, when Thomas was the young poet-about-town in the 1930's, to the BBC, a revealing group that helps to chart his erratic career as a radio writer and actor, to his publishers and agents in Britain and the United States, to whom he was often writing in the desperate need that characterised so much of his life, to various women friends, and above all, the passionate outpourings to his wife, Caitlin - 'echoes of a deep and turbulent relationship'.
All this new material takes its place alongside the text of 'Selected Letters', which itself has been entirely re-edited to restore many passages previously omitted.
Here, unabridged for the first time, in this remarkable series of letters to Pamela Hansford Johnson, written in his adolescence, together with two later letters; the letters to Vernon Watkins (first published nearly thirty years ago, in a separate volume) with new material now added, the gossipy, saloon-bar letters to close friends, the shamefaced, ingratiating pleas to his patrons such as Princess Caetani and Margaret Taylor.
Through all his correspondence, Dylan Thomas's gleeful word-play is given full rein. His self-conscious posturing, his gift for high-grade clowning, his delight in a friendship, his concern with language - all are on display.
Paul Ferris's meticulous edition of The Collected Letters performs a notable service to the memory of this complex, maddening, enchanting and ultimately tragic personality."
George Tremlett, 'Dylan Thomas - In The Mercy Of His Means' Constable & Company, Signed Second Edition, 1992
Dedicated by the author to the people of Laugharne, which is also the small town where he has made his home, this is a second edition copy of the George Tremlett biography entitled, 'Dylan Thomas - In The Mercy Of His Means'.
This copy was published by Constable and Company, Fulham Palace Road, London and printed by the St. Edmondsbury Press, based in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk in 1992 and issued with the ISBN 0-09-170890-8.
This copy was published by Constable and Company on black cloth boards with silver gilt lettering, illustrated with black and white photographs and is complete with the original dust-jacket which features, in my opinion, the worst representation in art of Dylan Thomas ever produced, a portrait painted by James Proudfoot.
A reproduction of the beautiful Rupert Shephard portrait of Dylan Thomas, painted in 1940, however appears on the back cover.
This copy has the lovely addition of having been signed to myself personally by the author, George Tremlett, upon a recent visit to Laugharne in July 2016.
From the text, taken from the cover notes, the publishers describe this edition with the highly truthful review;
"It is the Kaufmann auditorium in New York. The lights go dim. A tiny, podgy figure, dressed in a rumpled suit, with tousled hair, walks out from the wings to a rostrum where he stands for a moment, gazing out on the waves of faces before him. Gripping the sides with both hands, he drinks from a glass of water, sweat pouring down his brow. Dylan Thomas is presenting 'Under Milk Wood' for the first time. The date is the 14th of May 1953. Six months later he was dead.
Dylan Thomas was a major poet. His appeal was far wider and more popular than other great contemporary poets, such as Auden or Eliot. Thomas found - and kept - an audience that does not ordinarily read poetry, or buy books and quality papers. He became an icon and a plaque in his memory was placed in Westminster Abbey.
Dylan Thomas's reputation as a person was destroyed by one book. John Malcolm Brinnin's 'Dylan Thomas In America' portrayed him as a drunken adulterer, liar and thief who has lost control of his talents. These allegations caused deep distress to his widow Caitlin and their closest friends. As other books were written, and he became familiar with these tensions, George Tremlett formed the belief that a web of misunderstood anecdotes lay at the heart of the Thomas myth. Eventually, he persuaded Mrs. Thomas to tell her side of the story in the book 'Caitlin' which they wrote together.
Now Tremlett tells the whole story in this penetrating new biography which traces the ways in which Dylan Thomas's reputation became distorted, and then looks back over his life reassembling the evidence, introducing much new material, and documenting his sources to form a convincing new portrait."
Dedicated by the author to the people of Laugharne, which is also the small town where he has made his home, this is a second edition copy of the George Tremlett biography entitled, 'Dylan Thomas - In The Mercy Of His Means'.
This copy was published by Constable and Company, Fulham Palace Road, London and printed by the St. Edmondsbury Press, based in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk in 1992 and issued with the ISBN 0-09-170890-8.
This copy was published by Constable and Company on black cloth boards with silver gilt lettering, illustrated with black and white photographs and is complete with the original dust-jacket which features, in my opinion, the worst representation in art of Dylan Thomas ever produced, a portrait painted by James Proudfoot.
A reproduction of the beautiful Rupert Shephard portrait of Dylan Thomas, painted in 1940, however appears on the back cover.
This copy has the lovely addition of having been signed to myself personally by the author, George Tremlett, upon a recent visit to Laugharne in July 2016.
From the text, taken from the cover notes, the publishers describe this edition with the highly truthful review;
"It is the Kaufmann auditorium in New York. The lights go dim. A tiny, podgy figure, dressed in a rumpled suit, with tousled hair, walks out from the wings to a rostrum where he stands for a moment, gazing out on the waves of faces before him. Gripping the sides with both hands, he drinks from a glass of water, sweat pouring down his brow. Dylan Thomas is presenting 'Under Milk Wood' for the first time. The date is the 14th of May 1953. Six months later he was dead.
Dylan Thomas was a major poet. His appeal was far wider and more popular than other great contemporary poets, such as Auden or Eliot. Thomas found - and kept - an audience that does not ordinarily read poetry, or buy books and quality papers. He became an icon and a plaque in his memory was placed in Westminster Abbey.
Dylan Thomas's reputation as a person was destroyed by one book. John Malcolm Brinnin's 'Dylan Thomas In America' portrayed him as a drunken adulterer, liar and thief who has lost control of his talents. These allegations caused deep distress to his widow Caitlin and their closest friends. As other books were written, and he became familiar with these tensions, George Tremlett formed the belief that a web of misunderstood anecdotes lay at the heart of the Thomas myth. Eventually, he persuaded Mrs. Thomas to tell her side of the story in the book 'Caitlin' which they wrote together.
Now Tremlett tells the whole story in this penetrating new biography which traces the ways in which Dylan Thomas's reputation became distorted, and then looks back over his life reassembling the evidence, introducing much new material, and documenting his sources to form a convincing new portrait."
This well-researched and detailed study entitled 'Dylan Thomas - In The Mercy Of His Means' is further enhanced by having been personally signed and dedicated to myself by the author George Tremlett in Laugharne on the 28th of July, 2016.
Paul Ferris, 'Dylan Thomas -The Biography' (New Edition)
J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, 1999
A hardback copy of the 1999 revised edition of the 1977 Paul Ferris biography simply entitled, 'Dylan Thomas'.
Originally published in 1977, this book still remains one of the most detailed and definitive biographies of Dylan Thomas to date.
This edition, drawing on fresh material (including nearly one hundred previously undiscovered letters), features an updated introduction and re-working of the main narrative by Paul Ferris. Dylan Thomas's marriage to Caitlin in particular is scrutinized in far more depth than in the previous 1977 edition.
This first edition copy, in this hardback format, was published in 1999 by J. M. Dent, an imprint of the Weidenfeld and Nicolson division of The Orion Publishing Group Limited and was printed and bound by Butler and Tanner Limited based in Frome and London.
This edition was published by J.M. Dent on rich burgundy cloth boards with silver gilt lettering and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-87970-7.
This copy of Paul Ferris's new and updated biography of Dylan Thomas is illustrated with the same black and white photographs as in the 1977 edition, features a new introduction by author Paul Ferris, and is complete with a newly designed dust-jacket.
The publishers cover notes for this updated edition read;
"Dylan Thomas's life and work have made him a legendary figure since he died, amid alcohol and debts, in New York at the age of thirty-nine. At the heart of this achievement are a few dozen poems and stories which, together with the romantic comedy of his 'play for voices', 'Under Milk Wood', haunt the imagination and give his writing a broader appeal than he could have envisaged in his lifetime. Beyond his writing is the chequered figure of the poet himself: often comic, at times in despair, always self-obsessed, in the end defeated by his own nature. It is not surprising that in many people's imagination, his work and life have become entwined.
The tragedy of a man brilliantly but disastrously aware of his self-imposed vocation as The Poet is central to Paul Ferris's classic biography, which has been recognised as the standard life since it first appeared in 1977. No other book has captured the essential Thomas with such grace and precision.
Now, drawing on fresh material, which includes nearly a hundred letters, Ferris has revised and enhanced his narrative and written a new introduction. In particular, he looks again at Thomas's marriage to the fiery Caitlin, and finds in it the seeds of a fatal dependence."
J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, First Edition, 1999
A hardback copy of the 1999 revised edition of the 1977 Paul Ferris biography simply entitled, 'Dylan Thomas'.
Originally published in 1977, this book still remains one of the most detailed and definitive biographies of Dylan Thomas to date.
This edition, drawing on fresh material (including nearly one hundred previously undiscovered letters), features an updated introduction and re-working of the main narrative by Paul Ferris. Dylan Thomas's marriage to Caitlin in particular is scrutinized in far more depth than in the previous 1977 edition.
This first edition copy, in this hardback format, was published in 1999 by J. M. Dent, an imprint of the Weidenfeld and Nicolson division of The Orion Publishing Group Limited and was printed and bound by Butler and Tanner Limited based in Frome and London.
This edition was published by J.M. Dent on rich burgundy cloth boards with silver gilt lettering and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-87970-7.
This copy of Paul Ferris's new and updated biography of Dylan Thomas is illustrated with the same black and white photographs as in the 1977 edition, features a new introduction by author Paul Ferris, and is complete with a newly designed dust-jacket.
The publishers cover notes for this updated edition read;
"Dylan Thomas's life and work have made him a legendary figure since he died, amid alcohol and debts, in New York at the age of thirty-nine. At the heart of this achievement are a few dozen poems and stories which, together with the romantic comedy of his 'play for voices', 'Under Milk Wood', haunt the imagination and give his writing a broader appeal than he could have envisaged in his lifetime. Beyond his writing is the chequered figure of the poet himself: often comic, at times in despair, always self-obsessed, in the end defeated by his own nature. It is not surprising that in many people's imagination, his work and life have become entwined.
The tragedy of a man brilliantly but disastrously aware of his self-imposed vocation as The Poet is central to Paul Ferris's classic biography, which has been recognised as the standard life since it first appeared in 1977. No other book has captured the essential Thomas with such grace and precision.
Now, drawing on fresh material, which includes nearly a hundred letters, Ferris has revised and enhanced his narrative and written a new introduction. In particular, he looks again at Thomas's marriage to the fiery Caitlin, and finds in it the seeds of a fatal dependence."
James A. Davies, 'Dylan Thomas's Places: A Biographical And Literary Guide' Christopher Davies Limited, First Edition, 1987
A photographic biographical and literary guide compiled by James A. Davies. 'Dylan Thomas's Places' is an incredibly well-researched book which explores the geographical sites which played an important role in Dylan Thomas's life and influences, and includes the areas, streets and places which appear in his semi-autobiographical prose and poetry.
The book covers all the key areas of importance to Dylan Thomas's literary and biographical landscapes, paying particular interest to Swansea, Laugharne, London and New York.
The cover notes to this edition explain that;
"One of the functions of this book is to show the complexities of Thomas's geography. Another is to show how real places are used in his writings. the guidebook format - a new approach to Thomas's life and work - enables both to be seen in new ways.
It must be stressed that this book, profusely illustrated with contemporary and modern photographs, with detailed street plans and maps, is not only for the Thomas specialists but also for the general reader and for the person who as - a local, tourist, visitor or armchair traveller - is interested in places often interesting in themselves but which have acquired a special significance because of their connection with a famous personality or that personality's equally famous works."
This edition was published by Christopher Davies Limited, based in Sketty, Swansea and printed by the Dynevor Printing Company, Dyfed in 1987.
This first edition, hardback copy, is illustrated throughout with stunning landscape photographs of the areas, streets, houses and pubs contemporary to Dylan Thomas's time as well as comparison photographs of the same buildings as they appeared at the time of publication in 1986.
This edition was published by Christopher Davies Limited on blue cloth boards with gilt lettering and was issued with the ISBN 0-7154-0654-X. This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket.
A photographic biographical and literary guide compiled by James A. Davies. 'Dylan Thomas's Places' is an incredibly well-researched book which explores the geographical sites which played an important role in Dylan Thomas's life and influences, and includes the areas, streets and places which appear in his semi-autobiographical prose and poetry.
The book covers all the key areas of importance to Dylan Thomas's literary and biographical landscapes, paying particular interest to Swansea, Laugharne, London and New York.
The cover notes to this edition explain that;
"One of the functions of this book is to show the complexities of Thomas's geography. Another is to show how real places are used in his writings. the guidebook format - a new approach to Thomas's life and work - enables both to be seen in new ways.
It must be stressed that this book, profusely illustrated with contemporary and modern photographs, with detailed street plans and maps, is not only for the Thomas specialists but also for the general reader and for the person who as - a local, tourist, visitor or armchair traveller - is interested in places often interesting in themselves but which have acquired a special significance because of their connection with a famous personality or that personality's equally famous works."
This edition was published by Christopher Davies Limited, based in Sketty, Swansea and printed by the Dynevor Printing Company, Dyfed in 1987.
This first edition, hardback copy, is illustrated throughout with stunning landscape photographs of the areas, streets, houses and pubs contemporary to Dylan Thomas's time as well as comparison photographs of the same buildings as they appeared at the time of publication in 1986.
This edition was published by Christopher Davies Limited on blue cloth boards with gilt lettering and was issued with the ISBN 0-7154-0654-X. This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket.
Min and Stanley Lewis, 'Laugharne And Dylan Thomas' Dobson Books Limited, First Edition, 1967
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of the delightful book entitled, 'Laugharne and Dylan Thomas'.
Written by Min Lewis and with stunning illustrations by Stanley Lewis, this copy was published by Dobson Books Limited, Kensington Church Road, London and was printed by Latimer Trend and Company Limited based in Whitstable and bound by Webb Son and Company, London and Ferndale.
This edition was published on green cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The cover notes for this delightful and wonderfully presented book read;
"Min and Stanley Lewis share with Dylan Thomas not only their Welsh ancestry and upbringing but also their love of Laugharne as their adopted home.
Laugharne was one of Dylan Thomas's favourite places. Here he lived and worked. Very few would ever have heard of this quiet place near Carmarthen in Wales had it not been for him.
Like him they came to visit and were captured by this unique, proud, self-contained town whose history, customs, people and associations are affectionately and humorously presented in this book.
Min and Stanley Lewis knew Dylan Thomas as a private person, at home and relaxed among people who regarded him as one of themselves and judged him as such. This judgement reveals a man well-contrasted to many of the over-dramatized portrayals by those who knew him only on the public stage."
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of the delightful book entitled, 'Laugharne and Dylan Thomas'.
Written by Min Lewis and with stunning illustrations by Stanley Lewis, this copy was published by Dobson Books Limited, Kensington Church Road, London and was printed by Latimer Trend and Company Limited based in Whitstable and bound by Webb Son and Company, London and Ferndale.
This edition was published on green cloth boards with gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The cover notes for this delightful and wonderfully presented book read;
"Min and Stanley Lewis share with Dylan Thomas not only their Welsh ancestry and upbringing but also their love of Laugharne as their adopted home.
Laugharne was one of Dylan Thomas's favourite places. Here he lived and worked. Very few would ever have heard of this quiet place near Carmarthen in Wales had it not been for him.
Like him they came to visit and were captured by this unique, proud, self-contained town whose history, customs, people and associations are affectionately and humorously presented in this book.
Min and Stanley Lewis knew Dylan Thomas as a private person, at home and relaxed among people who regarded him as one of themselves and judged him as such. This judgement reveals a man well-contrasted to many of the over-dramatized portrayals by those who knew him only on the public stage."
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A small example of the beautiful artwork by Stanley Lewis which features in this wonderful edition of 'Laugharne And Dylan Thomas'.
'Portrait Of Dylan' Stemmer House Publishers Incorporated, First Edition, 1982
A first edition hardback copy of 'Portrait Of Dylan', a photographic memoir featuring the beautiful photographs of Rollie McKenna.
This edition was first published in the United States in 1982 by Stemmer House Publishers Incorporated, Maryland.
This edition was published on green cloth boards with gilt lettering and issued with the ISBN 0-460-04573-3, this rare copy is complete with the original dust-jacket.
Illustrated throughout with stunning colour and atmospheric black and white photographs of Dylan Thomas (at leisure and in performance), Caitlin Thomas, his family and the landscapes and surroundings which inspired him, captured beautifully by photographer Rollie McKenna.
The publishers detailed cover notes for this edition read in their entirety;
"All those who have even a slight acquaintance with the poetry of Dylan Thomas know of the Welsh poet's short life and tragic death. Many will also vividly remember the few published photographs of Dylan, surrounded by his family in his seaside village of Laugharne, and alone at the podium during his American tours, reading his poems gloriously.
Now the distinguished photographer of those haunting pictures, who knew the poet well, has collected these and many other photographs, made during Thomas' last years in Wales, in New York City and at the photographer's home in Millbrook, New York, together with others of Laugharne after the poet's death in 1953.
Underscoring the poignancy of the superb photographic images is the text, in which Rollie McKenna remembers Dylan as she knew him, recalls the details of that final summer during which he, his wife Caitlin and John Malcolm Brinnin agonized over the question of whether he should make yet another tour of America, and vividly recounts Dylan's final weeks in New York, ending with his death. John Malcolm Brinnin, author of 'Dylan Thomas in America', contributes an important introduction, setting forth his own insights into the poet's last years.
Thus the book blends words and pictures into a unique documentation of the poet's involvement with his landscape, his intense - though often despairing - family life, and his extraordinary recuperative powers. The sequence of the book, beginning and ending with Caitlin, the children, the land and the seascape, orchestrates the author, the photographer's profound vision of those never-to-be-forgotten years - an affirmation of life and of poetic immortality".
This first edition copy includes an introduction written by John Malcolm Brinnin.
Rosalie 'Rollie' Thorne McKenna was born in Houston, Texas on November the 15th, 1918. After previously studying American History at Vassar College from 1938 until 1940 she returned in 1948 to study for a Master's Degree in art history. Already interested in photography at that time, she developed a passion for American and European architecture, a passion which she would use as an early basis for her photography.
It was also around this time she met and established a close friendship with John Malcolm Brinnin, which would lead to her meeting with some of the literary and art giants of the day which included such names as Leonard Berstein, Truman Capote, Ezra Pound, Robert Frost, T. S. Eliot and Dylan Thomas.
Her relationship with Dylan Thomas was to be a close one, getting to know him well during his visits to America and also on her own trips to Wales to continue her work with him, getting to know his family and surroundings well. Her outstanding photographs remain a fascinating insight into Dylan Thomas's world an an important literary documentation and legacy.
Aside from her work with Dylan Thomas she was a frequent contributor to Time Magazine, America Illustrated, Harper's Bazaar, People, Mademoiselle and the Observer.
In 2001, the National Portrait Gallery paid tribute to her by holding a retrospective of her work which not only focused on her portraits and landscapes but also drew public attention at last, to her early, and little known, architectural work.
Rollie McKenna died on the 15th of June, 2003 aged eighty-four.
A first edition hardback copy of 'Portrait Of Dylan', a photographic memoir featuring the beautiful photographs of Rollie McKenna.
This edition was first published in the United States in 1982 by Stemmer House Publishers Incorporated, Maryland.
This edition was published on green cloth boards with gilt lettering and issued with the ISBN 0-460-04573-3, this rare copy is complete with the original dust-jacket.
Illustrated throughout with stunning colour and atmospheric black and white photographs of Dylan Thomas (at leisure and in performance), Caitlin Thomas, his family and the landscapes and surroundings which inspired him, captured beautifully by photographer Rollie McKenna.
The publishers detailed cover notes for this edition read in their entirety;
"All those who have even a slight acquaintance with the poetry of Dylan Thomas know of the Welsh poet's short life and tragic death. Many will also vividly remember the few published photographs of Dylan, surrounded by his family in his seaside village of Laugharne, and alone at the podium during his American tours, reading his poems gloriously.
Now the distinguished photographer of those haunting pictures, who knew the poet well, has collected these and many other photographs, made during Thomas' last years in Wales, in New York City and at the photographer's home in Millbrook, New York, together with others of Laugharne after the poet's death in 1953.
Underscoring the poignancy of the superb photographic images is the text, in which Rollie McKenna remembers Dylan as she knew him, recalls the details of that final summer during which he, his wife Caitlin and John Malcolm Brinnin agonized over the question of whether he should make yet another tour of America, and vividly recounts Dylan's final weeks in New York, ending with his death. John Malcolm Brinnin, author of 'Dylan Thomas in America', contributes an important introduction, setting forth his own insights into the poet's last years.
Thus the book blends words and pictures into a unique documentation of the poet's involvement with his landscape, his intense - though often despairing - family life, and his extraordinary recuperative powers. The sequence of the book, beginning and ending with Caitlin, the children, the land and the seascape, orchestrates the author, the photographer's profound vision of those never-to-be-forgotten years - an affirmation of life and of poetic immortality".
This first edition copy includes an introduction written by John Malcolm Brinnin.
Rosalie 'Rollie' Thorne McKenna was born in Houston, Texas on November the 15th, 1918. After previously studying American History at Vassar College from 1938 until 1940 she returned in 1948 to study for a Master's Degree in art history. Already interested in photography at that time, she developed a passion for American and European architecture, a passion which she would use as an early basis for her photography.
It was also around this time she met and established a close friendship with John Malcolm Brinnin, which would lead to her meeting with some of the literary and art giants of the day which included such names as Leonard Berstein, Truman Capote, Ezra Pound, Robert Frost, T. S. Eliot and Dylan Thomas.
Her relationship with Dylan Thomas was to be a close one, getting to know him well during his visits to America and also on her own trips to Wales to continue her work with him, getting to know his family and surroundings well. Her outstanding photographs remain a fascinating insight into Dylan Thomas's world an an important literary documentation and legacy.
Aside from her work with Dylan Thomas she was a frequent contributor to Time Magazine, America Illustrated, Harper's Bazaar, People, Mademoiselle and the Observer.
In 2001, the National Portrait Gallery paid tribute to her by holding a retrospective of her work which not only focused on her portraits and landscapes but also drew public attention at last, to her early, and little known, architectural work.
Rollie McKenna died on the 15th of June, 2003 aged eighty-four.
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A selection of just a few of the outstanding photographs, taken by Rollie McKenna, which feature throughout this wonderful 'Photographer's Memoir'
A photograph of Rollie McKenna, captured in Laugharne in the early 1950's.
Hilary Laurie, 'Dylan Thomas's Wales'
Weidenfield & Nicolson, First Edition, 1999
Published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London in 1999, this is a first edition copy, published in hardback, of the beautifully presented, 'Dylan Thomas's Wales' written and compiled by Hilary Laurie.
This stunning photographic book revisits the places which Dylan Thomas would have known and loved, and combined with the text of Dylan Thomas's poems, stories and letters and the wonderful contemporary photography by Kathy De Witt, Hilary Laurie takes the reader on a journey through Swansea, Mumbles and Laugharne and the small Welsh villages of West Wales that were Dylan Thomas's home, playground and inspiration.
This first edition copy, published in 1999, is illustrated throughout with stunning and hauntingly beautiful colour and black and white photographs featuring historic and contemporary images of the landscapes of Wales which inspired the poet and was published on laminated boards which features the design of the original cover photographs which appear on the dust-jacket.
This copy was published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson and was issued with the ISBN 0-297-82481-3.
Irish-born Hilary Laurie was previously the Publishing Director for J. M. Dent and Sons, (Dylan Thomas's original publishers) and was responsible during her time there for all the current editions of Dylan Thomas's work. She now works within the fields of publishing, research and editing.
Weidenfield & Nicolson, First Edition, 1999
Published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London in 1999, this is a first edition copy, published in hardback, of the beautifully presented, 'Dylan Thomas's Wales' written and compiled by Hilary Laurie.
This stunning photographic book revisits the places which Dylan Thomas would have known and loved, and combined with the text of Dylan Thomas's poems, stories and letters and the wonderful contemporary photography by Kathy De Witt, Hilary Laurie takes the reader on a journey through Swansea, Mumbles and Laugharne and the small Welsh villages of West Wales that were Dylan Thomas's home, playground and inspiration.
This first edition copy, published in 1999, is illustrated throughout with stunning and hauntingly beautiful colour and black and white photographs featuring historic and contemporary images of the landscapes of Wales which inspired the poet and was published on laminated boards which features the design of the original cover photographs which appear on the dust-jacket.
This copy was published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson and was issued with the ISBN 0-297-82481-3.
Irish-born Hilary Laurie was previously the Publishing Director for J. M. Dent and Sons, (Dylan Thomas's original publishers) and was responsible during her time there for all the current editions of Dylan Thomas's work. She now works within the fields of publishing, research and editing.
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Two examples of the stunning photographs that appear within the pages of the splendid publication, 'Dylan Thomas's Wales'.
David Rowe, 'Dylan - Fern Hill To Milk Wood'
The Gomer Press, Third Impression, 2006
A third impression copy of a stunning photographic book which focuses on the influences and landscapes of Wales which inspired Dylan Thomas and entitled 'Dylan - Fern Hill To Milk Wood', written by David Rowe.
This edition was originally published in 1999, this edition dates from 2006 and was printed and published by The Gomer Press based in Llandysul, Ceredigion, Wales and issued with the ISBN 1-85902-629-X.
This beautiful book is illustrated throughout with historical and contemporary colour and black and white photographs and features a striking cover designed by Owen Fowler for The Gomer Press.
In an extract of text taken from the cover notes, the publishers write that;
"David Rowe starts from a great admiration for the work of Dylan Thomas, and in this book offers to new readers a taste of the great writer's own words. Snippets from the poems, stories and the better known play, 'Under Milk Wood', will leave you wanting to read more.
This is a book of striking and memorable photographs - of the places, the people and the experience of Wales which so influenced Dylan. And at the centre of the story is the man himself, aptly described by his friend Vernon Watkins as 'the serious survivor of all his myths".
The Gomer Press, Third Impression, 2006
A third impression copy of a stunning photographic book which focuses on the influences and landscapes of Wales which inspired Dylan Thomas and entitled 'Dylan - Fern Hill To Milk Wood', written by David Rowe.
This edition was originally published in 1999, this edition dates from 2006 and was printed and published by The Gomer Press based in Llandysul, Ceredigion, Wales and issued with the ISBN 1-85902-629-X.
This beautiful book is illustrated throughout with historical and contemporary colour and black and white photographs and features a striking cover designed by Owen Fowler for The Gomer Press.
In an extract of text taken from the cover notes, the publishers write that;
"David Rowe starts from a great admiration for the work of Dylan Thomas, and in this book offers to new readers a taste of the great writer's own words. Snippets from the poems, stories and the better known play, 'Under Milk Wood', will leave you wanting to read more.
This is a book of striking and memorable photographs - of the places, the people and the experience of Wales which so influenced Dylan. And at the centre of the story is the man himself, aptly described by his friend Vernon Watkins as 'the serious survivor of all his myths".
Derek Perkins and Len Pitson, 'Dylan Thomas And His World' Domino Books Limited, First Edition, 1995
Another photographic book which beautifully emphasises the importance of the landscapes and urban environments of Wales in relation to the poetry and writing of Dylan Thomas.
With text by Derek Perkins and contemporary photography by Len Pitson, also incorporated throughout this book are vintage photographs of the Swansea, Mumbles and Laugharne which Dylan Thomas would have known and recognised.
This edition was published and printed by Domino Books (Wales) Limited in 1995 and issued with the ISBN 1-85772-160-8.
The text from the cover notes reads;
"This book places the famous Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas, in his home environment and shows through his poetry and prose how important Swansea and West Wales were to the 'Rimbaud of Cwmdonkin Drive'. It emphasises the influence of home and upbringing, of time spent away from familiar surroundings and especially his time in the United States of America. This book shows how this local knowledge leads to a fuller understanding of Thomas's work.
There are chapters on Growing Up In Swansea; The Swansea Dylan Knew; Laugharne; The American Connection and The Dylan Thomas Legacy.
Finely illustrated with 'old' photographs of the places Thomas knew and superb pictures of these places today, this book is a must for all who know and enjoy the work of this fascinating character."
This edition includes chapters focusing on Dylan Thomas's early life in Swansea, his poetry and prose, Laugharne, the American connection and Swansea and West Wales today.
Also contained is a brief chronology of Dylan Thomas's life as well as extensive notes and references and a foreword written by the former President of the United States and Dylan Thomas admirer, Jimmy Carter.
Dr. Derek Perkins was born in Swansea and grew up in the Uplands, close to the Dylan Thomas birthplace. He attended the Swansea Grammar school and graduated in history at the University of Wales in 1956, before commencing on a long and successful career in teaching. He now writes extensively on English literature and language, especially in relation to his native Wales.
Len Pitson is a nationally and internationally renowned photographer who at one time worked as a professional media photographer on The South Wales Evening Post.
Another photographic book which beautifully emphasises the importance of the landscapes and urban environments of Wales in relation to the poetry and writing of Dylan Thomas.
With text by Derek Perkins and contemporary photography by Len Pitson, also incorporated throughout this book are vintage photographs of the Swansea, Mumbles and Laugharne which Dylan Thomas would have known and recognised.
This edition was published and printed by Domino Books (Wales) Limited in 1995 and issued with the ISBN 1-85772-160-8.
The text from the cover notes reads;
"This book places the famous Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas, in his home environment and shows through his poetry and prose how important Swansea and West Wales were to the 'Rimbaud of Cwmdonkin Drive'. It emphasises the influence of home and upbringing, of time spent away from familiar surroundings and especially his time in the United States of America. This book shows how this local knowledge leads to a fuller understanding of Thomas's work.
There are chapters on Growing Up In Swansea; The Swansea Dylan Knew; Laugharne; The American Connection and The Dylan Thomas Legacy.
Finely illustrated with 'old' photographs of the places Thomas knew and superb pictures of these places today, this book is a must for all who know and enjoy the work of this fascinating character."
This edition includes chapters focusing on Dylan Thomas's early life in Swansea, his poetry and prose, Laugharne, the American connection and Swansea and West Wales today.
Also contained is a brief chronology of Dylan Thomas's life as well as extensive notes and references and a foreword written by the former President of the United States and Dylan Thomas admirer, Jimmy Carter.
Dr. Derek Perkins was born in Swansea and grew up in the Uplands, close to the Dylan Thomas birthplace. He attended the Swansea Grammar school and graduated in history at the University of Wales in 1956, before commencing on a long and successful career in teaching. He now writes extensively on English literature and language, especially in relation to his native Wales.
Len Pitson is a nationally and internationally renowned photographer who at one time worked as a professional media photographer on The South Wales Evening Post.
'The Wales That Inspired Dylan Thomas'
Ty Llyn Publications, First Edition, 2003
Another beautifully presented photographic book inspired by the poetry and prose of Dylan Thomas with photographs by Brian Gaylor.
Entitled, 'The Wales That Inspired Dylan Thomas' this first edition copy was published by Ty Llyn Publications, City and County of Swansea, printed by D. W. Jones (Printers) Limited, based in Port Talbot and bound by Principal Bookbinders, Ystradgynlais in 2003.
Published on green cloth boards this edition is complete with the original and stunning dust-jacket and was issued with the ISBN 0-95338-654-6.
This edition is illustrated throughout with beautiful colour and black and white photography alongside the text of Dylan Thomas's poetry and prose.
The text of the foreword, written by Aeronwy Thomas, reads;
"Brian Gaylor's photographs present visual images drawn from the poetry and prose of Dylan Thomas. The written works that inspired them were published from the 1930's up to the early 1950's, and although my father was writing about these places and people fifty years ago, Gaylor has picked out the timeless images of leafy woods and restless seas.
Gaylor has not restricted himself to the poems and stories which portray Swansea and the other sea towns of south west Wales. My father's letters have also been sourced for their visual imagery, rich in poetic metaphor as might be expected but firmly anchored in real places that still exist. My father often bases his work on his own life experiences and the locations where they took place.
What gives this collection of photographs such vitality is Gaylor's appreciation of my father's zest for life in which nature in all its moods is paramount, though without excluding its inhabitants: animal and human. The poems which describe in lyrical terms the landscape, sea and rivers of Wales, are simply illustrated in the photographs as Gaylor's photographic eye selects elements from these same locations. Gaylor has his own artistic and personal vision of my father's work, and has exerted his rights as maker of the photographic image to visually represent his response to the characters from the plays and stories my father wrote.
Every photograph has an evocative quotation. The first one I turn to is typical; a moody picture of driftwood in what looks like water, with a reflection of leafy branches. The effect of the broken branch floating mistily in reflected water is both aesthetically pleasing and challenging to the eye and thought. Underneath are the words from a lesser known poem:
For I shall turn the strongest stomach up
With filth I gather
From the thousand minds, all lust and wind
Like a beachcomber in a time of light.
In this way, the artful photographer has selected and linked an image with words, with word and image each in their own way lend new interest to the other. I have found by looking at this particular image linked with words intriguing and stimulating, prompting me to return to the original poem to read it in its entirety, my interest re-generated by Gaylor's densely rich image and his choice of related words to illustrate it.
Each photograph and accompanying text offers the same stimulation; a visual image that can act as an introductory pathway to some of Dylan's greatest and lesser known works. I am confident that this book will surely be a useful tool to introduce my father's work to a new audience and develop the interest of those already familiar with his varied output. Personally, after nearly fifty years studying my father's work, I find a new impetus in this exceptional photographic collection to re-examine and enjoy the words and works from which the images took inspiration."
Ty Llyn Publications, First Edition, 2003
Another beautifully presented photographic book inspired by the poetry and prose of Dylan Thomas with photographs by Brian Gaylor.
Entitled, 'The Wales That Inspired Dylan Thomas' this first edition copy was published by Ty Llyn Publications, City and County of Swansea, printed by D. W. Jones (Printers) Limited, based in Port Talbot and bound by Principal Bookbinders, Ystradgynlais in 2003.
Published on green cloth boards this edition is complete with the original and stunning dust-jacket and was issued with the ISBN 0-95338-654-6.
This edition is illustrated throughout with beautiful colour and black and white photography alongside the text of Dylan Thomas's poetry and prose.
The text of the foreword, written by Aeronwy Thomas, reads;
"Brian Gaylor's photographs present visual images drawn from the poetry and prose of Dylan Thomas. The written works that inspired them were published from the 1930's up to the early 1950's, and although my father was writing about these places and people fifty years ago, Gaylor has picked out the timeless images of leafy woods and restless seas.
Gaylor has not restricted himself to the poems and stories which portray Swansea and the other sea towns of south west Wales. My father's letters have also been sourced for their visual imagery, rich in poetic metaphor as might be expected but firmly anchored in real places that still exist. My father often bases his work on his own life experiences and the locations where they took place.
What gives this collection of photographs such vitality is Gaylor's appreciation of my father's zest for life in which nature in all its moods is paramount, though without excluding its inhabitants: animal and human. The poems which describe in lyrical terms the landscape, sea and rivers of Wales, are simply illustrated in the photographs as Gaylor's photographic eye selects elements from these same locations. Gaylor has his own artistic and personal vision of my father's work, and has exerted his rights as maker of the photographic image to visually represent his response to the characters from the plays and stories my father wrote.
Every photograph has an evocative quotation. The first one I turn to is typical; a moody picture of driftwood in what looks like water, with a reflection of leafy branches. The effect of the broken branch floating mistily in reflected water is both aesthetically pleasing and challenging to the eye and thought. Underneath are the words from a lesser known poem:
For I shall turn the strongest stomach up
With filth I gather
From the thousand minds, all lust and wind
Like a beachcomber in a time of light.
In this way, the artful photographer has selected and linked an image with words, with word and image each in their own way lend new interest to the other. I have found by looking at this particular image linked with words intriguing and stimulating, prompting me to return to the original poem to read it in its entirety, my interest re-generated by Gaylor's densely rich image and his choice of related words to illustrate it.
Each photograph and accompanying text offers the same stimulation; a visual image that can act as an introductory pathway to some of Dylan's greatest and lesser known works. I am confident that this book will surely be a useful tool to introduce my father's work to a new audience and develop the interest of those already familiar with his varied output. Personally, after nearly fifty years studying my father's work, I find a new impetus in this exceptional photographic collection to re-examine and enjoy the words and works from which the images took inspiration."
'Fitzrovia: London's Bohemia' The National Portrait Gallery Publications, First Edition, 1999
An interesting little volume produced by the publications department of The National Portrait Gallery as part of their 'Character Sketches' series from 1999.
Written by Michael Bakewell, this is a fascinating look at some of the more 'colourful' characters who created and inhabited Fitzrovia, the Bohemian capital of London which had it's heyday between the Art Deco period and the end of the Second World War.
Christened by Tom Driberg, 'Fitzrovia' was the centre of London's pub-culture for much of the first half of the twentieth century and owes it's name to the Fitzroy Tavern situated at the heart of the area. Using images which are held in the National Portrait Gallery's collection, this book perfectly recaptures a lost age of hedonism and Bohemian culture and is illustrated throughout with colour and black and white photographs.
An extract of text from the cover notes for this delightful small volume reads...
"In 'Fitzrovia: London's Bohemia' Michael Bakewell presents a fascinating picture of the men and women who created Fitzrovia. Packed with anecdote and fact, it describes Betty May's bizarre pub entertainment, Aleister Crowley's sinister interest in the occult and George Orwell's belief that pubs were 'the basic institutions of English life.' 'Fitzrovia: London's Bohemia' conjures up the spirit of the characters who frequented the pubs of Fitzrovia and in doing so, recaptures a lost age of hedonism, high spirits and self-indulgent self-destruction."
'Fitzrovia: London's Bohemia' was published in 1999 with the ISBN 1-85514-256-2.
This edition was published by The National Portrait Gallery, St. Martin's Place, London and was printed by The Clifford Press Limited based in Coventry.
This series of National portrait Gallery publications, entitled 'Character Sketches' are fully illustrated, historical guides focusing on a specific literary and artistic theme, as in this case relating to the artistic group who revolved around Fitzrovia. This edition was written by director, dramatist, producer and writer Michael Bakewell.
Michael Bakewell has been involved in the arts since the early 1950's, having been producer and writer of many arts programmes for both radio and television. He began his career with the B.B.C. and was instrumental in the development of the highly acclaimed Theatre 625 anthology. In 1996 he published the definitive biography of Lewis Carroll and has also published a biography of Lord Byron's sister, the Honourable Augusta Leigh.
An interesting little volume produced by the publications department of The National Portrait Gallery as part of their 'Character Sketches' series from 1999.
Written by Michael Bakewell, this is a fascinating look at some of the more 'colourful' characters who created and inhabited Fitzrovia, the Bohemian capital of London which had it's heyday between the Art Deco period and the end of the Second World War.
Christened by Tom Driberg, 'Fitzrovia' was the centre of London's pub-culture for much of the first half of the twentieth century and owes it's name to the Fitzroy Tavern situated at the heart of the area. Using images which are held in the National Portrait Gallery's collection, this book perfectly recaptures a lost age of hedonism and Bohemian culture and is illustrated throughout with colour and black and white photographs.
An extract of text from the cover notes for this delightful small volume reads...
"In 'Fitzrovia: London's Bohemia' Michael Bakewell presents a fascinating picture of the men and women who created Fitzrovia. Packed with anecdote and fact, it describes Betty May's bizarre pub entertainment, Aleister Crowley's sinister interest in the occult and George Orwell's belief that pubs were 'the basic institutions of English life.' 'Fitzrovia: London's Bohemia' conjures up the spirit of the characters who frequented the pubs of Fitzrovia and in doing so, recaptures a lost age of hedonism, high spirits and self-indulgent self-destruction."
'Fitzrovia: London's Bohemia' was published in 1999 with the ISBN 1-85514-256-2.
This edition was published by The National Portrait Gallery, St. Martin's Place, London and was printed by The Clifford Press Limited based in Coventry.
This series of National portrait Gallery publications, entitled 'Character Sketches' are fully illustrated, historical guides focusing on a specific literary and artistic theme, as in this case relating to the artistic group who revolved around Fitzrovia. This edition was written by director, dramatist, producer and writer Michael Bakewell.
Michael Bakewell has been involved in the arts since the early 1950's, having been producer and writer of many arts programmes for both radio and television. He began his career with the B.B.C. and was instrumental in the development of the highly acclaimed Theatre 625 anthology. In 1996 he published the definitive biography of Lewis Carroll and has also published a biography of Lord Byron's sister, the Honourable Augusta Leigh.
Augustus John's portrait of Dylan Thomas, painted around 1937, is used to illustrate Dylan Thomas's role in the Fitzrovia story in this delightful and interesting book published by the National Portrait Gallery.
Dr. James Nashold and George Tremlett, 'The Death Of Dylan Thomas' Mainstream Publishing Company, Signed First Edition, 1997
Published by the Mainstream Publishing Company Limited based in Edinburgh in 1997 and printed and bound by Butler and Tanner Limited, Frome, this is a first edition copy, published in hardback, of the Dr. James Nashold and George Tremlett biography entitled, 'The Death Of Dylan Thomas'.
This copy was issued with the ISBN 1-85158-977-5.
This edition is illustrated with black and white photographs and was published by Mainstream Publishing on black cloth boards with silver gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
In an absorbing re-assessment of Dylan Thomas's final days in New York, Dr. James Nashold and writer George Tremlett re-analyse the relationship between Caitlin and Dylan Thomas and set out to uncover what really happened in those final tragic days in New York.
The detailed cover notes for this excellently researched first edition of 'The Death Of Dylan Thomas', read;
"As Dylan Thomas lay in a New York hospital bed, his wife Caitlin flew to his side. No one had warned her he was dying. Seeing his body lying inert, with tubes attached to his nose and throat, Caitlin went berserk, attacking the catholic nuns who ran the hospital, tearing their crucifix from the wall and screaming abuse at God before being carried away in a strait-jacket.
It was November 1953 and Dylan Thomas was the world's most famous poet. Film stars like Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin sought his company, as did U.S. Presidential candidate Dwight Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson. Thomas's 'Collected Poems' was a best-seller and he was about to write an opera with Stravinsky; a film script based on Homer's Odyssey and a stage play.
No one doubted that Dylan Thomas died of 'an alcoholic insult to the brain', or that Caitlin was equally to blame for his fate. Her name damaged forever, Caitlin fled the country and spent the next forty years in Rome and Sicily, defending Dylan's reputation, fighting a running battle with the trustees of his estate, writing her own best-seller 'Leftover Life To Kill', conquering alcoholism, feuding with her three children by Thomas and having a fourth child at the age of forty-nine, but refusing to marry again, insisting that Dylan was the love of her life.
Caitlin knew why Dylan lost the will to live - and she also knew that descriptions of his death made no sense at all. In 'The Death Of Dylan Thomas' Dr. James Nashold and George Tremlett re-trace the Thomas's life together and then, in a dramatic reconstruction of Dylan's last days in New York, establish what really happened. They also examine what happened to Caitlin in Rome and Sicily, what lay behind her anger and why she remained in love with a man who had been dead for forty years."
Published by the Mainstream Publishing Company Limited based in Edinburgh in 1997 and printed and bound by Butler and Tanner Limited, Frome, this is a first edition copy, published in hardback, of the Dr. James Nashold and George Tremlett biography entitled, 'The Death Of Dylan Thomas'.
This copy was issued with the ISBN 1-85158-977-5.
This edition is illustrated with black and white photographs and was published by Mainstream Publishing on black cloth boards with silver gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
In an absorbing re-assessment of Dylan Thomas's final days in New York, Dr. James Nashold and writer George Tremlett re-analyse the relationship between Caitlin and Dylan Thomas and set out to uncover what really happened in those final tragic days in New York.
The detailed cover notes for this excellently researched first edition of 'The Death Of Dylan Thomas', read;
"As Dylan Thomas lay in a New York hospital bed, his wife Caitlin flew to his side. No one had warned her he was dying. Seeing his body lying inert, with tubes attached to his nose and throat, Caitlin went berserk, attacking the catholic nuns who ran the hospital, tearing their crucifix from the wall and screaming abuse at God before being carried away in a strait-jacket.
It was November 1953 and Dylan Thomas was the world's most famous poet. Film stars like Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin sought his company, as did U.S. Presidential candidate Dwight Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson. Thomas's 'Collected Poems' was a best-seller and he was about to write an opera with Stravinsky; a film script based on Homer's Odyssey and a stage play.
No one doubted that Dylan Thomas died of 'an alcoholic insult to the brain', or that Caitlin was equally to blame for his fate. Her name damaged forever, Caitlin fled the country and spent the next forty years in Rome and Sicily, defending Dylan's reputation, fighting a running battle with the trustees of his estate, writing her own best-seller 'Leftover Life To Kill', conquering alcoholism, feuding with her three children by Thomas and having a fourth child at the age of forty-nine, but refusing to marry again, insisting that Dylan was the love of her life.
Caitlin knew why Dylan lost the will to live - and she also knew that descriptions of his death made no sense at all. In 'The Death Of Dylan Thomas' Dr. James Nashold and George Tremlett re-trace the Thomas's life together and then, in a dramatic reconstruction of Dylan's last days in New York, establish what really happened. They also examine what happened to Caitlin in Rome and Sicily, what lay behind her anger and why she remained in love with a man who had been dead for forty years."
This first edition, hardback copy of 'The Death Of Dylan Thomas' was signed and dedicated to myself by George Tremlett on a visit to Laugharne on the 10th of July, 2014.
Andrew Sinclair, 'Under Milk Wood and Dylan On Dylan' Lorrimer Publishing, Signed First Edition, 2003
A copy of a special 'Limited Edition' copy of the Andrew Sinclair memoir entitled, 'Under Milk Wood and Dylan On Dylan', published in 2003.
This is a delightful book which features the screenplays of both the 1972 film and the accompanying documentary entitled 'Dylan On Dylan', which features on the special 'Anniversary Edition' of 'Under Milk Wood', released on DVD by Universal in 2003.
This edition was published by Lorrimer Publishing, based in Grosvenor Road, London and printed by The Witley Press, based in Hunstanton in 2003 and issued with the ISBN 0-9540476-9-9.
This edition features a foreword written by Andrew Sinclair entitled, 'Milk Wood and Magic', which originally appeared in the original 1972 edition of 'The Screenplay Of Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood', a copy of which is also held in the Richard Burton Museum collection.
This softback edition is illustrated throughout with black and white photographs and a colour reproduction of Alfred Janes' portrait of a young Dylan Thomas graces the front cover.
A copy of a special 'Limited Edition' copy of the Andrew Sinclair memoir entitled, 'Under Milk Wood and Dylan On Dylan', published in 2003.
This is a delightful book which features the screenplays of both the 1972 film and the accompanying documentary entitled 'Dylan On Dylan', which features on the special 'Anniversary Edition' of 'Under Milk Wood', released on DVD by Universal in 2003.
This edition was published by Lorrimer Publishing, based in Grosvenor Road, London and printed by The Witley Press, based in Hunstanton in 2003 and issued with the ISBN 0-9540476-9-9.
This edition features a foreword written by Andrew Sinclair entitled, 'Milk Wood and Magic', which originally appeared in the original 1972 edition of 'The Screenplay Of Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood', a copy of which is also held in the Richard Burton Museum collection.
This softback edition is illustrated throughout with black and white photographs and a colour reproduction of Alfred Janes' portrait of a young Dylan Thomas graces the front cover.
This copy of 'Under Milk Wood and Dylan On Dylan' by Andrew Sinclair was part of a special 'Limited Edition' run of just 150 copies, each one being signed and numbered by Andrew Sinclair himself. This copy, held in the Richard Burton Museum collection is number 26 of 150.
Ralph Maud, 'Where Have The Old Words Got Me?'
The University Of Wales Press, First Edition, 2003
Sub-titled as 'Explications of Dylan Thomas's Collected Poems,' this volume is an in-depth study of the poetry of Dylan Thomas written by Professor Ralph Maud, editor of much of Dylan Thomas's work, including 'The Notebook Poems' and 'The Broadcasts', and well as being the co-editor with Walford Davies of the later edition of 'The Collected Poems'.
This is a first edition paperback copy which was published by The University of Wales Press, based in Cardiff, and printed by The Cromwell Press Limited based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.
The front cover depicts Dylan Thomas's hand written word-list for 'Poem on his Birthday' and appears courtesy of Jeff Towns and The Estate Of Dylan Thomas.
This edition was published in 2003 and issued with the ISBN 0-7083-1779-0.
In an extract from the cover notes of this most difficult of books to have ever been undertaken, the publishers write;
"Dylan Thomas is one of the most well-known poets of the twentieth century, yet much of his poetry is considered obscure and difficult, and readers tend to concentrate on those poems that can be most easily understood.
'Where Have The Old Words Got Me?' is the authoritative reader's guide to Dylan Thomas's 'Collected Poems 1934 - 1952', consisting of detailed explications of every poem in the collection. Working from the principle that Thomas's biography offers the key to his poetry, Ralph Maud integrates critical commentary with biographical detail to elucidate Thomas's works. His aim is to allow readers to understand better the complex imagery and narrative movements of Thomas's work and to provide the basis for renewed critical investigation of the poetry."
The University Of Wales Press, First Edition, 2003
Sub-titled as 'Explications of Dylan Thomas's Collected Poems,' this volume is an in-depth study of the poetry of Dylan Thomas written by Professor Ralph Maud, editor of much of Dylan Thomas's work, including 'The Notebook Poems' and 'The Broadcasts', and well as being the co-editor with Walford Davies of the later edition of 'The Collected Poems'.
This is a first edition paperback copy which was published by The University of Wales Press, based in Cardiff, and printed by The Cromwell Press Limited based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.
The front cover depicts Dylan Thomas's hand written word-list for 'Poem on his Birthday' and appears courtesy of Jeff Towns and The Estate Of Dylan Thomas.
This edition was published in 2003 and issued with the ISBN 0-7083-1779-0.
In an extract from the cover notes of this most difficult of books to have ever been undertaken, the publishers write;
"Dylan Thomas is one of the most well-known poets of the twentieth century, yet much of his poetry is considered obscure and difficult, and readers tend to concentrate on those poems that can be most easily understood.
'Where Have The Old Words Got Me?' is the authoritative reader's guide to Dylan Thomas's 'Collected Poems 1934 - 1952', consisting of detailed explications of every poem in the collection. Working from the principle that Thomas's biography offers the key to his poetry, Ralph Maud integrates critical commentary with biographical detail to elucidate Thomas's works. His aim is to allow readers to understand better the complex imagery and narrative movements of Thomas's work and to provide the basis for renewed critical investigation of the poetry."
David N. Thomas, 'Dylan Thomas - A Farm, Two Mansions And A Bungalow' Seren Books, Signed First Edition, 2000
Published by Seren Books, an imprint of The Poetry Wales Press Limited based in Bridgend, Wales and printed by W.B.C. Book Manufacturers, also in Bridgend, this is a first edition copy of David N. Thomas's marvellous biography entitled, 'Dylan Thomas - A Farm, Two Mansions And a Bungalow'.
This edition was published in 2000 with the assistance of The Arts Council of Wales and issued with the ISBN 1-85411-275-9.
This edition was published with a foreword written by Paul Ferris, the biographer of Dylan Thomas and Richard Burton, who writes;
"Not many new books about Dylan Thomas break fresh ground. This is one of the exceptions, and if it has a modest remit - Thomas's relationship with Cardiganshire in general and the little town of Newquay in particular - the quality of the material that the author has uncovered will make Thomas's biographers, and certainly makes me, aware of things they wish they hadn't missed.
What the book achieves is a vivid portrait of a distant country, the far west of Wales as it was fifty or sixty years ago, where Dylan and his wife lived from time to time during the Second World War. David Thomas makes a passionate and well-documented case for Newquay and its cast of characters as the template for 'Under Milk Wood'; teeth will be ground in Laugharne. Even the original 'Milk Wood' is discovered, would you believe, lurking along the valley of the River Aeron in farms with milky names. And poems written around the end of the war, in what turned out to be Dylan Thomas's last sustained burst of energy - and some other poems as well - are seen as linked to places and events in Cardiganshire. There is plenty of scope for argument in all this; David Thomas's achievement is to ensure that it will be better informed than it was.
Perhaps inevitably, the book is tempted to connect itself with other branches of the Dylan story. The murder of an elderly Laugharne woman in January 1953, a crime of which a local deaf-mute, 'Booda', was suspected but acquitted, is added to the events which, says David Thomas, helped create a 'psychological vulnerability' that affected the poet towards the end of his life.
On thinner ice, the book examines the story that when Dylan Thomas was commissioned by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company to write a film about Persia, where they sent him in 1951, he was or already had been recruited by British Intelligence. When this yarn appeared in print in 1998 I said I thought it barmy, and I still do. David Thomas is sceptical but has at least found out everything available about the murky sub-world of oil company, Foreign Office and spymasters. He tells us to be open-minded and wait till the files are released. I am not holding my breath.
But whether it is dealing with espionage, louche characters in Newquay, T. S. Eliot visiting Ciliau Aeron or the famous case of Dylan and the man with the Sten gun, this is a work of authority; not to mention charm."
This edition of 'A Farm, Two Mansions And a Bungalow' is illustrated throughout with black and white photographs.
The publishers cover notes describe the book with the following synopsis;
"Drawing on new research and interviews with people who knew Dylan Thomas during his stay in Cardiganshire, David Thomas has uncovered exciting new material which will surprise Dylan fans and scholars alike, the Majoda shooting, the setting of 'Under Milk Wood', Thomas's literary connections the claims that he spied for British Intelligence in Iran will all have to be revised as David Thomas reveals new information about the man and his work.
He has also uncovered a notebook version of 'Unluckily For A Death', further connections with T. S. Eliot, and material which allows fresh, informed speculation about the state of Dylan's mind before his final trip to the United States. The text is illustrated with photographs - most previously unseen - of the influential circle of friends Thomas had in Cardiganshire, and the surroundings which were of crucial importance to his writing then and afterwards."
Published by Seren Books, an imprint of The Poetry Wales Press Limited based in Bridgend, Wales and printed by W.B.C. Book Manufacturers, also in Bridgend, this is a first edition copy of David N. Thomas's marvellous biography entitled, 'Dylan Thomas - A Farm, Two Mansions And a Bungalow'.
This edition was published in 2000 with the assistance of The Arts Council of Wales and issued with the ISBN 1-85411-275-9.
This edition was published with a foreword written by Paul Ferris, the biographer of Dylan Thomas and Richard Burton, who writes;
"Not many new books about Dylan Thomas break fresh ground. This is one of the exceptions, and if it has a modest remit - Thomas's relationship with Cardiganshire in general and the little town of Newquay in particular - the quality of the material that the author has uncovered will make Thomas's biographers, and certainly makes me, aware of things they wish they hadn't missed.
What the book achieves is a vivid portrait of a distant country, the far west of Wales as it was fifty or sixty years ago, where Dylan and his wife lived from time to time during the Second World War. David Thomas makes a passionate and well-documented case for Newquay and its cast of characters as the template for 'Under Milk Wood'; teeth will be ground in Laugharne. Even the original 'Milk Wood' is discovered, would you believe, lurking along the valley of the River Aeron in farms with milky names. And poems written around the end of the war, in what turned out to be Dylan Thomas's last sustained burst of energy - and some other poems as well - are seen as linked to places and events in Cardiganshire. There is plenty of scope for argument in all this; David Thomas's achievement is to ensure that it will be better informed than it was.
Perhaps inevitably, the book is tempted to connect itself with other branches of the Dylan story. The murder of an elderly Laugharne woman in January 1953, a crime of which a local deaf-mute, 'Booda', was suspected but acquitted, is added to the events which, says David Thomas, helped create a 'psychological vulnerability' that affected the poet towards the end of his life.
On thinner ice, the book examines the story that when Dylan Thomas was commissioned by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company to write a film about Persia, where they sent him in 1951, he was or already had been recruited by British Intelligence. When this yarn appeared in print in 1998 I said I thought it barmy, and I still do. David Thomas is sceptical but has at least found out everything available about the murky sub-world of oil company, Foreign Office and spymasters. He tells us to be open-minded and wait till the files are released. I am not holding my breath.
But whether it is dealing with espionage, louche characters in Newquay, T. S. Eliot visiting Ciliau Aeron or the famous case of Dylan and the man with the Sten gun, this is a work of authority; not to mention charm."
This edition of 'A Farm, Two Mansions And a Bungalow' is illustrated throughout with black and white photographs.
The publishers cover notes describe the book with the following synopsis;
"Drawing on new research and interviews with people who knew Dylan Thomas during his stay in Cardiganshire, David Thomas has uncovered exciting new material which will surprise Dylan fans and scholars alike, the Majoda shooting, the setting of 'Under Milk Wood', Thomas's literary connections the claims that he spied for British Intelligence in Iran will all have to be revised as David Thomas reveals new information about the man and his work.
He has also uncovered a notebook version of 'Unluckily For A Death', further connections with T. S. Eliot, and material which allows fresh, informed speculation about the state of Dylan's mind before his final trip to the United States. The text is illustrated with photographs - most previously unseen - of the influential circle of friends Thomas had in Cardiganshire, and the surroundings which were of crucial importance to his writing then and afterwards."
David N. Thomas, 'Fatal Neglect - Who Killed Dylan Thomas?' Seren Books, First Edition, 2008
A first edition copy, published in softback, of the later, fascinating David N. Thomas investigative biography entitled 'Fatal Neglect - Who Killed Dylan Thomas?'
This edition was published by Seren Books, an imprint of Poetry Wales Press Limited based in Bridgend, Wales in 2008 and printed by C.P.D. Limited of Gwent.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 978-1-85411-480-8 and is illustrated throughout with black and white photographs.
The text from the cover notes of this fascinating and in-depth account of the last days of Dylan Thomas in New York, reads;
"Dylan Thomas went to New York in October 1953 to perform in Under Milk Wood. Three weeks later, he was dead. This fascinating book confronts painful facts about why he died.
Neglect was central to the death. John Brinnin, Dylan's agent, had a playboy lifestyle to fund. Desperate for his fees, he turned a blind eye to the poet's failing health.
Liz Reitell, Brinnin's zealous deputy, also knew Dylan was ill but she worked him to collapse. Did she put her own career before his well-being? Brinnin's intimate papers show how greed, ambition and sexual intrigue fed into a chain of events that sent Dylan to an early grave.
Dylan suffered from a treatable illness but his fashionable New York doctor ignored the warning signs. David Thomas examines hospital data and the post-mortem report - included in this book - and shows that medical negligence was a factor.
'Fatal Neglect' also investigates the conspiracy to protect those responsible. friends and doctors took part in a cover-up, as did two of Dylan's American biographers.
David Thomas' previous books have required us to re-think the poet's life. 'Fatal Neglect' is a fundamental reappraisal of his death."
A first edition copy, published in softback, of the later, fascinating David N. Thomas investigative biography entitled 'Fatal Neglect - Who Killed Dylan Thomas?'
This edition was published by Seren Books, an imprint of Poetry Wales Press Limited based in Bridgend, Wales in 2008 and printed by C.P.D. Limited of Gwent.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 978-1-85411-480-8 and is illustrated throughout with black and white photographs.
The text from the cover notes of this fascinating and in-depth account of the last days of Dylan Thomas in New York, reads;
"Dylan Thomas went to New York in October 1953 to perform in Under Milk Wood. Three weeks later, he was dead. This fascinating book confronts painful facts about why he died.
Neglect was central to the death. John Brinnin, Dylan's agent, had a playboy lifestyle to fund. Desperate for his fees, he turned a blind eye to the poet's failing health.
Liz Reitell, Brinnin's zealous deputy, also knew Dylan was ill but she worked him to collapse. Did she put her own career before his well-being? Brinnin's intimate papers show how greed, ambition and sexual intrigue fed into a chain of events that sent Dylan to an early grave.
Dylan suffered from a treatable illness but his fashionable New York doctor ignored the warning signs. David Thomas examines hospital data and the post-mortem report - included in this book - and shows that medical negligence was a factor.
'Fatal Neglect' also investigates the conspiracy to protect those responsible. friends and doctors took part in a cover-up, as did two of Dylan's American biographers.
David Thomas' previous books have required us to re-think the poet's life. 'Fatal Neglect' is a fundamental reappraisal of his death."
Hilly Janes, 'The Three Lives Of Dylan Thomas'
The Robson Press, Signed First Edition, 2014
Published by The Robson Press, an imprint of Biteback Publishing Limited, based in Westminster Tower, London and printed and bound by the CPI Group Limited, Croydon in 2014, this is the first edition, published in hardback, of Hilly Janes' fascinating book entitled, 'The Three Lives Of Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was issued by The Robson Press with the ISBN 978-184954-688-1.
Superbly presented and with stunning colour plates of her father's work, this is no ordinary biography of Dylan Thomas. The following text is taken from the publishers cover notes;
"Dylan Thomas was one of the most extraordinary poetic talents of the twentieth century. poems such as 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night' regularly top polls of the nation's favourites and his much-loved play 'Under Milk Wood' has never been out of print. Thomas lived a life that was rarely without incident and died a death that has gone down in legend as the epitome of Bohemian dissoluteness.
In 'The Three Lives Of Dylan Thomas', journalist Hilly Janes explores Dylan Thomas's life and it's extraordinary legacy through the eyes of her father, the artist Alfred Janes, who was a member of Thomas's inner circle and painted the poet at three key moments: in 1934,1953 and posthumously in 1964.
Using these portraits as focal points, and drawing on a personal archive that includes drawings, diaries, letters and new interviews with Thomas's friends and descendants, 'The Three Lives Of Dylan Thomas' plots the poet's tempestuous journey from his birthplace in Swansea to his early death in a New York hospital in 1953.
In this innovative and powerful narrative, Hilly Janes paints her own portrait: one that ventures beneath Thomas's reputation as a feckless, disloyal, boozy Welsh bard to reveal a much more complex character."
This edition is illustrated with colour photographs of Alfred Janes' wonderful work as well as black and white photographs and illustrations throughout the text of the book.
The writer and broadcaster Rosie Millard, reviewing this book, wrote;
"Hilly Janes writes on Dylan as if he was a great family friend - which indeed he was. This is no fusty academic study written at a remove, but a thoroughly readable, wise and funny insight into one of Britain's most celebrated twentieth-century writers."
Alfred Janes himself, speaking posthumously about his friend Dylan Thomas said;
"His empathy with the world and those around him was complete and he responded to his surroundings in such a way as sometimes to give the impression that he comprised multiple, diverse personalities - each one a stranger to the rest."
The Robson Press, Signed First Edition, 2014
Published by The Robson Press, an imprint of Biteback Publishing Limited, based in Westminster Tower, London and printed and bound by the CPI Group Limited, Croydon in 2014, this is the first edition, published in hardback, of Hilly Janes' fascinating book entitled, 'The Three Lives Of Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was issued by The Robson Press with the ISBN 978-184954-688-1.
Superbly presented and with stunning colour plates of her father's work, this is no ordinary biography of Dylan Thomas. The following text is taken from the publishers cover notes;
"Dylan Thomas was one of the most extraordinary poetic talents of the twentieth century. poems such as 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night' regularly top polls of the nation's favourites and his much-loved play 'Under Milk Wood' has never been out of print. Thomas lived a life that was rarely without incident and died a death that has gone down in legend as the epitome of Bohemian dissoluteness.
In 'The Three Lives Of Dylan Thomas', journalist Hilly Janes explores Dylan Thomas's life and it's extraordinary legacy through the eyes of her father, the artist Alfred Janes, who was a member of Thomas's inner circle and painted the poet at three key moments: in 1934,1953 and posthumously in 1964.
Using these portraits as focal points, and drawing on a personal archive that includes drawings, diaries, letters and new interviews with Thomas's friends and descendants, 'The Three Lives Of Dylan Thomas' plots the poet's tempestuous journey from his birthplace in Swansea to his early death in a New York hospital in 1953.
In this innovative and powerful narrative, Hilly Janes paints her own portrait: one that ventures beneath Thomas's reputation as a feckless, disloyal, boozy Welsh bard to reveal a much more complex character."
This edition is illustrated with colour photographs of Alfred Janes' wonderful work as well as black and white photographs and illustrations throughout the text of the book.
The writer and broadcaster Rosie Millard, reviewing this book, wrote;
"Hilly Janes writes on Dylan as if he was a great family friend - which indeed he was. This is no fusty academic study written at a remove, but a thoroughly readable, wise and funny insight into one of Britain's most celebrated twentieth-century writers."
Alfred Janes himself, speaking posthumously about his friend Dylan Thomas said;
"His empathy with the world and those around him was complete and he responded to his surroundings in such a way as sometimes to give the impression that he comprised multiple, diverse personalities - each one a stranger to the rest."
This copy of 'The Three lives Of Dylan Thomas' was personally signed to myself by Hilly Janes in June, 2014 at a book signing which took place at 5, Cwmdonkin Drive, Swansea, the birthplace of Dylan Thomas.
Easily the most recognisable of any portrait of Dylan Thomas, even more so than the portrait painted by Augustus John around 1937, is this stunning image of Dylan Thomas painted by the artist Fred Janes.
Painted in 1934 during the time which Dylan Thomas and Fred Janes shared a flat in London, and described by Dylan Thomas as 'a frog in his salad days', this iconic portrait now hangs in The National Museum of Wales, Cardiff.
Alfred 'Fred' Janes was born in the heart of Swansea on the 30th of June, 1911, above his parent's fruit and flower shop in Castle Square.
He attended the Bishop Gore School before moving on to the Swansea School of Arts and Crafts. In 1928 at the age of sixteen he exhibited his work for the first time at the National Eisteddfod, which was held in Treorchy that year. His breakthrough though,into the growing art world that was flourishing in Wales at that time, came in 1931 when he was commissioned to paint a portrait of the Mayor of Swansea at the time, Arthur Lovell. Also that year he painted his good friend and fellow Welsh artist, Mervyn Levy, the portrait would win him a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Art in London.
It was in 1932 that Janes met Dylan Thomas. Along with Dylan, Mervyn Levy, Vernon Watkins, John Pritchard, Daniel Jones and Bert Trick they would meet at the Kardomah Cafe in Castle Street, Swansea to discuss their own personal ideas, theories and goals and soon this group of talented artists, writers and composers were soon to be collectively known as 'The Kardomah Boys'.
It was in 1934 that Dylan, Janes and Levy moved to London to pursue their careers in art and literature, the three of them sharing a flat in Earls Court, and living a meagre, hand-to-mouth yet creative artistic bohemian lifestyle.
Janes was certainly a meticulous artist, spending months on any given piece, a little like his friend Dylan, who by the same token could spend days, even weeks on the composition of even just a line of a poem. One piece by Janes, 'Salome', the biblical depiction of the beheading of John the Baptist, took him the entire year of 1938 to complete.
Always heavily influenced by the modernist movement, it was around this time that Janes began to experiment with the various mediums that he painted in. He developed a technique where he would score the surface of the paint with a blade in order to create relief and body to the work. Janes' work had always been detailed and stunning to the eye but this technique further enhanced what were already visually beautiful. In time he would develop this further by carving a polygonal grid onto the surface before he would even start to paint, and then continually retrace and incise over the canvass and into the paint, "in this way", it was said, "he achieved a unique crystalline brilliance of image". The portrait of Dylan, pictured above, also has that textured feel, although not in such an obvious way as his later work was to have. A perfect example of this in fact is the incredible painting of 1936 entitled 'Fish and Pineapple', in which every dimension of the texture of the fish scales and pineapple skin are carved into the canvass. It was a time-consuming technique and led to a rather facetious Dylan to enquire by letter..." How is that blizzardly painter, that lightning artist, that prodigal canvass-stacker? Has he reached the next fin-bone of the fish he was dashing off before the war?"
When Janes returned to his native Swansea from London in 1936 much of his work was left behind and was sadly lost. However the 1934 portrait of Dylan had, luckily, been acquired by Augustus John earlier in order to be displayed at an exhibition in Cardiff. The painting was subsequently bought by The National Museum of Wales in Cardiff in 1935 and has remained there to this day.
After settling back in Swansea in 1936 Janes took up a part-time teaching post at the Swansea School of Arts and Crafts. After serving in the war in the Pioneer Corps, mainly in Egypt, he once again returned to Swansea where he settled down to married life with his wife Mary and two children and to his teaching and painting. It was during this time that Janes painted the other close friends he shared with Dylan, the members of the old Kardomah gang, Vernon Watkins and Daniel Jones.
Following Dylan Thomas's death in 1953, Janes and his family moved the short distance from Swansea to the Gower Peninsula, the place where both Dylan and Vernon Watkins had found poetic inspiration.
!n 1963 Janes left Wales once again for the capital and took up a position in teaching at the Croydon College of Art.
Fred Janes died in London on the 3rd of February,1999 at the age of eighty-seven and was brought back to Wales to be buried in the picturesque surroundings of St. Andrew's Church, Penrice, Gower.
A large collection of work by Fred Janes is on permanent display at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery in Swansea.
Painted in 1934 during the time which Dylan Thomas and Fred Janes shared a flat in London, and described by Dylan Thomas as 'a frog in his salad days', this iconic portrait now hangs in The National Museum of Wales, Cardiff.
Alfred 'Fred' Janes was born in the heart of Swansea on the 30th of June, 1911, above his parent's fruit and flower shop in Castle Square.
He attended the Bishop Gore School before moving on to the Swansea School of Arts and Crafts. In 1928 at the age of sixteen he exhibited his work for the first time at the National Eisteddfod, which was held in Treorchy that year. His breakthrough though,into the growing art world that was flourishing in Wales at that time, came in 1931 when he was commissioned to paint a portrait of the Mayor of Swansea at the time, Arthur Lovell. Also that year he painted his good friend and fellow Welsh artist, Mervyn Levy, the portrait would win him a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Art in London.
It was in 1932 that Janes met Dylan Thomas. Along with Dylan, Mervyn Levy, Vernon Watkins, John Pritchard, Daniel Jones and Bert Trick they would meet at the Kardomah Cafe in Castle Street, Swansea to discuss their own personal ideas, theories and goals and soon this group of talented artists, writers and composers were soon to be collectively known as 'The Kardomah Boys'.
It was in 1934 that Dylan, Janes and Levy moved to London to pursue their careers in art and literature, the three of them sharing a flat in Earls Court, and living a meagre, hand-to-mouth yet creative artistic bohemian lifestyle.
Janes was certainly a meticulous artist, spending months on any given piece, a little like his friend Dylan, who by the same token could spend days, even weeks on the composition of even just a line of a poem. One piece by Janes, 'Salome', the biblical depiction of the beheading of John the Baptist, took him the entire year of 1938 to complete.
Always heavily influenced by the modernist movement, it was around this time that Janes began to experiment with the various mediums that he painted in. He developed a technique where he would score the surface of the paint with a blade in order to create relief and body to the work. Janes' work had always been detailed and stunning to the eye but this technique further enhanced what were already visually beautiful. In time he would develop this further by carving a polygonal grid onto the surface before he would even start to paint, and then continually retrace and incise over the canvass and into the paint, "in this way", it was said, "he achieved a unique crystalline brilliance of image". The portrait of Dylan, pictured above, also has that textured feel, although not in such an obvious way as his later work was to have. A perfect example of this in fact is the incredible painting of 1936 entitled 'Fish and Pineapple', in which every dimension of the texture of the fish scales and pineapple skin are carved into the canvass. It was a time-consuming technique and led to a rather facetious Dylan to enquire by letter..." How is that blizzardly painter, that lightning artist, that prodigal canvass-stacker? Has he reached the next fin-bone of the fish he was dashing off before the war?"
When Janes returned to his native Swansea from London in 1936 much of his work was left behind and was sadly lost. However the 1934 portrait of Dylan had, luckily, been acquired by Augustus John earlier in order to be displayed at an exhibition in Cardiff. The painting was subsequently bought by The National Museum of Wales in Cardiff in 1935 and has remained there to this day.
After settling back in Swansea in 1936 Janes took up a part-time teaching post at the Swansea School of Arts and Crafts. After serving in the war in the Pioneer Corps, mainly in Egypt, he once again returned to Swansea where he settled down to married life with his wife Mary and two children and to his teaching and painting. It was during this time that Janes painted the other close friends he shared with Dylan, the members of the old Kardomah gang, Vernon Watkins and Daniel Jones.
Following Dylan Thomas's death in 1953, Janes and his family moved the short distance from Swansea to the Gower Peninsula, the place where both Dylan and Vernon Watkins had found poetic inspiration.
!n 1963 Janes left Wales once again for the capital and took up a position in teaching at the Croydon College of Art.
Fred Janes died in London on the 3rd of February,1999 at the age of eighty-seven and was brought back to Wales to be buried in the picturesque surroundings of St. Andrew's Church, Penrice, Gower.
A large collection of work by Fred Janes is on permanent display at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery in Swansea.
'Dylan Thomas - A Centenary Celebration' Edited by Hannah Ellis, Bloomsbury Publishing, Signed First Edition, 2014
Published to coincide with the centenary of the birth of Dylan Thomas in 2014 this incredible book, entitled, 'Dylan Thomas - A Centenary Celebration' is a wonderful collection of specially commissioned essays written to celebrate the birth, life and work of Dylan Thomas.
Edited by Dylan Thomas's granddaughter, Hannah Ellis, the contributors to this volume include among others, Archbishop Emeritus Rowan Williams, former President of the United States Jimmy Carter, Michael Sheen, Cerys Matthews, Jeff Towns, Paul Ferris, George Tremlett, Hilly Janes, Owen Shears, Griff Rhys Jones and of course, Dylan Thomas himself.
The foreword to this edition was written by historian, and former Monty Python, Terry Jones.
This marvellous collection was published by Bloomsbury Publishing, Bedford Square, London and printed and bound by the CPI Group based in Croydon. This copy is illustrated with black and white photographs and was issued with the ISBN 978-1-4729-0309-9.
This is a first edition copy, published in hardback, and is presented in a gilt-lettered dust-jacket which features the famous photograph of a young Dylan Thomas captured by bohemian photographer Nora Sommers.
This edition is illustrated throughout with black and white photographs and features magnificent artwork by Sir Peter Blake and Peter Ross.
The beautifully written introduction by Hannah Ellis, Dylan Thomas's grand-daughter, reads;
"Dylan Thomas - A Centenary Celebration' has been a 'labour of love' for me; and has signified my own journey of discovery. It has been both exciting and scary finding out my colourful and extraordinarily talented family.
The death of my mum five years ago, and the birth of my son not long after, have made me more aware of the importance of family, and learning where all our strengths and weaknesses come from. My voyage to learn more about my grandfather started by delving into biographies and quickly finding out that there was much more to understand about Dylan Thomas than the 'legend' would have you believe. I discovered that realising the truth was far more fascinating than accepting the myths. It was with increasing frustration that i found myself unable to stop the events of 1953 that ended in my grandfather's life being cut tragically short. the questions were endless. What if he had not been given the injection of morphine? What would an opera he planned to write with Stravinsky have been like? How would my mum's life have been different? Would I even be here today?
With an element of embarrassment, I had to admit that I had not read my grandfather's work. what if I didn't like it? What if it was too difficult? So, it was with amazement I found myself reading beautiful and descriptive poetry, surreal and dark stories, memories of Dylan's childhood in Wales and passionate letters to family and friends. My sheer delight and enjoyment was followed by alarm. If I was only just finding out about the wonderful writing, there must be others of my generation who have not yet experienced it. I suddenly became very aware that i was incredibly lucky to be the grand-daughter of not only a talented wordsmith, but also a sensational actor. Dylan could move audiences with powerful and thoughtful readings, and then, in an instant, cause the same group of people to roll about with laughter, with a quick and witty comment.
However, with the good fortune came a responsibility. One hundred years since my grandfather's birth was just a short while away and there was increasing momentum to find a way to celebrate it. I chose to take on the mantle, have a break from teaching, focus on the centenary and assume a very active role. I would not accept just being a figurehead; I had a vision and wanted to work hard to achieve it. My aims for the anniversary were very clear from the start. I wanted to bring the focus back to Dylan Thomas's work. I wanted it refreshed and revitalised, so new audiences, as well as those already familiar with it, could enjoy it. As a primary school teacher, it was also key for me that we find a way to engage young learners. I visualised using my grandfather's example to give children the confidence to play with words, use rhyme and alliteration and make up a few new words or phrases of their own.
I feel privileged to have been involved in helping create a newfound energy that has re-lit a love for my grandfather's work, along with a realisation that there is also a vulnerable man behind those words. It is so important that we make the most of the amazing opportunity the centenary offers and build a worldwide community that will continue to celebrate Dylan Thomas, and, as a consequence, bring attention to the arts, education and places associated with him. I certainly will be flying the flag the highest. This year, for me, is just the start...
As you make your way through this book, I will be acting as narrator, with a sprinkling of my opinion and sentiment throughout. However, you will learn the interesting, fascinating, often new, facts about Dylan's life and work from academics, Dylan Thomas experts, biographers, writers, musicians, actors, friends and other family members. My hope is that you will realise the legacy of my grandfather's work and recognise how it has managed to cross different artforms and languages and travel the world."
Published to coincide with the centenary of the birth of Dylan Thomas in 2014 this incredible book, entitled, 'Dylan Thomas - A Centenary Celebration' is a wonderful collection of specially commissioned essays written to celebrate the birth, life and work of Dylan Thomas.
Edited by Dylan Thomas's granddaughter, Hannah Ellis, the contributors to this volume include among others, Archbishop Emeritus Rowan Williams, former President of the United States Jimmy Carter, Michael Sheen, Cerys Matthews, Jeff Towns, Paul Ferris, George Tremlett, Hilly Janes, Owen Shears, Griff Rhys Jones and of course, Dylan Thomas himself.
The foreword to this edition was written by historian, and former Monty Python, Terry Jones.
This marvellous collection was published by Bloomsbury Publishing, Bedford Square, London and printed and bound by the CPI Group based in Croydon. This copy is illustrated with black and white photographs and was issued with the ISBN 978-1-4729-0309-9.
This is a first edition copy, published in hardback, and is presented in a gilt-lettered dust-jacket which features the famous photograph of a young Dylan Thomas captured by bohemian photographer Nora Sommers.
This edition is illustrated throughout with black and white photographs and features magnificent artwork by Sir Peter Blake and Peter Ross.
The beautifully written introduction by Hannah Ellis, Dylan Thomas's grand-daughter, reads;
"Dylan Thomas - A Centenary Celebration' has been a 'labour of love' for me; and has signified my own journey of discovery. It has been both exciting and scary finding out my colourful and extraordinarily talented family.
The death of my mum five years ago, and the birth of my son not long after, have made me more aware of the importance of family, and learning where all our strengths and weaknesses come from. My voyage to learn more about my grandfather started by delving into biographies and quickly finding out that there was much more to understand about Dylan Thomas than the 'legend' would have you believe. I discovered that realising the truth was far more fascinating than accepting the myths. It was with increasing frustration that i found myself unable to stop the events of 1953 that ended in my grandfather's life being cut tragically short. the questions were endless. What if he had not been given the injection of morphine? What would an opera he planned to write with Stravinsky have been like? How would my mum's life have been different? Would I even be here today?
With an element of embarrassment, I had to admit that I had not read my grandfather's work. what if I didn't like it? What if it was too difficult? So, it was with amazement I found myself reading beautiful and descriptive poetry, surreal and dark stories, memories of Dylan's childhood in Wales and passionate letters to family and friends. My sheer delight and enjoyment was followed by alarm. If I was only just finding out about the wonderful writing, there must be others of my generation who have not yet experienced it. I suddenly became very aware that i was incredibly lucky to be the grand-daughter of not only a talented wordsmith, but also a sensational actor. Dylan could move audiences with powerful and thoughtful readings, and then, in an instant, cause the same group of people to roll about with laughter, with a quick and witty comment.
However, with the good fortune came a responsibility. One hundred years since my grandfather's birth was just a short while away and there was increasing momentum to find a way to celebrate it. I chose to take on the mantle, have a break from teaching, focus on the centenary and assume a very active role. I would not accept just being a figurehead; I had a vision and wanted to work hard to achieve it. My aims for the anniversary were very clear from the start. I wanted to bring the focus back to Dylan Thomas's work. I wanted it refreshed and revitalised, so new audiences, as well as those already familiar with it, could enjoy it. As a primary school teacher, it was also key for me that we find a way to engage young learners. I visualised using my grandfather's example to give children the confidence to play with words, use rhyme and alliteration and make up a few new words or phrases of their own.
I feel privileged to have been involved in helping create a newfound energy that has re-lit a love for my grandfather's work, along with a realisation that there is also a vulnerable man behind those words. It is so important that we make the most of the amazing opportunity the centenary offers and build a worldwide community that will continue to celebrate Dylan Thomas, and, as a consequence, bring attention to the arts, education and places associated with him. I certainly will be flying the flag the highest. This year, for me, is just the start...
As you make your way through this book, I will be acting as narrator, with a sprinkling of my opinion and sentiment throughout. However, you will learn the interesting, fascinating, often new, facts about Dylan's life and work from academics, Dylan Thomas experts, biographers, writers, musicians, actors, friends and other family members. My hope is that you will realise the legacy of my grandfather's work and recognise how it has managed to cross different artforms and languages and travel the world."
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This copy of 'Dylan Thomas-A Centenary Celebration' has the wonderful addition of having been signed to myself by both Jeff Towns and George Tremlett on their respective contributions to this marvellous collection of essays.
'A Pearl Of Great Price: The Love Letters Of Dylan Thomas To Pearl Kazin' Parthian Books, Signed First Edition, 2014
A first edition hardback copy of 'A Pearl Of Great Price: The Love Letters Of Dylan Thomas To Pearl Kazin', a wonderful book which is edited and introduced by Dylan Thomas expert Jeff Towns.
This edition was published by Parthian Books with the financial support of the Welsh Books Council and printed and bound by the Gomer Press Limited based in Llandysul, Wales in 2014 and issued with the ISBN 978-1-909844-68-1.
Hailed as 'A unique insight' by the Sunday Times, this remarkable book tells the story of the love affair between Dylan Thomas and Harper's Bazaar literary editor Pearl Kazin. The story revolves around six love letters, which have never been previously published, sent by Dylan Thomas, and two photographs of the pair together during a stroll around London which record an intense love affair that was immensely important to the Dylan Thomas story.
This edition was published by Parthian Books on red cloth boards with silver gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The typesetting and cover design was by Claire Houguez.
The cover notes for this beautifully presented edition explain the history of the letters;
"It is a warm spring day in New York and Dylan Thomas pushes through the plush revolving doors of the 'Harper's Bazaar' office, in the heart of Manhattan. He is taking a chance on selling a story, 'A Child's Christmas In Wales'. He's already sold the story a couple of times but he is always short of money. He is alone and a long way from home.
He meets Pearl Kazin, a writer and editor and a woman out to make her own mark on the city. She takes the story. An intense and passionate relationship begins. They negotiate a time together of fleeting love, wishes and words.
Pearl kept the letters he sent to her. Dylan kept nothing but his memories.
Six letters, never before published, sent from Dylan Thomas to Pearl Kazin, along with a couple of snapshots of them together in London. They are a record of a love affair, an intense journey that was immensely important to both of them".
Lavishly illustrated with rare black and white and colour photographs as well as colour plates of each of the letters in their entirety, complete with the accompanying envelopes.
Also included in this edition are detailed notes regarding this historic and important find, as well as a biography of Pearl Kazin written by her son, David Bell and a faithful reproduction of a short story by Pearl Kazin which was originally published in the upmarket Italian literary magazine 'Botteghe Obscure' in 1952.
'A Pearl Of Great Price' had it's official launch at the Swansea Grand Theatre on, appropriately, Valentine's Day, 2014.
This first edition copy of 'A Pearl Of Great Price' has the lovely addition of having been personally signed to myself by Jeff Towns.
A first edition hardback copy of 'A Pearl Of Great Price: The Love Letters Of Dylan Thomas To Pearl Kazin', a wonderful book which is edited and introduced by Dylan Thomas expert Jeff Towns.
This edition was published by Parthian Books with the financial support of the Welsh Books Council and printed and bound by the Gomer Press Limited based in Llandysul, Wales in 2014 and issued with the ISBN 978-1-909844-68-1.
Hailed as 'A unique insight' by the Sunday Times, this remarkable book tells the story of the love affair between Dylan Thomas and Harper's Bazaar literary editor Pearl Kazin. The story revolves around six love letters, which have never been previously published, sent by Dylan Thomas, and two photographs of the pair together during a stroll around London which record an intense love affair that was immensely important to the Dylan Thomas story.
This edition was published by Parthian Books on red cloth boards with silver gilt lettering and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
The typesetting and cover design was by Claire Houguez.
The cover notes for this beautifully presented edition explain the history of the letters;
"It is a warm spring day in New York and Dylan Thomas pushes through the plush revolving doors of the 'Harper's Bazaar' office, in the heart of Manhattan. He is taking a chance on selling a story, 'A Child's Christmas In Wales'. He's already sold the story a couple of times but he is always short of money. He is alone and a long way from home.
He meets Pearl Kazin, a writer and editor and a woman out to make her own mark on the city. She takes the story. An intense and passionate relationship begins. They negotiate a time together of fleeting love, wishes and words.
Pearl kept the letters he sent to her. Dylan kept nothing but his memories.
Six letters, never before published, sent from Dylan Thomas to Pearl Kazin, along with a couple of snapshots of them together in London. They are a record of a love affair, an intense journey that was immensely important to both of them".
Lavishly illustrated with rare black and white and colour photographs as well as colour plates of each of the letters in their entirety, complete with the accompanying envelopes.
Also included in this edition are detailed notes regarding this historic and important find, as well as a biography of Pearl Kazin written by her son, David Bell and a faithful reproduction of a short story by Pearl Kazin which was originally published in the upmarket Italian literary magazine 'Botteghe Obscure' in 1952.
'A Pearl Of Great Price' had it's official launch at the Swansea Grand Theatre on, appropriately, Valentine's Day, 2014.
This first edition copy of 'A Pearl Of Great Price' has the lovely addition of having been personally signed to myself by Jeff Towns.
The frontispiece to the first edition of 'A Pearl Of Great Price' which features the signature of the editor, Dylan Thomas expert and friend to the Richard Burton Museum, Jeff Towns.
Jeff Towns and Wyn Thomas, 'Dylan Thomas:The Pubs' Y Lolfa, Signed First Edition, 2013
A first edition, softback copy, of the wonderful Jeff Towns and Wyn Thomas collaboration entitled, 'Dylan Thomas: The Pubs'.
This edition was published and printed by Y Lolfa, Ceredigion, Wales in 2013 and issued with the ISBN 978-1-84771-693-4.
This beautifully illustrated book presents a whole new perspective of Dylan Thomas's life by taking the reader on a journey of the famous, and not so well known, 'watering-holes' which he often frequented.
Each public house, whether located in Wales, England or America has been meticulously researched by Dylan Thomas expert Jeff Towns, and as well as providing a detailed history of each establishment, and the connection to Dylan Thomas, the book also reveals the current status, or fate, of the building in question.
The cover notes to this wonderful and highly entertaining and interesting book read;
"According to legend, Dylan Thomas and drink went hand in hand. But he is also recognised as one of the twentieth century's great poets. It is true that Dylan lived fast and died young; his life was short and spectacular. After his death, his reputation as an iconic 'hard drinking bohemian bard' grew and grew.
In this book Jeff towns reveals how Dylan loved pubs for the people, not the pints. Follow Jeff as he explores the true nature of Dylan's love affair with pub life - a passion which was as much as about comradeship, human warmth and convivial company as it was about beer.
In collaboration with artist Wyn Thomas, who sets the scene with his original artworks, Jeff visits the pubs and bars in Wales, London and the USA that boast a special connection to Dylan, and encounters a fantastic cast of characters. It begins in Swansea with the Kardomah gang, a bunch of lively local artists, writers and musicians; romps across West Wales, via Laugharne and New Quay; blazes through London's Fitzrovia with Augustus John; and it ends in America with the Beat Poets, Stravinsky and Charlie Chaplin."
Containing many previously unpublished photographs, documents and posters, the book is further enhanced by the beautiful artwork, provided especially for this publication by Welsh artist, Wyn Thomas.
The foreword, beautifully written by Gwen Watkins, reads;
"I first met Dylan Thomas in a pub - where else? I had heard a great deal about him (almost all adulatory) from my future husband Vernon Watkins, and this meeting was a disappointment. Dylan had come from Waterloo, where he was seeing Caitlin, Llewelyn and the baby Aeron off to her mother's home in Hampshire. He had unfortunately put all the luggage, food, handbag with money and tickets on the wrong train, which promptly moved out, leaving Caitlin and the children stranded on the platform. There had been a scene, or scenes - Caitlin was never one to waste the violent words she stored in such profusion - money had to be telephoned and waited for, the Hampshire train nearly missed, Caitlin and both children screaming - Dylan was not at his best when he arrived at the meeting-place, the famed Cafe Royal. it lived up to its reputation, faded red velvet, Balkan Sobranies, long amber cigarette holders; he did not. All the faded red velvet, the red plush seats, the marble-topped tables, the shades of Wilde and Beardsley, could not hide his dismay.
The next time I met him was in a quieter scene, also in a pub. He had taken Vernon and me to meet Nina Hamnett in her special seat in the Fitzroy Tavern, well away from the hoi-polloi at the bar, from where she reigned as Queen of the Bohemians, waiting for homage in the form of drinks. She was regally polite to Vernon and me, but graciously maternal to Dylan, whom she loved. He was sweetly affectionate, teasing her by hovering on the edge of naughty jokes and limericks. Vernon bought the drinks, but Dylan was the golden boy. Suddenly there was a flurry at the door, and Betty May flounced in, invading Nina's territory, The Fitzroy, instead of occupying her own, which was the Wheatsheaf. Somehow Dylan managed to amuse the two old friends and enemies, but soon took us away, saying in an undertone that he was afraid Aleister Crowley might turn up.
During the last year of the war Vernon and I saw Dylan in various London pubs, always the centre of a crowd, many of whom were associates in his film work, or B.B.C. people, actors, editors, admirers. It was not easy to talk to him apart from these colleagues. Dr. Daniel Jones has described how he found it "impossible to detach him from a new circle of acquaintances, some of whom treated me with less than courtesy...as I awkwardly shuffled about on the periphery of that charmed circle." Vernon never minded being at the back of the circle, as long as he could see and listen to Dylan, I used to watch Caitlin, who did mind, and would begin to flirt with someone in uniform, so outrageously at last that Dylan could no longer remain unaware. This usually led to a scuffle between the tall handsome serviceman whom Caitlin had selected and Dylan. Sometimes it ended with the soldier being drawn into the charmed circle and buying drinks all round, occasionally it ended with Dylan getting thrown out. John Pritchard and I were once walking past The Wheatsheaf, when the swing doors flew open and Dylan came rolling out, followed by Caitlin, wringing her hands, and saying, "If only Dylan would just once pick on a little man!" But of course it was she who liked tall men.
After the war, Vernon and I went one Saturday to the Blue Boar in Carmarthen to have lunch with Dylan and Caitlin, who were then living in Blaencwm. It was a Saturday, Carmarthen was crowded with farmers, Dylan had already secured a table in the crush of the bar, but when Caitlin arrived with the five-year-old Llewelyn, whom she had just brought from her mother's home in Hampshire, chaos immediately ensued.
You can read the rest of the story in the text but it ended in us eventually being asked to leave. It was the only time in my life that I have been thrown out of a pub, but I still count it something of an honour to have been thrown out between two poets of stature.
I hardly ever went to pubs after our children were born, but we did one Sunday evening meet Dylan and Caitlin in a small country pub which shall be nameless. It was full of the local horsey set, discussing yesterday's gymkhana in high-pitched neighings. Dylan was almost at once cowed and dispirited, and we left after one drink.
Dylan never felt easy with the upper classes, the Old Etonians and university types, which, may be why he did not frequent The Dover Castle, the B.B.C. bolt-hole, until he was himself a frequent and indeed a famous broadcaster. Caitlin has written that pubs were always a home from home for herself and Dylan; and it is significant that he rarely mentions his home at Cwmdonkin Drive, or indeed the Boathouse with any nostalgia. In his radio script 'Return Journey' he does not return to the home of his childhood, but to a Swansea pub, and then to Cwmdonkin Park. In the last days of his life, in New York, it was the pubs of his youth he remembered, where the men sang with their arms around each other. his homes were often short-lived rentals, damp conservatories, camping with friends or relations who soon tired of the invasion; and the last years of his short life were embittered by Caitlin's grievances and furies. The Six Bells, the Swiss, the Marquis, the George, the Stag and the unknown dank little pub where he took Constantine FitzGibbon the day before he went to America for the last time - these were all home to him, where he found companionship, enjoyment, appreciation, even solitude when he needed it. Without them he would have been a very different person indeed."
The official launch of this book took place on October the 24th, 2013 at Swansea Museum, followed by a further launch at, very fittingly, Brown's Hotel, Laugharne, on the 31st of the same month that year.
This copy of this wonderful, beautifully presented and interesting volume has been personally signed to myself by the author, Jeff Towns.
A first edition, softback copy, of the wonderful Jeff Towns and Wyn Thomas collaboration entitled, 'Dylan Thomas: The Pubs'.
This edition was published and printed by Y Lolfa, Ceredigion, Wales in 2013 and issued with the ISBN 978-1-84771-693-4.
This beautifully illustrated book presents a whole new perspective of Dylan Thomas's life by taking the reader on a journey of the famous, and not so well known, 'watering-holes' which he often frequented.
Each public house, whether located in Wales, England or America has been meticulously researched by Dylan Thomas expert Jeff Towns, and as well as providing a detailed history of each establishment, and the connection to Dylan Thomas, the book also reveals the current status, or fate, of the building in question.
The cover notes to this wonderful and highly entertaining and interesting book read;
"According to legend, Dylan Thomas and drink went hand in hand. But he is also recognised as one of the twentieth century's great poets. It is true that Dylan lived fast and died young; his life was short and spectacular. After his death, his reputation as an iconic 'hard drinking bohemian bard' grew and grew.
In this book Jeff towns reveals how Dylan loved pubs for the people, not the pints. Follow Jeff as he explores the true nature of Dylan's love affair with pub life - a passion which was as much as about comradeship, human warmth and convivial company as it was about beer.
In collaboration with artist Wyn Thomas, who sets the scene with his original artworks, Jeff visits the pubs and bars in Wales, London and the USA that boast a special connection to Dylan, and encounters a fantastic cast of characters. It begins in Swansea with the Kardomah gang, a bunch of lively local artists, writers and musicians; romps across West Wales, via Laugharne and New Quay; blazes through London's Fitzrovia with Augustus John; and it ends in America with the Beat Poets, Stravinsky and Charlie Chaplin."
Containing many previously unpublished photographs, documents and posters, the book is further enhanced by the beautiful artwork, provided especially for this publication by Welsh artist, Wyn Thomas.
The foreword, beautifully written by Gwen Watkins, reads;
"I first met Dylan Thomas in a pub - where else? I had heard a great deal about him (almost all adulatory) from my future husband Vernon Watkins, and this meeting was a disappointment. Dylan had come from Waterloo, where he was seeing Caitlin, Llewelyn and the baby Aeron off to her mother's home in Hampshire. He had unfortunately put all the luggage, food, handbag with money and tickets on the wrong train, which promptly moved out, leaving Caitlin and the children stranded on the platform. There had been a scene, or scenes - Caitlin was never one to waste the violent words she stored in such profusion - money had to be telephoned and waited for, the Hampshire train nearly missed, Caitlin and both children screaming - Dylan was not at his best when he arrived at the meeting-place, the famed Cafe Royal. it lived up to its reputation, faded red velvet, Balkan Sobranies, long amber cigarette holders; he did not. All the faded red velvet, the red plush seats, the marble-topped tables, the shades of Wilde and Beardsley, could not hide his dismay.
The next time I met him was in a quieter scene, also in a pub. He had taken Vernon and me to meet Nina Hamnett in her special seat in the Fitzroy Tavern, well away from the hoi-polloi at the bar, from where she reigned as Queen of the Bohemians, waiting for homage in the form of drinks. She was regally polite to Vernon and me, but graciously maternal to Dylan, whom she loved. He was sweetly affectionate, teasing her by hovering on the edge of naughty jokes and limericks. Vernon bought the drinks, but Dylan was the golden boy. Suddenly there was a flurry at the door, and Betty May flounced in, invading Nina's territory, The Fitzroy, instead of occupying her own, which was the Wheatsheaf. Somehow Dylan managed to amuse the two old friends and enemies, but soon took us away, saying in an undertone that he was afraid Aleister Crowley might turn up.
During the last year of the war Vernon and I saw Dylan in various London pubs, always the centre of a crowd, many of whom were associates in his film work, or B.B.C. people, actors, editors, admirers. It was not easy to talk to him apart from these colleagues. Dr. Daniel Jones has described how he found it "impossible to detach him from a new circle of acquaintances, some of whom treated me with less than courtesy...as I awkwardly shuffled about on the periphery of that charmed circle." Vernon never minded being at the back of the circle, as long as he could see and listen to Dylan, I used to watch Caitlin, who did mind, and would begin to flirt with someone in uniform, so outrageously at last that Dylan could no longer remain unaware. This usually led to a scuffle between the tall handsome serviceman whom Caitlin had selected and Dylan. Sometimes it ended with the soldier being drawn into the charmed circle and buying drinks all round, occasionally it ended with Dylan getting thrown out. John Pritchard and I were once walking past The Wheatsheaf, when the swing doors flew open and Dylan came rolling out, followed by Caitlin, wringing her hands, and saying, "If only Dylan would just once pick on a little man!" But of course it was she who liked tall men.
After the war, Vernon and I went one Saturday to the Blue Boar in Carmarthen to have lunch with Dylan and Caitlin, who were then living in Blaencwm. It was a Saturday, Carmarthen was crowded with farmers, Dylan had already secured a table in the crush of the bar, but when Caitlin arrived with the five-year-old Llewelyn, whom she had just brought from her mother's home in Hampshire, chaos immediately ensued.
You can read the rest of the story in the text but it ended in us eventually being asked to leave. It was the only time in my life that I have been thrown out of a pub, but I still count it something of an honour to have been thrown out between two poets of stature.
I hardly ever went to pubs after our children were born, but we did one Sunday evening meet Dylan and Caitlin in a small country pub which shall be nameless. It was full of the local horsey set, discussing yesterday's gymkhana in high-pitched neighings. Dylan was almost at once cowed and dispirited, and we left after one drink.
Dylan never felt easy with the upper classes, the Old Etonians and university types, which, may be why he did not frequent The Dover Castle, the B.B.C. bolt-hole, until he was himself a frequent and indeed a famous broadcaster. Caitlin has written that pubs were always a home from home for herself and Dylan; and it is significant that he rarely mentions his home at Cwmdonkin Drive, or indeed the Boathouse with any nostalgia. In his radio script 'Return Journey' he does not return to the home of his childhood, but to a Swansea pub, and then to Cwmdonkin Park. In the last days of his life, in New York, it was the pubs of his youth he remembered, where the men sang with their arms around each other. his homes were often short-lived rentals, damp conservatories, camping with friends or relations who soon tired of the invasion; and the last years of his short life were embittered by Caitlin's grievances and furies. The Six Bells, the Swiss, the Marquis, the George, the Stag and the unknown dank little pub where he took Constantine FitzGibbon the day before he went to America for the last time - these were all home to him, where he found companionship, enjoyment, appreciation, even solitude when he needed it. Without them he would have been a very different person indeed."
The official launch of this book took place on October the 24th, 2013 at Swansea Museum, followed by a further launch at, very fittingly, Brown's Hotel, Laugharne, on the 31st of the same month that year.
This copy of this wonderful, beautifully presented and interesting volume has been personally signed to myself by the author, Jeff Towns.
'Swansea and the Arts Broadcast Script'
Ty Llen Publications, Signed First Edition, 2000
Published by Ty Llen Publications, City and County of Swansea, in association with the Dylan Thomas Centre in 2000, this is a facsimile of Vernon Watkins' original broadcast script from the 1949, B.B.C. Wales radio programme entitled, 'Swansea And the Arts'.
The broadcast, introduced by Dylan Thomas himself, gave himself and his four friends, Vernon Watkins, John Pritchard, Daniel Jones and Alfred Janes the opportunity to explain what it was about Swansea that encouraged their respective talents and love of poetry, music and the arts.
This publication contains a facsimile of the script originally used by Vernon Watkins, copied from the original owned by Jeff Towns, which is complete with his neat pencil signature and hastily added corrections.
Presented in a card folder with an introduction written by Jeff Towns, the cover depicts the Welsh edition of The Radio Times from the week in which the programme was broadcast and features a photograph of the cast on the cover.
The programme was originally broadcast on the 24th of October, 1949 and was produced by John Griffiths.
The introduction for this fabulous piece of radio history, written by Jeff Towns, reads;
"In 1949 a radio programme was transmitted on the Welsh Home Service entitled 'Swansea and the Arts'. it was recorded in a makeshift studio in the Uplands, the suburb of Swansea where Dylan was born and grew up. The programme was introduced and linked by Dylan and it gave him and four of his friends a chance to explain what it was about Swansea that encouraged their retrospective talents. The 'Radio Times' heralded it thus;
'...five men - three writers, a composer and a painter - who will...demonstrate clearly the outstanding vitality of present-day Swansea as a nursery for artistic talent. Few towns, even outside Wales, can show five sons who have achieved similar distinction in literature, music and painting.'
Dylan introduced them one at a time; first Vernon Watkins, then Alfred Janes, then Daniel Jones, and finally John Pritchard.
Each of them in their own idiosyncratic way expressed just what Swansea contributed to their own particular creativity. The script has never before been published in full. A fragment of Dylan's introductory remarks was included in 'Quite Early One Morning' (1954, edited by Aneirin Talfen Davies) but it was curiously renames as 'Wales and the Artist', stripped of all local reference. And even Ralph Maud's definitive edition of 'The Broadcasts' (1991) only prints Dylan's contributions.
The actual script itself is a rarity. Only a dozen or so copies would have been duplicated from crudely typed stencils, the twelve foolscap pages held together with rusty paper-clips. One copy for each of the skeleton technical staff (only John Griffiths is acknowledged as the Producer), and one for each of the five contributors. The B.B.C. Library probably has a copy but the rest have almost certainly gone, cast into a waste bin in the studio, or left among fag-ends and beer puddles on the floor of the Uplands Hotel after the post production celebration. The copy reproduced here is an exact but slightly reduced facsimile is Vernon Watkins' copy, bearing his neat pencil signature and a few hasty corrections, but then, under the influence of his tidy bank-clerk's alter ego, preserved and cherished for prosperity.
So here for the first time is the entire script. And here is yet more evidence of the rich seam of creative talent that existed in Swansea in the early decades of the last century, a richness that fuelled and inspired, encouraged and informed Dylan's own artistic development."
This publication was issued with the ISBN 0-9533865-2-X.
This special facsimile copy of 'Swansea And The Arts' has been personally signed to myself by Jeff Towns.
Ty Llen Publications, Signed First Edition, 2000
Published by Ty Llen Publications, City and County of Swansea, in association with the Dylan Thomas Centre in 2000, this is a facsimile of Vernon Watkins' original broadcast script from the 1949, B.B.C. Wales radio programme entitled, 'Swansea And the Arts'.
The broadcast, introduced by Dylan Thomas himself, gave himself and his four friends, Vernon Watkins, John Pritchard, Daniel Jones and Alfred Janes the opportunity to explain what it was about Swansea that encouraged their respective talents and love of poetry, music and the arts.
This publication contains a facsimile of the script originally used by Vernon Watkins, copied from the original owned by Jeff Towns, which is complete with his neat pencil signature and hastily added corrections.
Presented in a card folder with an introduction written by Jeff Towns, the cover depicts the Welsh edition of The Radio Times from the week in which the programme was broadcast and features a photograph of the cast on the cover.
The programme was originally broadcast on the 24th of October, 1949 and was produced by John Griffiths.
The introduction for this fabulous piece of radio history, written by Jeff Towns, reads;
"In 1949 a radio programme was transmitted on the Welsh Home Service entitled 'Swansea and the Arts'. it was recorded in a makeshift studio in the Uplands, the suburb of Swansea where Dylan was born and grew up. The programme was introduced and linked by Dylan and it gave him and four of his friends a chance to explain what it was about Swansea that encouraged their retrospective talents. The 'Radio Times' heralded it thus;
'...five men - three writers, a composer and a painter - who will...demonstrate clearly the outstanding vitality of present-day Swansea as a nursery for artistic talent. Few towns, even outside Wales, can show five sons who have achieved similar distinction in literature, music and painting.'
Dylan introduced them one at a time; first Vernon Watkins, then Alfred Janes, then Daniel Jones, and finally John Pritchard.
Each of them in their own idiosyncratic way expressed just what Swansea contributed to their own particular creativity. The script has never before been published in full. A fragment of Dylan's introductory remarks was included in 'Quite Early One Morning' (1954, edited by Aneirin Talfen Davies) but it was curiously renames as 'Wales and the Artist', stripped of all local reference. And even Ralph Maud's definitive edition of 'The Broadcasts' (1991) only prints Dylan's contributions.
The actual script itself is a rarity. Only a dozen or so copies would have been duplicated from crudely typed stencils, the twelve foolscap pages held together with rusty paper-clips. One copy for each of the skeleton technical staff (only John Griffiths is acknowledged as the Producer), and one for each of the five contributors. The B.B.C. Library probably has a copy but the rest have almost certainly gone, cast into a waste bin in the studio, or left among fag-ends and beer puddles on the floor of the Uplands Hotel after the post production celebration. The copy reproduced here is an exact but slightly reduced facsimile is Vernon Watkins' copy, bearing his neat pencil signature and a few hasty corrections, but then, under the influence of his tidy bank-clerk's alter ego, preserved and cherished for prosperity.
So here for the first time is the entire script. And here is yet more evidence of the rich seam of creative talent that existed in Swansea in the early decades of the last century, a richness that fuelled and inspired, encouraged and informed Dylan's own artistic development."
This publication was issued with the ISBN 0-9533865-2-X.
This special facsimile copy of 'Swansea And The Arts' has been personally signed to myself by Jeff Towns.
Heather Holt, 'Dylan Thomas The Actor'
Dinefwr Press Limited, Signed First Edition, 2003
A first edition copy of an extremely detailed, in-depth and well-researched book entitled, 'Dylan Thomas -The Actor', which was first published in 2003.
Written and personally published by Heather Holt, who herself was a member of The Swansea Little Theatre of which a young Dylan Thomas, along with his sister Nancy, were also once members.
This edition was printed and bound in Wales by the Dinefwr Press Limited, Carmarthenshire and features a foreword written by Dylan Thomas's daughter, Aeronwy, who was herself at one time the President of the Swansea Little Theatre.
Aeronwy Thomas writes; "I was first made aware of theatrical archive material still in existence from Swansea Little Theatre's early years in January, 2003. Newly elected as their President, I attended an exhibition at the Dylan Thomas theatre, home to today's Swansea Little Theatre Company. On display were original photographs, programmes, letters and other memorabilia dating back to 1931-34 when my father, Dylan Thomas, was a member of the company. It was decided to hold the exhibition to mark my father's half century (fifty years after his death), an impressive display, which might hopefully attract sponsorship for a permanent exhibition.
With this short book, Heather Holt, a Director of the Theatre and valued actress of the company for many years, has gone a stage further. By collating the material, more research and collecting live testimony from my father's contemporaries; she has produced a valuable record of my father's early acting career. She has recognised the influence that his early acting experience with the company had on his subsequent career. In his thirty-nine years, this included readings of his poems, his 'play for voices', 'Under Milk Wood' (on more than one occasion a solo effort), as well as his many radio broadcasts as actor and reader of his own and other poets' works. In his four recital tours of America and Canada, he needed all the skills of the actor acquired in his late teens, to present his material to maximum effect. Projection of the voice, timing, and well judged exits and entrances (occasionally stumbled, possibly for effect) are all part of the actor's armoury which he gained as a young unknown.
Even before his membership of the Swansea based amateur theatre company where he refined his talents, my father was a born entertainer as his parents and pub companions have testified. Later, in Laugharne, my childhood home, my father was acknowledged in the family as the best at charades. Llewelyn my older brother and I could not compete with his variety of characters suggested by a change of gesture, stance and voice. Once we were so engaged with a hunchback, one-eyed, peg-legged sailor that we all had to stop as he put on a one-man show!
Dad's 'acting' or reciting with expression was so much part of our daily life that we came to consider recitations and impromptu play-acting part of ordinary family life. When a visitor came to our house, he or she was often conducted to the bathroom door to listen to my father, the other side, reciting to himself the different roles from 'Under Milk Wood'...'Trying them out for sound', my mother explained to me. Bathroom sessions, with dad surrounded by dolly mixtures and fizzy drinks, could last an hour or two, with me checking to see whether his recitations were over and our reading session could begin.
Other times, I would put my ear to the keyhole of his working shed where he disappeared every afternoon and heard him composing his last poems as well as short story broadcasts and his last play. You could hear the lilt, the murmur and crescendo of the works in progress as they were being crafted. He would show the first drafts of work in progress to his father, the retired English teacher D. J. Thomas, over a pint of beer at Brown's Hotel. However, it was Mother he often called from the kitchen when she was involved with chores such as combing out my tangly curls to listen to his efforts. Mother, still with pinny round her waist, sat impatiently as he recited different parts of 'Under Milk Wood' - I can remember recitations from Mrs. Dai Bread One and Mrs. Dai Bread Two in particular - or read out loud the poems for his next tour. In selecting poems for his programmes Yeats, Hardy and other 'moderns' as well as his own work, he gave performances similar to the real thing. Mother was helpful but not over impressed! As she said, she had heard it all before.
It might have been these early influences that spurred me also to read poetry in public, give speeches and generally use the skills I learnt at my theatrical boarding school at Tring.
Whatever the case, I have managed to pass on my love of all things theatrical to my children, Hannah and Huw. Both are involved in amateur dramatics, backstage and on the boards. My son directed his first production, 'Under Milk Wood', locally at the age of eighteen.
To return to my father and to his links with the Swansea Little Theatre in the early 1930's, I confidently predict that 'Dylan Thomas the Actor' as a permanent exhibition or in printed form, as a book, will be welcome additions for all those interested in my father's life which, to judge by the response from fans and media in this anniversary year, is considerable."
Drawn from the archives of the Swansea Little Theatre Company, this delightful and informative book includes personal reminiscences from members of the group who remember the young Dylan Thomas during his time there as an aspiring actor.
This edition is lavishly illustrated throughout with newspaper clippings, programmes, flyers, reviews and photographs of the productions in which Dylan Thomas appeared, including many photographs which have never been published before.
Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, all proceeds of this book were directed towards the work of the Swansea Little Theatre, Swansea.
'Dylan Thomas the Actor' was published by the Dinefwr Press and issued with the ISBN 0-9529165-1-7.
Dinefwr Press Limited, Signed First Edition, 2003
A first edition copy of an extremely detailed, in-depth and well-researched book entitled, 'Dylan Thomas -The Actor', which was first published in 2003.
Written and personally published by Heather Holt, who herself was a member of The Swansea Little Theatre of which a young Dylan Thomas, along with his sister Nancy, were also once members.
This edition was printed and bound in Wales by the Dinefwr Press Limited, Carmarthenshire and features a foreword written by Dylan Thomas's daughter, Aeronwy, who was herself at one time the President of the Swansea Little Theatre.
Aeronwy Thomas writes; "I was first made aware of theatrical archive material still in existence from Swansea Little Theatre's early years in January, 2003. Newly elected as their President, I attended an exhibition at the Dylan Thomas theatre, home to today's Swansea Little Theatre Company. On display were original photographs, programmes, letters and other memorabilia dating back to 1931-34 when my father, Dylan Thomas, was a member of the company. It was decided to hold the exhibition to mark my father's half century (fifty years after his death), an impressive display, which might hopefully attract sponsorship for a permanent exhibition.
With this short book, Heather Holt, a Director of the Theatre and valued actress of the company for many years, has gone a stage further. By collating the material, more research and collecting live testimony from my father's contemporaries; she has produced a valuable record of my father's early acting career. She has recognised the influence that his early acting experience with the company had on his subsequent career. In his thirty-nine years, this included readings of his poems, his 'play for voices', 'Under Milk Wood' (on more than one occasion a solo effort), as well as his many radio broadcasts as actor and reader of his own and other poets' works. In his four recital tours of America and Canada, he needed all the skills of the actor acquired in his late teens, to present his material to maximum effect. Projection of the voice, timing, and well judged exits and entrances (occasionally stumbled, possibly for effect) are all part of the actor's armoury which he gained as a young unknown.
Even before his membership of the Swansea based amateur theatre company where he refined his talents, my father was a born entertainer as his parents and pub companions have testified. Later, in Laugharne, my childhood home, my father was acknowledged in the family as the best at charades. Llewelyn my older brother and I could not compete with his variety of characters suggested by a change of gesture, stance and voice. Once we were so engaged with a hunchback, one-eyed, peg-legged sailor that we all had to stop as he put on a one-man show!
Dad's 'acting' or reciting with expression was so much part of our daily life that we came to consider recitations and impromptu play-acting part of ordinary family life. When a visitor came to our house, he or she was often conducted to the bathroom door to listen to my father, the other side, reciting to himself the different roles from 'Under Milk Wood'...'Trying them out for sound', my mother explained to me. Bathroom sessions, with dad surrounded by dolly mixtures and fizzy drinks, could last an hour or two, with me checking to see whether his recitations were over and our reading session could begin.
Other times, I would put my ear to the keyhole of his working shed where he disappeared every afternoon and heard him composing his last poems as well as short story broadcasts and his last play. You could hear the lilt, the murmur and crescendo of the works in progress as they were being crafted. He would show the first drafts of work in progress to his father, the retired English teacher D. J. Thomas, over a pint of beer at Brown's Hotel. However, it was Mother he often called from the kitchen when she was involved with chores such as combing out my tangly curls to listen to his efforts. Mother, still with pinny round her waist, sat impatiently as he recited different parts of 'Under Milk Wood' - I can remember recitations from Mrs. Dai Bread One and Mrs. Dai Bread Two in particular - or read out loud the poems for his next tour. In selecting poems for his programmes Yeats, Hardy and other 'moderns' as well as his own work, he gave performances similar to the real thing. Mother was helpful but not over impressed! As she said, she had heard it all before.
It might have been these early influences that spurred me also to read poetry in public, give speeches and generally use the skills I learnt at my theatrical boarding school at Tring.
Whatever the case, I have managed to pass on my love of all things theatrical to my children, Hannah and Huw. Both are involved in amateur dramatics, backstage and on the boards. My son directed his first production, 'Under Milk Wood', locally at the age of eighteen.
To return to my father and to his links with the Swansea Little Theatre in the early 1930's, I confidently predict that 'Dylan Thomas the Actor' as a permanent exhibition or in printed form, as a book, will be welcome additions for all those interested in my father's life which, to judge by the response from fans and media in this anniversary year, is considerable."
Drawn from the archives of the Swansea Little Theatre Company, this delightful and informative book includes personal reminiscences from members of the group who remember the young Dylan Thomas during his time there as an aspiring actor.
This edition is lavishly illustrated throughout with newspaper clippings, programmes, flyers, reviews and photographs of the productions in which Dylan Thomas appeared, including many photographs which have never been published before.
Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, all proceeds of this book were directed towards the work of the Swansea Little Theatre, Swansea.
'Dylan Thomas the Actor' was published by the Dinefwr Press and issued with the ISBN 0-9529165-1-7.
This copy of 'Dylan Thomas - The Actor' has the wonderful addition of having been personally signed by the author, Heather Holt.
'A Dylan Odyssey' Graffeg Limited, First Edition, 2015
Published by Graffeg Limited based in Llangennech, Carmarthenshire in May of 2015 and distributed by the Welsh Books Council and Literature Wales, this is a first edition copy of a highly informative and interesting book entitled, 'A Dylan Odyssey' a guide book featuring fifteen places associated with Dylan Thomas and incorporating tour maps especially designed for this publication by Sarah Edmonds.
For this very special publication, fifteen of Wales' best writers and artists follow in Dylan Thomas's footsteps through the Swansea of his youth, Laugharne, Oxford and New York. inspired by the culture, landscapes and people in Dylan Thomas's short life, these literary essays bring to life his words in the settings which so greatly inspired him.
The geographical chapters focus on the Swansea Uplands, South Carmarthenshire, Gower and the Mumbles, London's Fitzrovia, the Aeron Valley, the Ceredigion Coast, Oxford and South Leigh, Laugharne and finally New York's Greenwich Village.
Contributory essayists include Jeff Towns, Peter Stead, George Tremlett, Griff Rhys Jones, Andrew Lycett, Gillian Clarke and Hannah Ellis.
This beautifully produced book is lavishly illustrated with colour and black and white photographs, researched by Jeff Towns, as well as featuring a Dylan Thomas Timeline and bibliography.
The book itself was compiled by Literature Wales and designed by Graffeg Limited and issued with the ISBN 978-1909-62344-0.
Published by Graffeg Limited based in Llangennech, Carmarthenshire in May of 2015 and distributed by the Welsh Books Council and Literature Wales, this is a first edition copy of a highly informative and interesting book entitled, 'A Dylan Odyssey' a guide book featuring fifteen places associated with Dylan Thomas and incorporating tour maps especially designed for this publication by Sarah Edmonds.
For this very special publication, fifteen of Wales' best writers and artists follow in Dylan Thomas's footsteps through the Swansea of his youth, Laugharne, Oxford and New York. inspired by the culture, landscapes and people in Dylan Thomas's short life, these literary essays bring to life his words in the settings which so greatly inspired him.
The geographical chapters focus on the Swansea Uplands, South Carmarthenshire, Gower and the Mumbles, London's Fitzrovia, the Aeron Valley, the Ceredigion Coast, Oxford and South Leigh, Laugharne and finally New York's Greenwich Village.
Contributory essayists include Jeff Towns, Peter Stead, George Tremlett, Griff Rhys Jones, Andrew Lycett, Gillian Clarke and Hannah Ellis.
This beautifully produced book is lavishly illustrated with colour and black and white photographs, researched by Jeff Towns, as well as featuring a Dylan Thomas Timeline and bibliography.
The book itself was compiled by Literature Wales and designed by Graffeg Limited and issued with the ISBN 978-1909-62344-0.
'Dylan Thomas and the Bohemians: The Photographs of Nora Summers' Parthian Books, Signed First Edition, 2014
A wonderful photographic biography written by Gabriel and Leonie Summers with the assistance of Jeff Towns.
This first edition hardback copy was published on red cloth boards with gilt lettering in 2014 by Parthian Books and printed and bound by the Gomer Press based in Llandysul, Wales and issued with the ISBN 978-1-909844-98-8. This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket.
This edition begins with a detailed chronology of the life of Nora Summers, written by her grandson Gabriel, and what follows in an extraordinary collection of some of best known, and some rarely seen, photographs featuring early photographs of Dylan and Caitlin Thomas, Augustus John and images of Laugharne. This edition also features many images of her art and a chapter written especially by Jeff Towns entitled, 'Dylan Thomas and the Bohemians; The Mask of Anarchy'.
This is truly a beautiful collection, wonderfully published and presented by Parthian Books, who write for the cover notes;
"Nora Summers was responsible for some of the iconic images of Wales' most famous bard Dylan Thomas, but the inmost details of her life, bucolic and populated by bohemians, eccentrics and mavericks, have remained largely unknown till now.
A talented painter and photographer who revelled in documenting the picturesque, communal Arcadia she spent her whole life constructing and inhabiting, her relationships with Thomas and, more predominately, his wife, Caitlin Macnamara, birthed creativity and strife in equal measure.
Part biography, part photographic memoir, 'Dylan Thomas And The Bohemians' draws from the personal archives, both physical and memorial, of Gabriel Summers, Nora's grandson, and his partner Leonie, with contributions from Jeff Towns, a leading writer on the life and work of Dylan Thomas, and seeks to present an intimate and revealing portrait of both Summers and the creative company she kept."
A wonderful photographic biography written by Gabriel and Leonie Summers with the assistance of Jeff Towns.
This first edition hardback copy was published on red cloth boards with gilt lettering in 2014 by Parthian Books and printed and bound by the Gomer Press based in Llandysul, Wales and issued with the ISBN 978-1-909844-98-8. This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket.
This edition begins with a detailed chronology of the life of Nora Summers, written by her grandson Gabriel, and what follows in an extraordinary collection of some of best known, and some rarely seen, photographs featuring early photographs of Dylan and Caitlin Thomas, Augustus John and images of Laugharne. This edition also features many images of her art and a chapter written especially by Jeff Towns entitled, 'Dylan Thomas and the Bohemians; The Mask of Anarchy'.
This is truly a beautiful collection, wonderfully published and presented by Parthian Books, who write for the cover notes;
"Nora Summers was responsible for some of the iconic images of Wales' most famous bard Dylan Thomas, but the inmost details of her life, bucolic and populated by bohemians, eccentrics and mavericks, have remained largely unknown till now.
A talented painter and photographer who revelled in documenting the picturesque, communal Arcadia she spent her whole life constructing and inhabiting, her relationships with Thomas and, more predominately, his wife, Caitlin Macnamara, birthed creativity and strife in equal measure.
Part biography, part photographic memoir, 'Dylan Thomas And The Bohemians' draws from the personal archives, both physical and memorial, of Gabriel Summers, Nora's grandson, and his partner Leonie, with contributions from Jeff Towns, a leading writer on the life and work of Dylan Thomas, and seeks to present an intimate and revealing portrait of both Summers and the creative company she kept."
This first edition, hardback copy, of 'Dylan Thomas And the Bohemians' has been personally signed to myself by co-author Jeff Towns.
'Ugly, Lovely - Dylan Thomas's Swansea and Carmarthenshire of the 1950's in Pictures' Edited by Hilly Janes Parthian Books, Signed First Edition, 2016
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of an incredible photographic publication showcasing the wonderful and evocative landscape photographs taken by Swansea-born teacher, Ethel Ross, in the 1950's.
The publisher's cover notes tell the backstory of this delightful book;
"Soon after the death of Dylan Thomas in 1953, Ethel Ross set out to capture in photographs the places that he wove into his work. Published here for the first time, the resulting forty images and quotations create a unique historical record of Swansea, his 'ugly, lovely' town, and the Carmarthenshire countryside that inspired him.
Ethel Ross, a Swansea born college lecturer, knew Thomas and his work well - as the sister-in-law of the artist Alfred Janes, one of his closest friends, and as a fellow member of Swansea Little Theatre in the 1930's. Her account of the budding actor and playwright is also published here, along with 'Lunch at Mussolini's', a comedy sketch he wrote."
The foreword for this wonderful book was written by Cerys Matthews, and explains further;
"Many people shut the door on Dylan Thomas when scandalous stories emerged about his behaviour after his death in 1953. His mother, Florence, however felt that it was imperative to find ways of representing the 'real Dylan'.
My uncle, Colin Edwards, a journalist and filmmaker, shared Florence's concerns, and, with her blessing, began recording interviews in the 1960's with all those people who had known the poet well.
Ethel Ross was one of them. A close friend of the Thomas family, she had already understood the importance of Dylan's legacy and memory, and had honoured it with her own project - photographing the places he'd written about in his poems, plays and short stories. Here for the first time we are welcomed in to enjoy the fruits of Ethel's labour, undertaken just four years after he died. For Dylan devotees, it's an exciting new publication that allows us to inch ever closer to this genius of a man.
It's wonderful to have this insight from a person who knew him so well, especially through his time as an amateur actor and budding playwright at the Swansea Little Theatre. But the photographs are rewarding i n other ways too: for their perspective on how the world changes as generations pass. It is also striking for those of us who, like me, know Swansea well, to see how damaged it still looked a decade after it was bombed in the blitz - booming New York and the genteel university towns Dylan visited at this time in his US tours must have been quite a contrast. But perhaps what Ethel Ross's perspective lets us appreciate so clearly, is how the humdrum of 'ugly, lovely' places, comes such tremendous work."
This first edition copy of 'Ugly, Lovely' was published by Parthian Books, based in Cardigan, with the support of the Welsh Books Council in 2016 and was issued with the ISBN 978-1910901-77-9.
This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket and has the delightful addition of having been signed to myself by the author, and editor of this particular book, Hilly Janes.
A first edition copy, published in hardback, of an incredible photographic publication showcasing the wonderful and evocative landscape photographs taken by Swansea-born teacher, Ethel Ross, in the 1950's.
The publisher's cover notes tell the backstory of this delightful book;
"Soon after the death of Dylan Thomas in 1953, Ethel Ross set out to capture in photographs the places that he wove into his work. Published here for the first time, the resulting forty images and quotations create a unique historical record of Swansea, his 'ugly, lovely' town, and the Carmarthenshire countryside that inspired him.
Ethel Ross, a Swansea born college lecturer, knew Thomas and his work well - as the sister-in-law of the artist Alfred Janes, one of his closest friends, and as a fellow member of Swansea Little Theatre in the 1930's. Her account of the budding actor and playwright is also published here, along with 'Lunch at Mussolini's', a comedy sketch he wrote."
The foreword for this wonderful book was written by Cerys Matthews, and explains further;
"Many people shut the door on Dylan Thomas when scandalous stories emerged about his behaviour after his death in 1953. His mother, Florence, however felt that it was imperative to find ways of representing the 'real Dylan'.
My uncle, Colin Edwards, a journalist and filmmaker, shared Florence's concerns, and, with her blessing, began recording interviews in the 1960's with all those people who had known the poet well.
Ethel Ross was one of them. A close friend of the Thomas family, she had already understood the importance of Dylan's legacy and memory, and had honoured it with her own project - photographing the places he'd written about in his poems, plays and short stories. Here for the first time we are welcomed in to enjoy the fruits of Ethel's labour, undertaken just four years after he died. For Dylan devotees, it's an exciting new publication that allows us to inch ever closer to this genius of a man.
It's wonderful to have this insight from a person who knew him so well, especially through his time as an amateur actor and budding playwright at the Swansea Little Theatre. But the photographs are rewarding i n other ways too: for their perspective on how the world changes as generations pass. It is also striking for those of us who, like me, know Swansea well, to see how damaged it still looked a decade after it was bombed in the blitz - booming New York and the genteel university towns Dylan visited at this time in his US tours must have been quite a contrast. But perhaps what Ethel Ross's perspective lets us appreciate so clearly, is how the humdrum of 'ugly, lovely' places, comes such tremendous work."
This first edition copy of 'Ugly, Lovely' was published by Parthian Books, based in Cardigan, with the support of the Welsh Books Council in 2016 and was issued with the ISBN 978-1910901-77-9.
This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket and has the delightful addition of having been signed to myself by the author, and editor of this particular book, Hilly Janes.
A Selection of Miscellaneous Dylan Thomas Publications
'A Child's Christmas In Wales' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, Sixth Impression, 1975
A delightful small paperback edition of one of Dylan Thomas's most beloved pieces of prose writing, the beautifully written, 'A Child's Christmas In Wales'.
This edition was first published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, London in 1968. This copy is the much later sixth edition which was published in 1975 and printed at the Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire on behalf of J. M. Dent and issued with the ISBN 0-460-03864-8.
The cover notes perfectly sum up this delightful story with the following words;
"This magical account of Dylan Thomas' own childhood and of a Christmas Day in a small Welsh town has become a modern classic. It belongs, as such, to the tradition of Christmas and the Christmas carol, the wreath on the door or the lighted tree in the window."
This edition was designed, and illustrated with woodcuts, by artist Ellen Raskin.
Born in 1928, Ellen Raskin was herself an Award-winning writer and illustrator. Educated at The University of Wisconsin-Madison she achieved great success with her own children's books 'The Mysterious Disappearance Of Leon' and 'Figgs And Phantoms' publications for which she received The Newbery Honour Medal in 1975. An accomplished graphic artist, as well as the woodcuts for this edition of 'A Child's Christmas In Wales' she was also the designer for her own series of publications which included the titles, 'And It Rained', 'Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three' and 'Ghost In A Four Room Apartment'.
Ellen Raskin died in New York on August the 8th, 1984.
A delightful small paperback edition of one of Dylan Thomas's most beloved pieces of prose writing, the beautifully written, 'A Child's Christmas In Wales'.
This edition was first published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, London in 1968. This copy is the much later sixth edition which was published in 1975 and printed at the Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire on behalf of J. M. Dent and issued with the ISBN 0-460-03864-8.
The cover notes perfectly sum up this delightful story with the following words;
"This magical account of Dylan Thomas' own childhood and of a Christmas Day in a small Welsh town has become a modern classic. It belongs, as such, to the tradition of Christmas and the Christmas carol, the wreath on the door or the lighted tree in the window."
This edition was designed, and illustrated with woodcuts, by artist Ellen Raskin.
Born in 1928, Ellen Raskin was herself an Award-winning writer and illustrator. Educated at The University of Wisconsin-Madison she achieved great success with her own children's books 'The Mysterious Disappearance Of Leon' and 'Figgs And Phantoms' publications for which she received The Newbery Honour Medal in 1975. An accomplished graphic artist, as well as the woodcuts for this edition of 'A Child's Christmas In Wales' she was also the designer for her own series of publications which included the titles, 'And It Rained', 'Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three' and 'Ghost In A Four Room Apartment'.
Ellen Raskin died in New York on August the 8th, 1984.
'The Followers' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited
First Edition,1976
A first edition copy, published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited of the short ghost story written by Dylan Thomas which he entitled, 'The Followers', which had previously been published in magazine form in 'World Review' in 1952 and in book form in the posthumous volume, 'A Prospect Of The Sea', published in 1955.
This delightful small edition was printed by Biddles Limited, based in Guildford and was bound by the Aldine Press, Letchworth, Hertfordshire on behalf of J. M. Dent.
This first edition copy was published in 1976 and was issued with the ISBN 0-400-02182-6. The illustrations for this edition were provided by J. M. Dent artist in residence, Meg Stevens.
The cover notes for this delightful edition of 'The Followers' reads;
"A ghostly little tale of a wet winter's evening when two boys withy nowhere to go and nothing particular to do decide to follow an unknown girl to her home - and of what befalls them when they get there.
Following 'A Child's Christmas in Wales', 'The Outing' and 'Holiday Memory', this is a story in a completely different vein, yet still told with all Dylan Thomas's compassionate humour and skill."
First Edition,1976
A first edition copy, published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited of the short ghost story written by Dylan Thomas which he entitled, 'The Followers', which had previously been published in magazine form in 'World Review' in 1952 and in book form in the posthumous volume, 'A Prospect Of The Sea', published in 1955.
This delightful small edition was printed by Biddles Limited, based in Guildford and was bound by the Aldine Press, Letchworth, Hertfordshire on behalf of J. M. Dent.
This first edition copy was published in 1976 and was issued with the ISBN 0-400-02182-6. The illustrations for this edition were provided by J. M. Dent artist in residence, Meg Stevens.
The cover notes for this delightful edition of 'The Followers' reads;
"A ghostly little tale of a wet winter's evening when two boys withy nowhere to go and nothing particular to do decide to follow an unknown girl to her home - and of what befalls them when they get there.
Following 'A Child's Christmas in Wales', 'The Outing' and 'Holiday Memory', this is a story in a completely different vein, yet still told with all Dylan Thomas's compassionate humour and skill."
'The Outing' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited
Third Impression, 1974
Another small edition of one of Dylan Thomas's delightful short stories, published in the same format as the companion book to this volume, 'A Child's Christmas In Wales', is this copy of the short story entitled, 'The Outing'.
Originally published in the posthumous 1955 J. M. Dent edition of 'A Prospect Of The Sea' under it's original title of simply 'A Story', this beautifully crafted piece was first published in this format by J.M Dent and Sons Limited, Aldine House, London in 1971 and printed by the Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire. The synopsis, written by J. M. Dent and which features as the cover notes to this edition, reads;
"What could be more pleasant at Christmas time than to look back to the high noon of summer and reflect nostalgically on one of its never-to.-be-forgotten days? 'The Outing' is a summery book for all seasons, bubbling with Dylan Thomas's hilarious recollections of an excursion 'by charabanc to Porthcawl, which, of course, the charabanc never reached, and it happened when I was so-high and so much nicer."
This copy is a later edition, dating from 1974, which was issued with the ISBN 0-460-07840-2.
The illustrations for this edition were by artist Meg Stevens.
Third Impression, 1974
Another small edition of one of Dylan Thomas's delightful short stories, published in the same format as the companion book to this volume, 'A Child's Christmas In Wales', is this copy of the short story entitled, 'The Outing'.
Originally published in the posthumous 1955 J. M. Dent edition of 'A Prospect Of The Sea' under it's original title of simply 'A Story', this beautifully crafted piece was first published in this format by J.M Dent and Sons Limited, Aldine House, London in 1971 and printed by the Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire. The synopsis, written by J. M. Dent and which features as the cover notes to this edition, reads;
"What could be more pleasant at Christmas time than to look back to the high noon of summer and reflect nostalgically on one of its never-to.-be-forgotten days? 'The Outing' is a summery book for all seasons, bubbling with Dylan Thomas's hilarious recollections of an excursion 'by charabanc to Porthcawl, which, of course, the charabanc never reached, and it happened when I was so-high and so much nicer."
This copy is a later edition, dating from 1974, which was issued with the ISBN 0-460-07840-2.
The illustrations for this edition were by artist Meg Stevens.
'Holiday Memory' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited
Sixth Impression, 1985
First published in this format by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited in 1972, this is a later edition of the small volume of Dylan Thomas's beautifully written piece of prose entitled, 'Holiday Memory', which was originally published in the posthumous J.M. Dent and Sons collection entitled, 'Quite Early One Morning' which had been first published in 1954.
This edition was printed by The Belmont Press, based in Northampton, on behalf of J. M. Dent in 1983 and was again illustrated by the artist Meg Stevens.
The cover notes for this small delightful story read;
"If Dylan Thomas's fame rests in poetry, he nevertheless had a marvellous and highly individual way with memories of childhood. 'Holiday Memory' is a joyous and lovingly recollected piece, rich in humanity and observation.
There was cricket on the sand, and sand in the sponge-cake, sand-flies in the watercress, and foolish, mulish, religious donkeys on the unwilling trot...Little naked navvies dug canals; children with spades and no ambition built fleeting castles; wispy young men, outside the bathing huts, whistled at substantial young women and dogs who desired thrown stones more than the bones of elephants."
This edition was issued in 1983 with the ISBN 0-460-02207-5.
Sixth Impression, 1985
First published in this format by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited in 1972, this is a later edition of the small volume of Dylan Thomas's beautifully written piece of prose entitled, 'Holiday Memory', which was originally published in the posthumous J.M. Dent and Sons collection entitled, 'Quite Early One Morning' which had been first published in 1954.
This edition was printed by The Belmont Press, based in Northampton, on behalf of J. M. Dent in 1983 and was again illustrated by the artist Meg Stevens.
The cover notes for this small delightful story read;
"If Dylan Thomas's fame rests in poetry, he nevertheless had a marvellous and highly individual way with memories of childhood. 'Holiday Memory' is a joyous and lovingly recollected piece, rich in humanity and observation.
There was cricket on the sand, and sand in the sponge-cake, sand-flies in the watercress, and foolish, mulish, religious donkeys on the unwilling trot...Little naked navvies dug canals; children with spades and no ambition built fleeting castles; wispy young men, outside the bathing huts, whistled at substantial young women and dogs who desired thrown stones more than the bones of elephants."
This edition was issued in 1983 with the ISBN 0-460-02207-5.
'Holiday Memory' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited Seventh Impression, 1990
A much later, small glossy paperback edition of the Dylan Thomas short story, 'Holiday Memory'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent And Sons Limited, based in Clapham High Street, London and printed especially for J. M. Dent by the Postal Publicity Press (S. J. Heady And Company Limited), based in London.
The cover illustration was by artist Madeleine David, with the further interior illustrations provided by the original artist for this series, Meg Stevens.
This later edition was issued with the ISBN 0-460-86057-7 and was purchased from the gift shop at Dylan Thomas's Boat House, Laugharne, upon the books original publication and my own first visit in the late 1990's. An early Dylan Thomas Boat House stamp proudly adorns the title page of this edition.
A much later, small glossy paperback edition of the Dylan Thomas short story, 'Holiday Memory'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent And Sons Limited, based in Clapham High Street, London and printed especially for J. M. Dent by the Postal Publicity Press (S. J. Heady And Company Limited), based in London.
The cover illustration was by artist Madeleine David, with the further interior illustrations provided by the original artist for this series, Meg Stevens.
This later edition was issued with the ISBN 0-460-86057-7 and was purchased from the gift shop at Dylan Thomas's Boat House, Laugharne, upon the books original publication and my own first visit in the late 1990's. An early Dylan Thomas Boat House stamp proudly adorns the title page of this edition.
'The Followers' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, 1994
Originally published in the 1955, J.M. Dent posthumous collection entitled, 'A Prospect Of The Sea' and as a small separate edition in 1976, this copy of the short story entitled, 'The Followers' was published in this small hardback format by J. M. Dent And Sons in 1994, based at that time at Orion house, Upper St. Martin's Lane, London and was printed and bound in Italy.
This copy is complete with the original dust- jacket and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-86230-8.
The illustrations, which perfectly compliment this short story, were provided by renowned artist Meg Stevens, who had previously provided the illustrations for 'The Outing' and 'Holiday Memory'.
Originally published in the 1955, J.M. Dent posthumous collection entitled, 'A Prospect Of The Sea' and as a small separate edition in 1976, this copy of the short story entitled, 'The Followers' was published in this small hardback format by J. M. Dent And Sons in 1994, based at that time at Orion house, Upper St. Martin's Lane, London and was printed and bound in Italy.
This copy is complete with the original dust- jacket and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-86230-8.
The illustrations, which perfectly compliment this short story, were provided by renowned artist Meg Stevens, who had previously provided the illustrations for 'The Outing' and 'Holiday Memory'.
'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' The British Publishers Guild,(Guild Books), First Edition, 1948
Published by J. M. Dent and Sons on behalf of The British Publishers Guild, London and printed by C. Tinling And Company Limited, London, Liverpool and Prescot, this is a first edition copy, in paperback format, of 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' which was first published by Guild Books in 1948.
The British Publishers Guild Limited, at that time based in Essex Street, London, was set up solely with the aim of providing accessible and affordable books to a British public starved of literature due to the Second World War and according to their own advertising of the time;
"The British Publishers Guild was founded to publish Guild Books. These represent the combined efforts of its members to produce the best possible books at the lowest possible price. We feel confident that the editorial policy of the Guild is one which means that when you buy a Guild Book, you will be buying a book that you will enjoy".
This edition contains the same stories as in the original 1940 J. M. Dent and Sons edition and at the time of publication in 1946 cost one shilling.
The stories contained in this edition are as follows;
The Peaches / A Visit To Grandpa's / Patricia, Edith and Arnold / The Fight / Extraordinary Little Cough / Just Like Little Dogs / Where Tawe Flows / Who Do You Wish Was With Us?/ Old Garbo and One Warm Saturday.
Published by J. M. Dent and Sons on behalf of The British Publishers Guild, London and printed by C. Tinling And Company Limited, London, Liverpool and Prescot, this is a first edition copy, in paperback format, of 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' which was first published by Guild Books in 1948.
The British Publishers Guild Limited, at that time based in Essex Street, London, was set up solely with the aim of providing accessible and affordable books to a British public starved of literature due to the Second World War and according to their own advertising of the time;
"The British Publishers Guild was founded to publish Guild Books. These represent the combined efforts of its members to produce the best possible books at the lowest possible price. We feel confident that the editorial policy of the Guild is one which means that when you buy a Guild Book, you will be buying a book that you will enjoy".
This edition contains the same stories as in the original 1940 J. M. Dent and Sons edition and at the time of publication in 1946 cost one shilling.
The stories contained in this edition are as follows;
The Peaches / A Visit To Grandpa's / Patricia, Edith and Arnold / The Fight / Extraordinary Little Cough / Just Like Little Dogs / Where Tawe Flows / Who Do You Wish Was With Us?/ Old Garbo and One Warm Saturday.
'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' The British Publishers Guild, (Guild Books), Second Edition, 1956
A second edition copy of 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' which was published in 1956 by Guild Books, a division of J.M. Dent and Sons, London and printed by C. Tinling and Company Limited based in Liverpool, London and Prescot.
This copy contains the same collection of stories as in the original 1940 J.M. Dent edition and in the 1948 Guild issue.
This edition was published with a stunning cover illustration, highly evocative of the period, and at the time of publication in 1956 cost two shillings.
The following extract is taken from the text of the cover notes;
"Dylan Thomas shows in this book how the hitherto startling originality of his work is deep-seated, native to his whole personality. though the form is fiction, the young poet is himself here seen as a child, a school-boy and a young man during his life in Wales before he came to London. He introduces a realism into the story, enriching it with bold character studies, bizarre and humorous scenes, moments of revelation and terror, paroxysms of love and hate. The singular detachment of his character emerges, to point the way to a clearer understanding of his poetry, and to prove that it is based on a shrewd and swift apprehension of people and events.
In this, his third book, the author deepens his now recognizable gift for Blake-like fantasy with a sense of drama. The chapter called 'Where Tawe Flows' shows also what a talent he possesses for sheer story-telling. 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' is undoubtedly one of the most outspoken and audacious books of its kind."
A second edition copy of 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' which was published in 1956 by Guild Books, a division of J.M. Dent and Sons, London and printed by C. Tinling and Company Limited based in Liverpool, London and Prescot.
This copy contains the same collection of stories as in the original 1940 J.M. Dent edition and in the 1948 Guild issue.
This edition was published with a stunning cover illustration, highly evocative of the period, and at the time of publication in 1956 cost two shillings.
The following extract is taken from the text of the cover notes;
"Dylan Thomas shows in this book how the hitherto startling originality of his work is deep-seated, native to his whole personality. though the form is fiction, the young poet is himself here seen as a child, a school-boy and a young man during his life in Wales before he came to London. He introduces a realism into the story, enriching it with bold character studies, bizarre and humorous scenes, moments of revelation and terror, paroxysms of love and hate. The singular detachment of his character emerges, to point the way to a clearer understanding of his poetry, and to prove that it is based on a shrewd and swift apprehension of people and events.
In this, his third book, the author deepens his now recognizable gift for Blake-like fantasy with a sense of drama. The chapter called 'Where Tawe Flows' shows also what a talent he possesses for sheer story-telling. 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' is undoubtedly one of the most outspoken and audacious books of its kind."
'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited Aldine Paperbacks, 1968
A copy of the much later 1968 edition of 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog'.
This edition was published by Aldine Paperbacks, a division of J.M. Dent and Sons, Bedford Street, The Strand, London, and printed by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire in November, 1968.
This edition of 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' was first published in this format in 1965 and contains the same ten delightful short stories as published in the first 1940 J.M. Dent edition. At the time of publication in 1968 this copy would have cost six shillings.
This copy of 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' was issued with the ISBN 460-02034-X.
The publishers cover notes for this 1968 Aldine Paperback edition read;
"Dylan Thomas in choosing a title for his 'autobiography' would seem to be having a sly joke at the surrealists' expense. And this sense of puckish humour pervades the 'portrait' - one of the best examples of 'poetry in prose' in modern literature. Swinburne and Browning wrote this kind of prose, but no poet has ever recaptured the morning light as completely as Thomas; fiction only thinly disguises here what it was like for Dylan to be a child, a schoolboy and a young man in Wales before he came to London. 'Time and again a small detail recaptures the very essence of childhood', said Time and Tide, 'and exact expression is given to something which one supposed to be unique and inexpressible.' The Spectator, after reading the book, found that the 'distinguishing qualities of Mr. Thomas's poetry were 'its singular imagery and its rhythmical vigour - these together with a remarkable narrative facility were also the marks of his prose."
Taken from a review, written contemporary to the time of the original 1940 J.M. Dent publication, The Observer wrote of Dylan Thomas;
"He has an imagination of scene and poetic eloquence far superior to those possessed by any of his immediate contemporaries."
A copy of the much later 1968 edition of 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog'.
This edition was published by Aldine Paperbacks, a division of J.M. Dent and Sons, Bedford Street, The Strand, London, and printed by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire in November, 1968.
This edition of 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' was first published in this format in 1965 and contains the same ten delightful short stories as published in the first 1940 J.M. Dent edition. At the time of publication in 1968 this copy would have cost six shillings.
This copy of 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' was issued with the ISBN 460-02034-X.
The publishers cover notes for this 1968 Aldine Paperback edition read;
"Dylan Thomas in choosing a title for his 'autobiography' would seem to be having a sly joke at the surrealists' expense. And this sense of puckish humour pervades the 'portrait' - one of the best examples of 'poetry in prose' in modern literature. Swinburne and Browning wrote this kind of prose, but no poet has ever recaptured the morning light as completely as Thomas; fiction only thinly disguises here what it was like for Dylan to be a child, a schoolboy and a young man in Wales before he came to London. 'Time and again a small detail recaptures the very essence of childhood', said Time and Tide, 'and exact expression is given to something which one supposed to be unique and inexpressible.' The Spectator, after reading the book, found that the 'distinguishing qualities of Mr. Thomas's poetry were 'its singular imagery and its rhythmical vigour - these together with a remarkable narrative facility were also the marks of his prose."
Taken from a review, written contemporary to the time of the original 1940 J.M. Dent publication, The Observer wrote of Dylan Thomas;
"He has an imagination of scene and poetic eloquence far superior to those possessed by any of his immediate contemporaries."
'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' Phoenix / Orion Books, 2001
A much later paperback edition of 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog'.
This edition was published by Phoenix, an imprint of Orion Books Limited, St. Martins Lane, London in 2001 and was printed and bound by The Guernsey Press Company Limited based in the Channel Islands.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 0-75381-285-1.
The cover was designed by Richard Carr and features a charming vintage photograph enhanced with the addition of embossed lettering of the author's name and title.
This edition has an introduction written by Aeronwy Thomas and also includes biographical notes and a brief chronology of the life and literary career of Dylan Thomas.
In an extract taken from the cover notes of this edition, the publisher's describe this edition with the words;
"First the young schoolboy, gloriously immersed in make-believe in a shabby farmyard or beginning to interpret the urgent rituals of old age and courtship. Then the budding poet with his thrilling friendships and dreams of fortune. Finally, the neophyte reporter roaming suburban Swansea for momentous material.
In ten marvellously evocative short stories Dylan Thomas shows the exuberance of youth maturing into a fine celebratory compassion and the poet's sheer ironic relish for the eccentricities of common life."
A much later paperback edition of 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog'.
This edition was published by Phoenix, an imprint of Orion Books Limited, St. Martins Lane, London in 2001 and was printed and bound by The Guernsey Press Company Limited based in the Channel Islands.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 0-75381-285-1.
The cover was designed by Richard Carr and features a charming vintage photograph enhanced with the addition of embossed lettering of the author's name and title.
This edition has an introduction written by Aeronwy Thomas and also includes biographical notes and a brief chronology of the life and literary career of Dylan Thomas.
In an extract taken from the cover notes of this edition, the publisher's describe this edition with the words;
"First the young schoolboy, gloriously immersed in make-believe in a shabby farmyard or beginning to interpret the urgent rituals of old age and courtship. Then the budding poet with his thrilling friendships and dreams of fortune. Finally, the neophyte reporter roaming suburban Swansea for momentous material.
In ten marvellously evocative short stories Dylan Thomas shows the exuberance of youth maturing into a fine celebratory compassion and the poet's sheer ironic relish for the eccentricities of common life."
A further copy of the 2001 Phoenix edition of 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' is also held in the Richard Burton Museum collection. This edition differs in the fact that the cover lettering is not embossed and that this copy was printed and bound by Clays Limited of St. Ives rather than the Guernsey Press.
This copy has the addition of having been signed by actor, writer and 'Likely Lad', Rodney Bewes.
In 2013, the actor took on the original Emlyn Williams role in the one-man show 'A Boy Growing Up'. Rodney Bewes had been an admirer and enthusiast of Dylan Thomas's work since being in the audience of the 'Dylan Thomas Memorial Service', held on the 14th of February, 1954 at the Royal Festival Hall and hearing Michael Hordern reading, 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night'. Interestingly, Emlyn Williams also read at the same service, and would perform his one-man production of 'A Boy Growing Up' at the Globe Theatre, performances of which a young Rodney Bewes would often attend.
In 2013, Rodney Bewes was performing 'A Boy Growing Up' himself on a U.K. theatrical tour, to much critical acclaim. The autograph which appears in this edition of 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' was obtained after a performance at the Riverhouse Barn Arts Centre, Walton-on-Thames on Sunday the 28th of April that year.
This copy has the addition of having been signed by actor, writer and 'Likely Lad', Rodney Bewes.
In 2013, the actor took on the original Emlyn Williams role in the one-man show 'A Boy Growing Up'. Rodney Bewes had been an admirer and enthusiast of Dylan Thomas's work since being in the audience of the 'Dylan Thomas Memorial Service', held on the 14th of February, 1954 at the Royal Festival Hall and hearing Michael Hordern reading, 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night'. Interestingly, Emlyn Williams also read at the same service, and would perform his one-man production of 'A Boy Growing Up' at the Globe Theatre, performances of which a young Rodney Bewes would often attend.
In 2013, Rodney Bewes was performing 'A Boy Growing Up' himself on a U.K. theatrical tour, to much critical acclaim. The autograph which appears in this edition of 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' was obtained after a performance at the Riverhouse Barn Arts Centre, Walton-on-Thames on Sunday the 28th of April that year.
'Miscellany' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited Aldine Paperbacks,
First Edition, 1963
Published by J.M. Dent And Sons, London and printed by The Western Printing Services Limited based in Bristol, this is the first edition paperback copy of 'Miscellany', which was first published in this format in 1963. The original price of this copy on it's initial publication was four shillings.
This edition contains all previously published material, the contents mainly sourced from The Collected Poems, The Map Of Love and A Prospect Of The Sea.
The Poems: Prologue / The Force That Through The Green Fuse Drives The Flower / Especially When The October Wind / From Loves First Fever To Her Plague / In The Beginning / I Fellowed Sleep / I Dreamed My Genesis / I, In My Intricate Image / Do You Not Father Me / Hold Hard, These Ancient Minutes In The Cuckoo's Month / The Hand That Signed The Paper / And Death Shall Have No Dominion / The Conversation Of Prayer / Poem In October / Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night / Elegy.
The Stories: The Map Of Love / The Mouse And The Woman / The Visitor / The Followers
The Broadcasts: Reminiscences Of Childhood / Memories Of Christmas / Return Journey.
The publishers detailed cover notes for this first edition read;
"Following the success of 'Under Milk Wood', the first title to be issued in Aldine Paperbacks, the publishers thought that the present selection would bring Thomas's gifts as poet, short-story writer and broadcaster before the widest possible public. There is first of all a generous selection from his poetry, including memorable pieces such as 'The Force That Through The Green Fuse Drives The Flower' and 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night', and a number not found in the usual anthologies. The prose includes the script 'Return Journey' in which a very original form of radio drama is conceived, a form which the poet fully worked out in 'Under Milk Wood'. Four admirable stories, 'The Map Of Love', 'The Mouse And The Woman', 'The Visitor' and 'The Followers' are also well chosen as exhibiting Dylan Thomas's kindly, humorous and sometimes compassionate view of life. All four pieces show variety of mood and treatment. Two broadcasts, 'Reminiscences Of Childhood', vividly recalling 'a fine, live people, the spirit of Wales itself, and 'Memories Of Christmas', are also included. In the latter sample the poet evokes with all his word-magic the childhood Christmases in Wales - 'when they tobogganed all the afternoon on the best tea-tray and Mrs. Griffiths complained, and we threw a snowball at her niece, and my hands burned so, with the heat and the cold, when I held them in front of the fire, that I cried for twenty minutes and then had some jelly."
First Edition, 1963
Published by J.M. Dent And Sons, London and printed by The Western Printing Services Limited based in Bristol, this is the first edition paperback copy of 'Miscellany', which was first published in this format in 1963. The original price of this copy on it's initial publication was four shillings.
This edition contains all previously published material, the contents mainly sourced from The Collected Poems, The Map Of Love and A Prospect Of The Sea.
The Poems: Prologue / The Force That Through The Green Fuse Drives The Flower / Especially When The October Wind / From Loves First Fever To Her Plague / In The Beginning / I Fellowed Sleep / I Dreamed My Genesis / I, In My Intricate Image / Do You Not Father Me / Hold Hard, These Ancient Minutes In The Cuckoo's Month / The Hand That Signed The Paper / And Death Shall Have No Dominion / The Conversation Of Prayer / Poem In October / Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night / Elegy.
The Stories: The Map Of Love / The Mouse And The Woman / The Visitor / The Followers
The Broadcasts: Reminiscences Of Childhood / Memories Of Christmas / Return Journey.
The publishers detailed cover notes for this first edition read;
"Following the success of 'Under Milk Wood', the first title to be issued in Aldine Paperbacks, the publishers thought that the present selection would bring Thomas's gifts as poet, short-story writer and broadcaster before the widest possible public. There is first of all a generous selection from his poetry, including memorable pieces such as 'The Force That Through The Green Fuse Drives The Flower' and 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night', and a number not found in the usual anthologies. The prose includes the script 'Return Journey' in which a very original form of radio drama is conceived, a form which the poet fully worked out in 'Under Milk Wood'. Four admirable stories, 'The Map Of Love', 'The Mouse And The Woman', 'The Visitor' and 'The Followers' are also well chosen as exhibiting Dylan Thomas's kindly, humorous and sometimes compassionate view of life. All four pieces show variety of mood and treatment. Two broadcasts, 'Reminiscences Of Childhood', vividly recalling 'a fine, live people, the spirit of Wales itself, and 'Memories Of Christmas', are also included. In the latter sample the poet evokes with all his word-magic the childhood Christmases in Wales - 'when they tobogganed all the afternoon on the best tea-tray and Mrs. Griffiths complained, and we threw a snowball at her niece, and my hands burned so, with the heat and the cold, when I held them in front of the fire, that I cried for twenty minutes and then had some jelly."
'Miscellany One' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited Aldine Paperbacks Third Impression, 1969
First published by J.M. Dent And Sons, London and printed by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, this is a copy of the third reprint in paperback of 'Miscellany', renamed 'Miscellany One', which was published in 1969 at a cost of six shillings.
This edition contains the same poetry, prose and broadcasts as published in 'Miscellany', sourced from The Collected Poems, The Map Of Love and A Prospect Of The Sea.
The Poems: Prologue / The Force That Through The Green Fuse Drives The Flower / Especially When The October Wind / From Loves First Fever To Her Plague / In The Beginning / I Fellowed Sleep / I Dreamed My Genesis / I, In My Intricate Image / Do You Not Father Me / Hold Hard, These Ancient Minutes In The Cuckoo's Month / The Hand That Signed The Paper / And Death Shall Have No Dominion / The Conversation Of Prayer / Poem In October / Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night / Elegy.
The Stories: The Map Of Love / The Mouse And The Woman / The Visitor /The Followers.
The Broadcasts: Reminiscences Of Childhood / Memories Of Christmas / Return Journey.
First published by J.M. Dent And Sons, London and printed by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, this is a copy of the third reprint in paperback of 'Miscellany', renamed 'Miscellany One', which was published in 1969 at a cost of six shillings.
This edition contains the same poetry, prose and broadcasts as published in 'Miscellany', sourced from The Collected Poems, The Map Of Love and A Prospect Of The Sea.
The Poems: Prologue / The Force That Through The Green Fuse Drives The Flower / Especially When The October Wind / From Loves First Fever To Her Plague / In The Beginning / I Fellowed Sleep / I Dreamed My Genesis / I, In My Intricate Image / Do You Not Father Me / Hold Hard, These Ancient Minutes In The Cuckoo's Month / The Hand That Signed The Paper / And Death Shall Have No Dominion / The Conversation Of Prayer / Poem In October / Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night / Elegy.
The Stories: The Map Of Love / The Mouse And The Woman / The Visitor /The Followers.
The Broadcasts: Reminiscences Of Childhood / Memories Of Christmas / Return Journey.
'Miscellany One' J.M. Dent & Sons Aldine Paperbacks, 1974
A later edition of 'Miscellany One' published by J.M. Dent and Sons, London and printed by The Aldine Press, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1974.
This edition was published with a beautiful cover photograph by Brian Watkins of a view of Laugharne from the Boathouse and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02013-7.
This edition contains the same poetry, prose and broadcasts as published in 'Miscellany', sourced from The Collected Poems, The Map Of Love and A Prospect Of The Sea.
The Poems: Prologue / The Force That Through The Green Fuse Drives The Flower / Especially When The October Wind / From Loves First Fever To Her Plague / In The Beginning / I Fellowed Sleep / I Dreamed My Genesis / I, In My Intricate Image / Do You Not Father Me / Hold Hard, These Ancient Minutes In The Cuckoo's Month / The Hand That Signed The Paper / And Death Shall Have No Dominion / The Conversation Of Prayer / Poem In October / Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night / Elegy.
The Stories: The Map Of Love / The Mouse And The Woman / The Visitor /The Followers.
The Broadcasts: Reminiscences Of Childhood / Memories Of Christmas / Return Journey.
A later edition of 'Miscellany One' published by J.M. Dent and Sons, London and printed by The Aldine Press, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1974.
This edition was published with a beautiful cover photograph by Brian Watkins of a view of Laugharne from the Boathouse and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02013-7.
This edition contains the same poetry, prose and broadcasts as published in 'Miscellany', sourced from The Collected Poems, The Map Of Love and A Prospect Of The Sea.
The Poems: Prologue / The Force That Through The Green Fuse Drives The Flower / Especially When The October Wind / From Loves First Fever To Her Plague / In The Beginning / I Fellowed Sleep / I Dreamed My Genesis / I, In My Intricate Image / Do You Not Father Me / Hold Hard, These Ancient Minutes In The Cuckoo's Month / The Hand That Signed The Paper / And Death Shall Have No Dominion / The Conversation Of Prayer / Poem In October / Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night / Elegy.
The Stories: The Map Of Love / The Mouse And The Woman / The Visitor /The Followers.
The Broadcasts: Reminiscences Of Childhood / Memories Of Christmas / Return Journey.
'Miscellany Two' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited Aldine Paperbacks Second Impression, 1967
First published by J.M. Dent and Sons, Bedford Street, London in 1966 and printed by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, this is the second impression of 'Miscellany Two', which was subtitled, 'A Visit To Grandpa's and Other Stories and Poems'.
This second impression edition, published in 1967, was originally priced at six shillings and sixpence.
This edition contains all previously published material, mainly sourced from The Collected Poems, Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog and A Prospect Of The Sea.
The Poems: Altarwise By Owl-Light / After The Funeral / Once It Was The Colour Of Saying / A Refusal To Mourn The Death, By Fire, Of A Child In London / Deaths And Entrances / In My Craft Or Sullen Art / Ceremony After A Fire Raid / Ballad Of The Long-Legged Bait / Fern Hill / Over Sir John's Hill / Poem On His Birthday.
The Stories: A Visit To Grandpa's / Extraordinary Little Cough / Where Tawe Flows / Who Do You Wish Was With Us?/ A Prospect Of The Sea.
The Broadcasts: Quite Early One Morning / A Visit To America.
First published by J.M. Dent and Sons, Bedford Street, London in 1966 and printed by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, this is the second impression of 'Miscellany Two', which was subtitled, 'A Visit To Grandpa's and Other Stories and Poems'.
This second impression edition, published in 1967, was originally priced at six shillings and sixpence.
This edition contains all previously published material, mainly sourced from The Collected Poems, Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog and A Prospect Of The Sea.
The Poems: Altarwise By Owl-Light / After The Funeral / Once It Was The Colour Of Saying / A Refusal To Mourn The Death, By Fire, Of A Child In London / Deaths And Entrances / In My Craft Or Sullen Art / Ceremony After A Fire Raid / Ballad Of The Long-Legged Bait / Fern Hill / Over Sir John's Hill / Poem On His Birthday.
The Stories: A Visit To Grandpa's / Extraordinary Little Cough / Where Tawe Flows / Who Do You Wish Was With Us?/ A Prospect Of The Sea.
The Broadcasts: Quite Early One Morning / A Visit To America.
'Miscellany Two' J.M. Dent & Sons Aldine Paperbacks, 1974
First published by J.M. Dent and Sons, Albemarle Street, London in 1966 and printed by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, this is a fourth impression copy of 'Miscellany Two', which was published in 1974.
This copy was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02049-8.
This edition contains all previously published material, mainly sourced from The Collected Poems, Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog and A Prospect Of The Sea.
The Poems: Altarwise By Owl-Light / After The Funeral / Once It Was The Colour Of Saying / A Refusal To Mourn The Death, By Fire, Of A Child In London / Deaths And Entrances / In My Craft Or Sullen Art / Ceremony After A Fire Raid / Ballad Of The Long-Legged Bait / Fern Hill / Over Sir John's Hill / Poem On His Birthday.
The Stories: A Visit To Grandpa's / Extraordinary Little Cough / Where Tawe Flows / Who Do You Wish Was With Us? / A Prospect Of The Sea.
The Broadcasts: Quite Early One Morning / A Visit To America.
First published by J.M. Dent and Sons, Albemarle Street, London in 1966 and printed by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, this is a fourth impression copy of 'Miscellany Two', which was published in 1974.
This copy was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02049-8.
This edition contains all previously published material, mainly sourced from The Collected Poems, Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog and A Prospect Of The Sea.
The Poems: Altarwise By Owl-Light / After The Funeral / Once It Was The Colour Of Saying / A Refusal To Mourn The Death, By Fire, Of A Child In London / Deaths And Entrances / In My Craft Or Sullen Art / Ceremony After A Fire Raid / Ballad Of The Long-Legged Bait / Fern Hill / Over Sir John's Hill / Poem On His Birthday.
The Stories: A Visit To Grandpa's / Extraordinary Little Cough / Where Tawe Flows / Who Do You Wish Was With Us? / A Prospect Of The Sea.
The Broadcasts: Quite Early One Morning / A Visit To America.
'Miscellany Two' J.M. Dent & Sons Everyman Paperbacks, 1980
A much later edition of 'Miscellany Two' published by J.M. Dent and Sons Limited as part of their 'Everyman' series of books. This edition was published in 1980 and was printed by Billing and Sons Limited based in London, Guildford, Oxford and Worcester.
This 1980 edition was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02049-8 and the cover design features the beautiful view from the Boathouse as captured by Brian Watkins.
This edition contains all previously published material, mainly sourced from The Collected Poems, Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog and A Prospect Of The Sea.
The Poems: Altarwise By Owl-Light / After The Funeral / Once It Was The Colour Of Saying / A Refusal To Mourn The Death, By Fire, Of A Child In London / Deaths And Entrances / In My Craft Or Sullen Art / Ceremony After A Fire Raid / Ballad Of The Long-Legged Bait / Fern Hill / Over Sir John's Hill / Poem On His Birthday.
The Stories: A Visit To Grandpa's / Extraordinary Little Cough / Where Tawe Flows / Who Do You Wish Was With Us? / A Prospect Of The Sea.
The Broadcasts: Quite Early One Morning / A Visit To America.
An extract from the publishers cover notes for this later edition reads;
"The second of three volumes displaying Dylan Thomas's extraordinary versatility in poetry and prose. Miscellany Two contains among its five representative short stories his funniest piece, 'A Visit To Grandpa's', one of the 'inimitables' which Emlyn Williams included in his Dylan Thomas recitals; breathing the very essence of comedy in every word, it never failed to induce gales of laughter among his audiences. Two of Thomas's most memorable broadcasts are also included."
A much later edition of 'Miscellany Two' published by J.M. Dent and Sons Limited as part of their 'Everyman' series of books. This edition was published in 1980 and was printed by Billing and Sons Limited based in London, Guildford, Oxford and Worcester.
This 1980 edition was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02049-8 and the cover design features the beautiful view from the Boathouse as captured by Brian Watkins.
This edition contains all previously published material, mainly sourced from The Collected Poems, Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog and A Prospect Of The Sea.
The Poems: Altarwise By Owl-Light / After The Funeral / Once It Was The Colour Of Saying / A Refusal To Mourn The Death, By Fire, Of A Child In London / Deaths And Entrances / In My Craft Or Sullen Art / Ceremony After A Fire Raid / Ballad Of The Long-Legged Bait / Fern Hill / Over Sir John's Hill / Poem On His Birthday.
The Stories: A Visit To Grandpa's / Extraordinary Little Cough / Where Tawe Flows / Who Do You Wish Was With Us? / A Prospect Of The Sea.
The Broadcasts: Quite Early One Morning / A Visit To America.
An extract from the publishers cover notes for this later edition reads;
"The second of three volumes displaying Dylan Thomas's extraordinary versatility in poetry and prose. Miscellany Two contains among its five representative short stories his funniest piece, 'A Visit To Grandpa's', one of the 'inimitables' which Emlyn Williams included in his Dylan Thomas recitals; breathing the very essence of comedy in every word, it never failed to induce gales of laughter among his audiences. Two of Thomas's most memorable broadcasts are also included."
'A Prospect Of The Sea' J.M. Dent & Sons Aldine Paperbacks First Edition, 1966
The first Aldine paperback publication of Dylan Thomas's collection of stories and prose writings published under the title of 'A Prospect Of The Sea'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, based at Aldine House, Bedford Street, London and was printed by the Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1966 and was edited by Dylan Thomas's great friend, Daniel Jones.
The publisher's notes for this paperback edition read,
"The material collected in this volume, which has been edited and arranged by Daniel Jones, was chosen by the author before his death in order to represent, in conjunction with the 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog'; such stories and essays as he wished to be preserved."
The first Aldine paperback publication of Dylan Thomas's collection of stories and prose writings published under the title of 'A Prospect Of The Sea'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, based at Aldine House, Bedford Street, London and was printed by the Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1966 and was edited by Dylan Thomas's great friend, Daniel Jones.
The publisher's notes for this paperback edition read,
"The material collected in this volume, which has been edited and arranged by Daniel Jones, was chosen by the author before his death in order to represent, in conjunction with the 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog'; such stories and essays as he wished to be preserved."
'The Collected Poems 1934-1952' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited Aldine Paperbacks Second Edition, 1972
An early paperback edition of 'The Collected Poems 1934-1952'.
The original paperback edition was published by J.M. Dent and Sons, then based in Bedford Street, The Strand, London and was printed by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1971. This copy is a second impression edition published in this format and with this particular cover design dating from 1972 and which was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02087-0.
In a review written by Philip Toynbee of The Observer contemporary to the time of the original publication of 'The Collected Poems' in 1952 he wrote;
"Seeing the scope and intensity of the total work, it need no longer be eccentric to claim that Thomas is the greatest living poet in the English language."
An early paperback edition of 'The Collected Poems 1934-1952'.
The original paperback edition was published by J.M. Dent and Sons, then based in Bedford Street, The Strand, London and was printed by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1971. This copy is a second impression edition published in this format and with this particular cover design dating from 1972 and which was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02087-0.
In a review written by Philip Toynbee of The Observer contemporary to the time of the original publication of 'The Collected Poems' in 1952 he wrote;
"Seeing the scope and intensity of the total work, it need no longer be eccentric to claim that Thomas is the greatest living poet in the English language."
'The Collected Poems 1934-1952' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited Everyman Paperbacks, 1980
A much later paperback edition of 'The Collected Poems 1934-1952'.
This edition was published by J.M. Dent and Sons, then based in Welbeck Street, London and was printed by Billings and Sons Limited, based in London and Guildford in 1980.
This edition was published as part of the J.M. Dent 'Everyman' series and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-01581-8.
The following extract of text is taken from the cover notes of this edition...
"Writing as long ago as 1936, Edith Sitwell said of Dylan Thomas; 'The work of this young man is on a huge scale both in theme and structurally, and the form of many of the poems is superb."
Dylan Thomas, one of the most controversial poets of the century is also one of the most widely discussed, dividing both critics and readers - 'The scoffers and the understanders' as Kenneth Hopkins puts it.
Dylan Thomas himself selected the contents of 'Collected Poems 1934 - 1952' and it contains, in his own words, 'most of the poems I have written and all, up to the present year (1952) that I wish to preserve.' He died, of course, in the following year."
A much later paperback edition of 'The Collected Poems 1934-1952'.
This edition was published by J.M. Dent and Sons, then based in Welbeck Street, London and was printed by Billings and Sons Limited, based in London and Guildford in 1980.
This edition was published as part of the J.M. Dent 'Everyman' series and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-01581-8.
The following extract of text is taken from the cover notes of this edition...
"Writing as long ago as 1936, Edith Sitwell said of Dylan Thomas; 'The work of this young man is on a huge scale both in theme and structurally, and the form of many of the poems is superb."
Dylan Thomas, one of the most controversial poets of the century is also one of the most widely discussed, dividing both critics and readers - 'The scoffers and the understanders' as Kenneth Hopkins puts it.
Dylan Thomas himself selected the contents of 'Collected Poems 1934 - 1952' and it contains, in his own words, 'most of the poems I have written and all, up to the present year (1952) that I wish to preserve.' He died, of course, in the following year."
'The Colour Of Saying' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited
Aldine Paperbacks, Second Impression, 1965
An early copy of the paperback edition of 'The Colour Of Saying', an anthology of verse spoken by Dylan Thomas during his lecture tours, which was originally published in this format in 1963. This copy is the second impression published in 1965 and was priced at the time of publication at six shillings.
This edition, edited by Ralph Maud and Aneirin Talfan Davies, was published by J.M. Dent and Sons, Bedford Street, The Strand, London, printed by Lowe and Brydone Limited, London and bound by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
Ralph Maud, in an extract of text taken from the introduction to this edition wrote;
"Testimony to Dylan Thomas's success as a reader of other men's poems abounds. This anthology has been compiled in the belief that the choice of poems, as well as the reader's performance, ensured that success."
The title of this anthology was taken from the following lines of the poem;
"Once it was the colour of saying, soaked my table the uglier side of the hill
With a capsized field where a school sat still...."
Aldine Paperbacks, Second Impression, 1965
An early copy of the paperback edition of 'The Colour Of Saying', an anthology of verse spoken by Dylan Thomas during his lecture tours, which was originally published in this format in 1963. This copy is the second impression published in 1965 and was priced at the time of publication at six shillings.
This edition, edited by Ralph Maud and Aneirin Talfan Davies, was published by J.M. Dent and Sons, Bedford Street, The Strand, London, printed by Lowe and Brydone Limited, London and bound by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
Ralph Maud, in an extract of text taken from the introduction to this edition wrote;
"Testimony to Dylan Thomas's success as a reader of other men's poems abounds. This anthology has been compiled in the belief that the choice of poems, as well as the reader's performance, ensured that success."
The title of this anthology was taken from the following lines of the poem;
"Once it was the colour of saying, soaked my table the uglier side of the hill
With a capsized field where a school sat still...."
'The Colour Of Saying' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited
Aldine Paperbacks, Third Impression, 1973
First published in 1963 by J.M. Dent and Sons, London, this copy of 'The Colour Of Saying' is the third reprint from 1973 of the collection of verse which was chosen and spoken by Dylan Thomas on his various lecture tours.
The poets chosen by Dylan Thomas to read and which are included in this volume feature such names as W. H. Auden, W. B. Yeats, Edith Sitwell, John Betjeman, Thomas Hardy, Wilfred Owen and Dylan Thomas's good friend, the Pennard Poet, Vernon Watkins.
This edition was printed by Lowe and Brydone Limited, at that time based in Thetford, Norfolk and was bound by the Aldine Press, Letchworth, Hertfordshire on behalf of J. M. Dent and Sons, Bedford Street, London.
Included in this edition is an introduction by Ralph Maud and Aneirin Talfan Davies.
This Aldine Paperback edition was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02042-0.
Aldine Paperbacks, Third Impression, 1973
First published in 1963 by J.M. Dent and Sons, London, this copy of 'The Colour Of Saying' is the third reprint from 1973 of the collection of verse which was chosen and spoken by Dylan Thomas on his various lecture tours.
The poets chosen by Dylan Thomas to read and which are included in this volume feature such names as W. H. Auden, W. B. Yeats, Edith Sitwell, John Betjeman, Thomas Hardy, Wilfred Owen and Dylan Thomas's good friend, the Pennard Poet, Vernon Watkins.
This edition was printed by Lowe and Brydone Limited, at that time based in Thetford, Norfolk and was bound by the Aldine Press, Letchworth, Hertfordshire on behalf of J. M. Dent and Sons, Bedford Street, London.
Included in this edition is an introduction by Ralph Maud and Aneirin Talfan Davies.
This Aldine Paperback edition was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02042-0.
John Malcolm Brinnin, 'Dylan Thomas In America' J. M. Dent & Sons, Aldine Paperbacks, Second Edition, 1971
Published by J. M. Dent and Sons as part of their Aldine paperbacks editions, this is a 1971 second edition, in this format, of the controversial publication of John Malcolm Brinnin's biography, 'Dylan Thomas In America'.
This edition was published without the photographic plates of Dylan Thomas which appeared in the first edition hardback copy published in 1956.
This later 1971 edition was printed by Latimer, Trend and Company based in Whitstable Kent on behalf of J. M. Dent and Sons.
Included in this paperback edition is Caitlin Thomas's vitriolic introduction, transcribed earlier on this page.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02052-8.
Peter Quennell of the Daily Mail wrote;
"Although the material is often comic, the ultimate effect is genuinely tragic. One does not like Thomas less for having read the book, one likes and admires him more."
Published by J. M. Dent and Sons as part of their Aldine paperbacks editions, this is a 1971 second edition, in this format, of the controversial publication of John Malcolm Brinnin's biography, 'Dylan Thomas In America'.
This edition was published without the photographic plates of Dylan Thomas which appeared in the first edition hardback copy published in 1956.
This later 1971 edition was printed by Latimer, Trend and Company based in Whitstable Kent on behalf of J. M. Dent and Sons.
Included in this paperback edition is Caitlin Thomas's vitriolic introduction, transcribed earlier on this page.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02052-8.
Peter Quennell of the Daily Mail wrote;
"Although the material is often comic, the ultimate effect is genuinely tragic. One does not like Thomas less for having read the book, one likes and admires him more."
Constantine FitzGibbon, 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas' J. M. Dent & Sons Limited The Aldine Press, First Edition, 1975
Originally published in 1965 by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, this is a first edition copy, published in paperback, of 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas' by Constantine FitzGibbon.
This edition was published by Aldine Paperbacks, a sub-division of J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Bedford Street, London.
This copy was printed at The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1975 and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02174-5.
This edition is illustrated with black and white photographs and, as in the original 1965 hardback edition, features a cover portrait of Dylan Thomas as painted by Augustus John.
W. R. Rodgers, writing in The Sunday Times, said of FitzGibbon's biography;
"This is a good book and a deeply concerned one, just, frank, easy, modest in approach, impeccably compassionate, uncompromisingly careful; and it gives a picture of the man that could not, within its limits and intention, be much bettered...It swings neither into denigration nor overpraise as it follows the roundabouts of Dylan's life, hopeful and hopeless by turns. It is eminently readable."
The Times Educational Supplement also noted that;
"Mr. FitzGibbon has written a moving and modest biography. He uses his acquaintance with the poet where it is directly relevant and does not assume that he was offered a unique insight into the character or the poetry. The book avoids the popular myth of the boozy, womanising poet; but it also avoids the debunking approach, and in fact surrounds its subject with an idiosyncratic aura of greatness."
Originally published in 1965 by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, this is a first edition copy, published in paperback, of 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas' by Constantine FitzGibbon.
This edition was published by Aldine Paperbacks, a sub-division of J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Bedford Street, London.
This copy was printed at The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1975 and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02174-5.
This edition is illustrated with black and white photographs and, as in the original 1965 hardback edition, features a cover portrait of Dylan Thomas as painted by Augustus John.
W. R. Rodgers, writing in The Sunday Times, said of FitzGibbon's biography;
"This is a good book and a deeply concerned one, just, frank, easy, modest in approach, impeccably compassionate, uncompromisingly careful; and it gives a picture of the man that could not, within its limits and intention, be much bettered...It swings neither into denigration nor overpraise as it follows the roundabouts of Dylan's life, hopeful and hopeless by turns. It is eminently readable."
The Times Educational Supplement also noted that;
"Mr. FitzGibbon has written a moving and modest biography. He uses his acquaintance with the poet where it is directly relevant and does not assume that he was offered a unique insight into the character or the poetry. The book avoids the popular myth of the boozy, womanising poet; but it also avoids the debunking approach, and in fact surrounds its subject with an idiosyncratic aura of greatness."
Constantine FitzGibbon, 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas'
Sphere Books, Second Paperback Edition, 1970
Published by Sphere Books of Gray's Inn Road, London and printed by Hazell, Watson
and Viney based in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, this is a 1970 imprint of Constantine FitzGibbon's acclaimed biography entitled, 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas', which was originally published by J. M. Dent in 1965.
The original price of this paperback edition on publication in 1970 was ten shillings.
Contemporary reviews for this Sphere Books edition read;
'Constantine FitzGibbon has succeeded in telling the hauntingly sad story with a remarkable balance of clear-sightedness and compassion, it is particularly valuable to have his childhood and early years so well documented." The Economist.
"The good taste and sober truth of this biography makes the legend of Dylan Thomas show all the brighter." The New Statesman.
"An excellent job, piloting the reader through a jungle of painful and sordid incidents with good nature, energy and knowledge." The Daily Telegraph.
Sphere Books, Second Paperback Edition, 1970
Published by Sphere Books of Gray's Inn Road, London and printed by Hazell, Watson
and Viney based in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, this is a 1970 imprint of Constantine FitzGibbon's acclaimed biography entitled, 'The Life Of Dylan Thomas', which was originally published by J. M. Dent in 1965.
The original price of this paperback edition on publication in 1970 was ten shillings.
Contemporary reviews for this Sphere Books edition read;
'Constantine FitzGibbon has succeeded in telling the hauntingly sad story with a remarkable balance of clear-sightedness and compassion, it is particularly valuable to have his childhood and early years so well documented." The Economist.
"The good taste and sober truth of this biography makes the legend of Dylan Thomas show all the brighter." The New Statesman.
"An excellent job, piloting the reader through a jungle of painful and sordid incidents with good nature, energy and knowledge." The Daily Telegraph.
Gwen Watkins, 'Dylan Thomas: Portrait of a Friend'
Y Lolfa Cyf, Signed Paperback Edition, 2005
A later, paperback edition of Gwen Watkins' wonderful memoir entitled, 'Dylan Thomas: Portrait of a Friend', reviewed by Dylan Thomas biographer Paul Ferris with the words;
"She looks at both men with angry candour that makes this by far the best personal memoir of Dylan Thomas in the fifty years after his death."
This edition was published and printed by Y Lolfa Cyf, based in Ceredigion, Wales in 2005 with the support of the Welsh Books Council and was issued with the ISBN 0-862243-780-6.
The publishers cover notes synopsis reads;
"Gwen Watkins, and her late husband, the poet Vernon Watkins, were among the few who could claim a close and lasting friendship with Dylan Thomas and Caitlin. In this book she candidly describes their turbulent and often frustrating relationship. The portrait of Dylan is sympathetic but unflattering, Dylan often needed mental and financial assistance - yet Vernon idolised him for his supreme poetic talent.
This moving description of an unequal friendship is complemented by a warm evocation of the 'Kardomah days' of bohemian cafe society in Swansea. this book is a must-read for all admirers of Dylan Thomas."
This paperback edition is illustrated with black and white photographs and includes an updated preface written by Gwen Watkins especially for this edition and a foreword written by Paul Ferris.
This copy has been personally signed to myself by the author, the lovely Gwen Watkins.
Used as a way of introduction by Gwen to this new edition of her memoir is a beautifully written preface in which she writes;
"I wrote this book fifteen years after the death of Vernon Watkins. My children had grown up, and I had had time to sort out the masses of papers he left and to separate from the main pile those which related to Dylan Thomas. It appeared to me that he had intended to write a book about his great friend and fellow-poet; and although that book would never be written, I thought that, by putting together some of Vernon's writings and my own recollections of Dylan with what I remembered of Vernon's conversations with him, I could make a book which would be of interest to any reader who wished to know more about the friendship of the two poets and about their poetry.
Most of the critics thought I was wrong. They thought a widow's reminiscences of her husband and his friend, however famous, would not be of great interest, and the book was tepidly reviewed, although not with the vituperation with which 'Dylan Thomas : Letters To Vernon Watkins' was received on its publication. No critic actually slated the book, and it sold slowly, until the edition was exhausted, by which time Dylan Thomas had become a world icon, and more and more books were being written about him, and, in consequence, both 'The Letters' and 'Portrait Of A Friend' became primary source books, since there was information in both books that could be found nowhere else. Now, copies can be found, only rarely, in the second-hand book market, and are fairly expensive. What luck it is for any author, to be able to rewrite a book written thirty years before; to correct all the errors that escaped the copy-editor; to show the critics who made unwarranted assumptions where they went wrong; and, best of all, to wipe out every half-baked assumption, every bit of coloured prose, every hypothesis now known to be mistaken; in short, to show that thirty years have made a difference in wisdom, judgement and style - what a gift! Thirty years must make a difference, mustn't they?
The best reason for re-issuing the book, however, is that no-one has ever written so well about Dylan Thomas as Vernon Watkins. The unsigned obituary he wrote for The Times is now rightly regarded as masterly, but, on every other subject to do with Dylan, he puts the case plainly and from his own intimate knowledge. For instance, who has ever so simply confuted the argument that Dylan's poetry was deliberately obscure? What Vernon said was, "Had he trusted obscurity he could have been much more obscure, and had he trusted the exploitation of language alone, the body of his finished poetry would have been much greater than it is."
On his broadcast talks; "Dylan Thomas, as a broadcaster, was unique. His place in sound radio was equivalent to Chaplin's place in the silent film. The depth and range of these talks is extraordinary, and extraordinary in its depth and subtle variation was the voice which gave them life."
On the behaviour which seemed at odds with his serious poetry; "He was a poet of tragic vision, but he was also a born clown, always falling naturally into situations which became ludicrous. Just as it is impossible to understand Lear without his Fool, it is impossible to have a clear picture of Dylan Thomas without the self-parody of 'Adventures In The Skin Trade.' His infectious humour deceived everyone but himself. The public figure and the lyric poet, whose work began and ended in the Garden of Eden, came to terms, terms which no critic or friend has the complete equipment to analyse."
All lovers of the truth about Dylan should be immensely grateful to the publisher who keeps writing of this stature in the public domain."
Y Lolfa Cyf, Signed Paperback Edition, 2005
A later, paperback edition of Gwen Watkins' wonderful memoir entitled, 'Dylan Thomas: Portrait of a Friend', reviewed by Dylan Thomas biographer Paul Ferris with the words;
"She looks at both men with angry candour that makes this by far the best personal memoir of Dylan Thomas in the fifty years after his death."
This edition was published and printed by Y Lolfa Cyf, based in Ceredigion, Wales in 2005 with the support of the Welsh Books Council and was issued with the ISBN 0-862243-780-6.
The publishers cover notes synopsis reads;
"Gwen Watkins, and her late husband, the poet Vernon Watkins, were among the few who could claim a close and lasting friendship with Dylan Thomas and Caitlin. In this book she candidly describes their turbulent and often frustrating relationship. The portrait of Dylan is sympathetic but unflattering, Dylan often needed mental and financial assistance - yet Vernon idolised him for his supreme poetic talent.
This moving description of an unequal friendship is complemented by a warm evocation of the 'Kardomah days' of bohemian cafe society in Swansea. this book is a must-read for all admirers of Dylan Thomas."
This paperback edition is illustrated with black and white photographs and includes an updated preface written by Gwen Watkins especially for this edition and a foreword written by Paul Ferris.
This copy has been personally signed to myself by the author, the lovely Gwen Watkins.
Used as a way of introduction by Gwen to this new edition of her memoir is a beautifully written preface in which she writes;
"I wrote this book fifteen years after the death of Vernon Watkins. My children had grown up, and I had had time to sort out the masses of papers he left and to separate from the main pile those which related to Dylan Thomas. It appeared to me that he had intended to write a book about his great friend and fellow-poet; and although that book would never be written, I thought that, by putting together some of Vernon's writings and my own recollections of Dylan with what I remembered of Vernon's conversations with him, I could make a book which would be of interest to any reader who wished to know more about the friendship of the two poets and about their poetry.
Most of the critics thought I was wrong. They thought a widow's reminiscences of her husband and his friend, however famous, would not be of great interest, and the book was tepidly reviewed, although not with the vituperation with which 'Dylan Thomas : Letters To Vernon Watkins' was received on its publication. No critic actually slated the book, and it sold slowly, until the edition was exhausted, by which time Dylan Thomas had become a world icon, and more and more books were being written about him, and, in consequence, both 'The Letters' and 'Portrait Of A Friend' became primary source books, since there was information in both books that could be found nowhere else. Now, copies can be found, only rarely, in the second-hand book market, and are fairly expensive. What luck it is for any author, to be able to rewrite a book written thirty years before; to correct all the errors that escaped the copy-editor; to show the critics who made unwarranted assumptions where they went wrong; and, best of all, to wipe out every half-baked assumption, every bit of coloured prose, every hypothesis now known to be mistaken; in short, to show that thirty years have made a difference in wisdom, judgement and style - what a gift! Thirty years must make a difference, mustn't they?
The best reason for re-issuing the book, however, is that no-one has ever written so well about Dylan Thomas as Vernon Watkins. The unsigned obituary he wrote for The Times is now rightly regarded as masterly, but, on every other subject to do with Dylan, he puts the case plainly and from his own intimate knowledge. For instance, who has ever so simply confuted the argument that Dylan's poetry was deliberately obscure? What Vernon said was, "Had he trusted obscurity he could have been much more obscure, and had he trusted the exploitation of language alone, the body of his finished poetry would have been much greater than it is."
On his broadcast talks; "Dylan Thomas, as a broadcaster, was unique. His place in sound radio was equivalent to Chaplin's place in the silent film. The depth and range of these talks is extraordinary, and extraordinary in its depth and subtle variation was the voice which gave them life."
On the behaviour which seemed at odds with his serious poetry; "He was a poet of tragic vision, but he was also a born clown, always falling naturally into situations which became ludicrous. Just as it is impossible to understand Lear without his Fool, it is impossible to have a clear picture of Dylan Thomas without the self-parody of 'Adventures In The Skin Trade.' His infectious humour deceived everyone but himself. The public figure and the lyric poet, whose work began and ended in the Garden of Eden, came to terms, terms which no critic or friend has the complete equipment to analyse."
All lovers of the truth about Dylan should be immensely grateful to the publisher who keeps writing of this stature in the public domain."
Vernon Watkins, 'Poems For Dylan' The Gomer Press,
First Edition, Signed by Gwen Watkins, 2003
A first edition copy, in this format, of the collection of poems which Vernon Watkins wrote in poignant tribute to his friend and fellow poet, Dylan Thomas.
This copy was published and printed by The Gomer Press, based in Llandysul, Ceredigion, Wales, in 2003 and issued with the ISBN 1-84323-236-7.
This lovely collection was published with the support of the Arts Council Of Wales and the poems contained within were compiled by Gwen Watkins with the assistance of Dylan Thomas expert and good friend of The Richard Burton Museum, Jeff Towns.
Also included in this edition is a copy of the moving obituary written by Vernon Watkins for Dylan Thomas which was first published in 'The Times' newspaper on November the 10th 1953 and a copy of the typed account of Vernon Watkins' first meeting with Dylan Thomas which took place in 1935.
The book also includes extensive notes and an afterword by Gwen Watkins herself.
The cover notes beautifully describe this moving collection;
"Dylan Thomas has been immortalized in many ways. But there can be few more sincere or poignant tributes than this collection of Vernon Watkins' poems to his all-too-mortal friend.
Theirs was amongst the most celebrated of literary friendships, one based on mutual admiration; but one also that meant so much more to one than the other. Cruelly so on occasions. Because for Watkins, it was a bond of affection that remained even after Thomas died in New York in November, 1953.
In their resonant grief these poems, newly collected by Gwen Watkins, will continue to remind us that...as Vernon Watkins wrote in his obituary of Dylan..."The true tragedy is that Dylan Thomas died. Everything else is secondary to that."
First Edition, Signed by Gwen Watkins, 2003
A first edition copy, in this format, of the collection of poems which Vernon Watkins wrote in poignant tribute to his friend and fellow poet, Dylan Thomas.
This copy was published and printed by The Gomer Press, based in Llandysul, Ceredigion, Wales, in 2003 and issued with the ISBN 1-84323-236-7.
This lovely collection was published with the support of the Arts Council Of Wales and the poems contained within were compiled by Gwen Watkins with the assistance of Dylan Thomas expert and good friend of The Richard Burton Museum, Jeff Towns.
Also included in this edition is a copy of the moving obituary written by Vernon Watkins for Dylan Thomas which was first published in 'The Times' newspaper on November the 10th 1953 and a copy of the typed account of Vernon Watkins' first meeting with Dylan Thomas which took place in 1935.
The book also includes extensive notes and an afterword by Gwen Watkins herself.
The cover notes beautifully describe this moving collection;
"Dylan Thomas has been immortalized in many ways. But there can be few more sincere or poignant tributes than this collection of Vernon Watkins' poems to his all-too-mortal friend.
Theirs was amongst the most celebrated of literary friendships, one based on mutual admiration; but one also that meant so much more to one than the other. Cruelly so on occasions. Because for Watkins, it was a bond of affection that remained even after Thomas died in New York in November, 1953.
In their resonant grief these poems, newly collected by Gwen Watkins, will continue to remind us that...as Vernon Watkins wrote in his obituary of Dylan..."The true tragedy is that Dylan Thomas died. Everything else is secondary to that."
This beautiful collection of Vernon Watkins' poetry, presented in such a wonderful format, has the delightful addition of having been personally signed and dedicated to myself by Gwen Watkins following a meeting with her on a beautiful summer afternoon in July, 2016.
Andrew Sinclair, 'Dylan The Bard - A Life of Dylan Thomas' Constable & Robinson Limited, First Edition Paperback, 1999
A first edition copy, published in paperback, of the Andrew Sinclair biography, 'Dylan The Bard'.
Originally published in hardback in 1999 by Constable and Company Limited, this edition was published in 2003 by Robinson, an imprint of Constable and Robinson and issued with the ISBN 1-84119-741-6.
This edition is illustrated with black and white photographs and features a cover design incorporating the famous portrait of a young Dylan Thomas by Alfred Janes.
The synopsis taken from the cover notes of this wonderfully written biography read;
"Fifty years after his death many consider Dylan Thomas to have been the best lyric poet of his age. Andrew Sinclair, in this masterly biography, explains how Thomas attracted a new mass audience, and discusses the influences on his work that stemmed from the divisions and tensions of the poet's Welsh heritage.
Sinclair captures the tragic and exuberant story of Thomas's personal life, his vision of Wales and the writing of his masterpiece, Under Milk Wood, the brawling and boozing in Fitzrovia during the 1930's and 40's, and the last American tour of the 50's, that ended with his death.
Keith Baxter of the Daily Telegraph wrote of Andrew Sinclair's biography;
"Mr. Sinclair writes beautifully and analyses the poet's development with clarity and humour"...
From a review by Sean MacMahon of The Irish Independent;
"Sinclair shares with his subject a lively, paronomastic prose style, and his account of an instinctively respectable psyche afflicted with the frightening gift of poetry makes fascinating and most enjoyable reading..."
Caitlin Thomas was to write to Andrew Sinclair and ask in relation to 'Dylan the Bard';
"You have picked the plums and touched the living quick of the Dylan situation with penetrating insight.. What baffles me is from whence first did your passion and understanding of your subject come?"
A first edition copy, published in paperback, of the Andrew Sinclair biography, 'Dylan The Bard'.
Originally published in hardback in 1999 by Constable and Company Limited, this edition was published in 2003 by Robinson, an imprint of Constable and Robinson and issued with the ISBN 1-84119-741-6.
This edition is illustrated with black and white photographs and features a cover design incorporating the famous portrait of a young Dylan Thomas by Alfred Janes.
The synopsis taken from the cover notes of this wonderfully written biography read;
"Fifty years after his death many consider Dylan Thomas to have been the best lyric poet of his age. Andrew Sinclair, in this masterly biography, explains how Thomas attracted a new mass audience, and discusses the influences on his work that stemmed from the divisions and tensions of the poet's Welsh heritage.
Sinclair captures the tragic and exuberant story of Thomas's personal life, his vision of Wales and the writing of his masterpiece, Under Milk Wood, the brawling and boozing in Fitzrovia during the 1930's and 40's, and the last American tour of the 50's, that ended with his death.
Keith Baxter of the Daily Telegraph wrote of Andrew Sinclair's biography;
"Mr. Sinclair writes beautifully and analyses the poet's development with clarity and humour"...
From a review by Sean MacMahon of The Irish Independent;
"Sinclair shares with his subject a lively, paronomastic prose style, and his account of an instinctively respectable psyche afflicted with the frightening gift of poetry makes fascinating and most enjoyable reading..."
Caitlin Thomas was to write to Andrew Sinclair and ask in relation to 'Dylan the Bard';
"You have picked the plums and touched the living quick of the Dylan situation with penetrating insight.. What baffles me is from whence first did your passion and understanding of your subject come?"
John Ackerman, 'Welsh Dylan' Granada Publishing Limited,
First Edition Paperback Edition, 1980
A first edition copy, published in paperback, of John Ackerman's incredibly well-written and researched book entitled, 'Welsh Dylan - Dylan Thomas's Life, Writing And His Wales'.
This paperback edition was published by Granada Publishing Limited based in Frogmore, St. Albans, Hertfordshire in 1980 and printed by Fletcher and Son Limited based in Norwich.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 0-58608350-2.
This copy is illustrated throughout with black and white photographs which feature Dylan Thomas and the landscapes, scenery and countryside of Wales which inspired him and his landscape poetry and prose.
The author, John Ackerman, wrote in the preface of this wonderful book;
"The twenty-five years that have passed since his death have seen the acceptance of Dylan Thomas as a major twentieth-century poet. Likewise, knowledge of the Welsh background is now a 'sine qua non' of serious Dylan Thomas criticism. inevitably, and I think properly, 'Welsh Dylan' has grown from my continuing work on the poet over these years, in books, articles and reviews. While 'Welsh Dylan' largely incorporates the view of the poet presented in 'Dylan Thomas - His Life and Work', particularly the importance of the Welsh background, it also draws on Thomas's letters and manuscript material, not available when I wrote my first book, to illuminate the poet's life and writing. Consequently, I have given some attention to the growth of the poet and the emergence of his unique style. Additionally, my recent research has clarified for me the fundamental role of nature in Thomas's work, and 'Welsh Dylan' explores this. It explores, too, the evidence of Thomas's development in new directions as poet and dramatist in his last years, throwing new light on 'Under Milk Wood' and the last poems. It is a view of Thomas contrary to the falsifying legend of failing inspiration. With the help of photographs and settings that inspired him and fruitfully directed his imagination, 'Welsh Dylan' follows the life of a lyric poet who celebrated the distinctive worlds of his childhood, adolescence and manhood with undiminished passion and energy. Finally, I have examined the problem of the lyric poet passionately learning to grow old. Throughout, my interest has not been to sensationalize the life, but to relate the man and the work. It is a continuing attempt to discover, and where possible to elucidate, his side of the truth."
The text of the publishers cover notes reads;
"One: I am a Welshman, two: I am a drunkard; three: I am a lover of the human race, especially of women."
So said Dylan Thomas, the man whose lyric poetry and spellbinding prose is renowned throughout the world, the exuberant Welsh genius who was by turns colourful, dramatic, unreliable, imaginative, drunk. Ackerman's penetrating study differs from other biographies in the author's attention to the poet's identity as Welshman - the distinct Welsh flavour of his Swansea stories, his Laugharne-charted poems, his vivid portraits of West Wales and the warm, gossiping Welsh life evoked in 'Under Milk Wood'. It was in Wales that he wrote most of his work and Wales was the background to his later and greatest poetry. Dylan's life and work are traced from early days in Swansea and heady, youthful confidence, to the hardship and vagaries of bohemian Chelsea, and finally his return to Wales and the last years spent in the little writer's shack perched by the sea at Laugharne. With the help of photographs of places and settings that inspired him, 'Welsh Dylan' splendidly recreates the life of this powerful poet and charming man."
The brief biography of John Ackerman which is included in this volume states that;
John Ackerman ('that brilliant commentator' wrote Andrew Sinclair) is a Welshman from Maesteg - a town ten miles or so to the east of Swansea, Thomas's birthplace. He thereby shares with the poet those literary, religious and social traditions which enable a Welshman to say of Dylan - after the briefest experience of his work - 'He is one of us'.
John Ackerman's earlier volume 'Dylan Thomas - His Life and Work' was widely and enthusiastically reviewed. The present work is a distillation of that book, with important new material on the poetry and Under Milk Wood and new photographs.
First Edition Paperback Edition, 1980
A first edition copy, published in paperback, of John Ackerman's incredibly well-written and researched book entitled, 'Welsh Dylan - Dylan Thomas's Life, Writing And His Wales'.
This paperback edition was published by Granada Publishing Limited based in Frogmore, St. Albans, Hertfordshire in 1980 and printed by Fletcher and Son Limited based in Norwich.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 0-58608350-2.
This copy is illustrated throughout with black and white photographs which feature Dylan Thomas and the landscapes, scenery and countryside of Wales which inspired him and his landscape poetry and prose.
The author, John Ackerman, wrote in the preface of this wonderful book;
"The twenty-five years that have passed since his death have seen the acceptance of Dylan Thomas as a major twentieth-century poet. Likewise, knowledge of the Welsh background is now a 'sine qua non' of serious Dylan Thomas criticism. inevitably, and I think properly, 'Welsh Dylan' has grown from my continuing work on the poet over these years, in books, articles and reviews. While 'Welsh Dylan' largely incorporates the view of the poet presented in 'Dylan Thomas - His Life and Work', particularly the importance of the Welsh background, it also draws on Thomas's letters and manuscript material, not available when I wrote my first book, to illuminate the poet's life and writing. Consequently, I have given some attention to the growth of the poet and the emergence of his unique style. Additionally, my recent research has clarified for me the fundamental role of nature in Thomas's work, and 'Welsh Dylan' explores this. It explores, too, the evidence of Thomas's development in new directions as poet and dramatist in his last years, throwing new light on 'Under Milk Wood' and the last poems. It is a view of Thomas contrary to the falsifying legend of failing inspiration. With the help of photographs and settings that inspired him and fruitfully directed his imagination, 'Welsh Dylan' follows the life of a lyric poet who celebrated the distinctive worlds of his childhood, adolescence and manhood with undiminished passion and energy. Finally, I have examined the problem of the lyric poet passionately learning to grow old. Throughout, my interest has not been to sensationalize the life, but to relate the man and the work. It is a continuing attempt to discover, and where possible to elucidate, his side of the truth."
The text of the publishers cover notes reads;
"One: I am a Welshman, two: I am a drunkard; three: I am a lover of the human race, especially of women."
So said Dylan Thomas, the man whose lyric poetry and spellbinding prose is renowned throughout the world, the exuberant Welsh genius who was by turns colourful, dramatic, unreliable, imaginative, drunk. Ackerman's penetrating study differs from other biographies in the author's attention to the poet's identity as Welshman - the distinct Welsh flavour of his Swansea stories, his Laugharne-charted poems, his vivid portraits of West Wales and the warm, gossiping Welsh life evoked in 'Under Milk Wood'. It was in Wales that he wrote most of his work and Wales was the background to his later and greatest poetry. Dylan's life and work are traced from early days in Swansea and heady, youthful confidence, to the hardship and vagaries of bohemian Chelsea, and finally his return to Wales and the last years spent in the little writer's shack perched by the sea at Laugharne. With the help of photographs of places and settings that inspired him, 'Welsh Dylan' splendidly recreates the life of this powerful poet and charming man."
The brief biography of John Ackerman which is included in this volume states that;
John Ackerman ('that brilliant commentator' wrote Andrew Sinclair) is a Welshman from Maesteg - a town ten miles or so to the east of Swansea, Thomas's birthplace. He thereby shares with the poet those literary, religious and social traditions which enable a Welshman to say of Dylan - after the briefest experience of his work - 'He is one of us'.
John Ackerman's earlier volume 'Dylan Thomas - His Life and Work' was widely and enthusiastically reviewed. The present work is a distillation of that book, with important new material on the poetry and Under Milk Wood and new photographs.
'Under Milk Wood' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, Aldine Press Paperback Edition, 1962
An early Aldine paperback edition of 'Under Milk Wood', this copy dating from 1962.
This edition was published by J.M. Dent and Sons Limited, Aldine House, Bedford Street, London and was printed by the Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
This is the first edition paperback copy of 'Under Milk Wood' using this format and cover design. the original price upon this edition's first publication was five shillings.
This edition was printed by The Aldine Press, a subsidiary company of J.M. Dent and Sons in 1962 and includes the preface originally written in 1954 by Daniel Jones.
In an extract taken from the cover notes, Richard Church writing poetically in 'John O' London' reviewed 'Under Milk Wood' with the words;
"It almost creates the very colours, the smells, the caresses of the air passing over the town under the invisible propulsion of the hours. This is quite magical, and will surely establish it as a masterpiece in it's own kind. Humour seeps through the images, earthy and ripe, as primitive as that in the medieval secular plays, as roseate as that in Chaucer's verse".
An early Aldine paperback edition of 'Under Milk Wood', this copy dating from 1962.
This edition was published by J.M. Dent and Sons Limited, Aldine House, Bedford Street, London and was printed by the Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
This is the first edition paperback copy of 'Under Milk Wood' using this format and cover design. the original price upon this edition's first publication was five shillings.
This edition was printed by The Aldine Press, a subsidiary company of J.M. Dent and Sons in 1962 and includes the preface originally written in 1954 by Daniel Jones.
In an extract taken from the cover notes, Richard Church writing poetically in 'John O' London' reviewed 'Under Milk Wood' with the words;
"It almost creates the very colours, the smells, the caresses of the air passing over the town under the invisible propulsion of the hours. This is quite magical, and will surely establish it as a masterpiece in it's own kind. Humour seeps through the images, earthy and ripe, as primitive as that in the medieval secular plays, as roseate as that in Chaucer's verse".
'Under Milk Wood' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, Aldine Paperback Edition, 1967
A later copy of the Aldine Press paperback edition of 'Under Milk Wood', which was published by J. M. Dent and Sons, Bedford Street, London and printed by The Aldine Press, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
Two editions of 'Under Milk Wood' in this format and design are held in the Richard Burton Museum collection, one dating from 1967 and another later edition from 1968.
The preface, as in earlier editions, was written by Daniel Jones in 1954.
The original price of this edition in 1967 and in 1968 was five shillings.
The only difference in both design and content to earlier editions is the Aldine Paperback banner on the front cover, which on these slightly later editions has changed from charcoal grey to white.
A contemporary review in 'The Listener' stated;
"The most enchanting and original work for broadcasting ever written".
The Times Literary Supplement went on to add;
"In it's proudly irresponsible gaiety, it's knowingness and tenderness and rich rhetoric, this play for voices is a fitting epitaph for a man who played in such a masterly way with words".
A later copy of the Aldine Press paperback edition of 'Under Milk Wood', which was published by J. M. Dent and Sons, Bedford Street, London and printed by The Aldine Press, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.
Two editions of 'Under Milk Wood' in this format and design are held in the Richard Burton Museum collection, one dating from 1967 and another later edition from 1968.
The preface, as in earlier editions, was written by Daniel Jones in 1954.
The original price of this edition in 1967 and in 1968 was five shillings.
The only difference in both design and content to earlier editions is the Aldine Paperback banner on the front cover, which on these slightly later editions has changed from charcoal grey to white.
A contemporary review in 'The Listener' stated;
"The most enchanting and original work for broadcasting ever written".
The Times Literary Supplement went on to add;
"In it's proudly irresponsible gaiety, it's knowingness and tenderness and rich rhetoric, this play for voices is a fitting epitaph for a man who played in such a masterly way with words".
'Under Milk Wood' J.M. Dent & Sons 'Everyman Series', 1979
This paperback copy of 'Under Milk Wood' was published by J.M. Dent and Sons Limited, Welbeck Street, London as part of their 'Everyman' series of books and was printed by C. Nicholls and Company Limited of the Philips Park Press based in Manchester.
This is a third edition copy, issued in this format, which was published in 1978.
This edition includes the original preface written by Dylan Thomas's friend Daniel Jones in January 1954 and also features an updated version, written twenty years later in the August of 1974.
This copy was published featuring a stunning cover design which incorporates a panoramic photograph of Dylan Thomas's home of Laugharne on the front and back cover, photographed by Brian Watkins
This copy was published in 1978 by J.M. Dent and Sons Limited and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-01006-9.
A further copy of this edition of 'Under Milk Wood' is held in the Richard Burton Museum collection, a later fourth edition copy from 1979, issued in the same format and with the same ISBN number.
This paperback copy of 'Under Milk Wood' was published by J.M. Dent and Sons Limited, Welbeck Street, London as part of their 'Everyman' series of books and was printed by C. Nicholls and Company Limited of the Philips Park Press based in Manchester.
This is a third edition copy, issued in this format, which was published in 1978.
This edition includes the original preface written by Dylan Thomas's friend Daniel Jones in January 1954 and also features an updated version, written twenty years later in the August of 1974.
This copy was published featuring a stunning cover design which incorporates a panoramic photograph of Dylan Thomas's home of Laugharne on the front and back cover, photographed by Brian Watkins
This copy was published in 1978 by J.M. Dent and Sons Limited and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-01006-9.
A further copy of this edition of 'Under Milk Wood' is held in the Richard Burton Museum collection, a later fourth edition copy from 1979, issued in the same format and with the same ISBN number.
'Under Milk Wood' The Aldine Press Paperback Edition, 1972
A paperback edition of 'Under Milk Wood' which was published especially to coincide with the 1972 Andrew Sinclair / Timon Films production of the film of the same name.
This edition was published by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire on behalf of J.M. Dent and Sons Limited, Bedford Street, London and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02005-6.
This copy was published featuring a film 'tie-in' cover photograph taken during the filming of the Timon Films production of 'Under Milk Wood' featuring Peter O' Toole in the role of Captain Cat and Elizabeth Taylor as Rosie Probert.
A paperback edition of 'Under Milk Wood' which was published especially to coincide with the 1972 Andrew Sinclair / Timon Films production of the film of the same name.
This edition was published by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire on behalf of J.M. Dent and Sons Limited, Bedford Street, London and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02005-6.
This copy was published featuring a film 'tie-in' cover photograph taken during the filming of the Timon Films production of 'Under Milk Wood' featuring Peter O' Toole in the role of Captain Cat and Elizabeth Taylor as Rosie Probert.
'Under Milk Wood' New Directions Paperback Edition, 1962
An American paperback edition of 'Under Milk Wood' which was published and printed by New Directions Books, based in New York, and published under the directorship of the publisher, James Laughlin.
This copy is the fifth edition copy to be issued in this format and was published in 1962.
This edition contains the full transcript of the play, and as in the original U.K. edition, a preface written by Daniel Jones, a full cast of characters, notes on pronunciation and the musical score for the songs.
The cover design for this American edition was created by artist Stefan Salter.
The in-depth cover notes written for this edition state;
" Here, in the masterpiece completed just before his death in 1953, Dylan Thomas gave fullest expression to his sense of the magnificent flavour and variety of life. a moving and hilarious account of a spring day in a small Welsh coast town, Under Milk Wood begins with dreams and ghosts before dawn, moves through the brilliant, noisy day of the townspeople and closes as the 'rain and dusk brings on the bawdy night." As Randall Jarrell has written; "It would be hard for any work of art to communicate more directly and funnily and lovingly what it is like to be alive."
Dylan Thomas called it "a play for voices", and although it was commissioned by the British Broadcasting Corporation it had its first performances in New York, a series of try-outs in 'concert' form, with Thomas directing and reading several parts. Enthusiastic audiences agreed with the critics, who called it 'probably the richest and certainly the earthiest theatre experience of the season' and 'a dazzling combination of poetic fireworks and music-hall humour'.
When it was finally broadcast on the B.B.C. Third Programme, The New Statesman and Nation wrote; "It is lyrical, impassioned and funny, an 'Our town' given universality; by comparison with anything broadcast for a long time, it exploded on the air like a bomb - but a life-giving bomb".
There are two different complete recordings of Under Milk Wood available, and the published text, so prepared by Thomas as to make particularly felicitous reading, has gone through several printings.
The stage production of Under Milk Wood, given as an experiment at the Edinburgh Festival, was brought to London where it was the surprise success of the season, and then to Broadway."
An American paperback edition of 'Under Milk Wood' which was published and printed by New Directions Books, based in New York, and published under the directorship of the publisher, James Laughlin.
This copy is the fifth edition copy to be issued in this format and was published in 1962.
This edition contains the full transcript of the play, and as in the original U.K. edition, a preface written by Daniel Jones, a full cast of characters, notes on pronunciation and the musical score for the songs.
The cover design for this American edition was created by artist Stefan Salter.
The in-depth cover notes written for this edition state;
" Here, in the masterpiece completed just before his death in 1953, Dylan Thomas gave fullest expression to his sense of the magnificent flavour and variety of life. a moving and hilarious account of a spring day in a small Welsh coast town, Under Milk Wood begins with dreams and ghosts before dawn, moves through the brilliant, noisy day of the townspeople and closes as the 'rain and dusk brings on the bawdy night." As Randall Jarrell has written; "It would be hard for any work of art to communicate more directly and funnily and lovingly what it is like to be alive."
Dylan Thomas called it "a play for voices", and although it was commissioned by the British Broadcasting Corporation it had its first performances in New York, a series of try-outs in 'concert' form, with Thomas directing and reading several parts. Enthusiastic audiences agreed with the critics, who called it 'probably the richest and certainly the earthiest theatre experience of the season' and 'a dazzling combination of poetic fireworks and music-hall humour'.
When it was finally broadcast on the B.B.C. Third Programme, The New Statesman and Nation wrote; "It is lyrical, impassioned and funny, an 'Our town' given universality; by comparison with anything broadcast for a long time, it exploded on the air like a bomb - but a life-giving bomb".
There are two different complete recordings of Under Milk Wood available, and the published text, so prepared by Thomas as to make particularly felicitous reading, has gone through several printings.
The stage production of Under Milk Wood, given as an experiment at the Edinburgh Festival, was brought to London where it was the surprise success of the season, and then to Broadway."
'Under Milk Wood' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited
Aldine Paperback Edition, 1971
A much later paperback edition of Dylan Thomas's 'Play for Voices', Under Milk Wood, which was published by Aldine Paperbacks, a division of J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Bedford Street, London and printed by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1971.
This copy was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02005-6.
This basic edition includes just the text for 'Under Milk Wood', and aside from the 1954 preface written by Daniel Jones contains no other notes, introductions or appendixes.
Aldine Paperback Edition, 1971
A much later paperback edition of Dylan Thomas's 'Play for Voices', Under Milk Wood, which was published by Aldine Paperbacks, a division of J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Bedford Street, London and printed by The Aldine Press based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire in 1971.
This copy was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02005-6.
This basic edition includes just the text for 'Under Milk Wood', and aside from the 1954 preface written by Daniel Jones contains no other notes, introductions or appendixes.
'Under Milk Wood' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited 'Everyman Classics' Edition,1988
Published by J.M. Dent and Sons, Clapham High Street, London as part of their 'Everyman Classics' series of paperback books and printed by The Guernsey Press Company Limited, based in the Channel Islands.
This later copy of Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood' was published in 1988 and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-11006-3.
This copy features the two prefaces written by Daniel Jones, written in 1954 and 1974 respectively, as well as the full cast list for the original 1954 B.B.C. recording featuring Richard Burton cast in the role of 'First Voice'.
The cover illustration which features on this edition was by artist Paul Cox.
The narrative is vigorous and rich, the dialogue sparkles, the songs are beautifully simple, the play overflows with the author's fecund vision of human experience compressed into, or pressed out of, the small Welsh seaside town of Llareggub. The play has been called poetry, but perhaps it is more fitting to think of it in Thomas's own words - "prose with blood - pressure".
Published by J.M. Dent and Sons, Clapham High Street, London as part of their 'Everyman Classics' series of paperback books and printed by The Guernsey Press Company Limited, based in the Channel Islands.
This later copy of Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood' was published in 1988 and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-11006-3.
This copy features the two prefaces written by Daniel Jones, written in 1954 and 1974 respectively, as well as the full cast list for the original 1954 B.B.C. recording featuring Richard Burton cast in the role of 'First Voice'.
The cover illustration which features on this edition was by artist Paul Cox.
The narrative is vigorous and rich, the dialogue sparkles, the songs are beautifully simple, the play overflows with the author's fecund vision of human experience compressed into, or pressed out of, the small Welsh seaside town of Llareggub. The play has been called poetry, but perhaps it is more fitting to think of it in Thomas's own words - "prose with blood - pressure".
'Under Milk Wood' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited 'Everyman Library' Edition, 1993
Published by J.M. Dent as a subsidiary company of the Orion Publishing Group, St. Martin's Lane, London as part of 'The Everyman Library' series, this is the 1993 paperback edition of Dylan Thomas's 'Play for Voices', Under Milk Wood.
This edition includes notes on the editor and author, a brief chronology, the two prefaces written by Daniel Jones in 1954 and 1974, notes on pronunciation and the full cast list from the 1954 B.B.C. recording.
This copy also features one of the series of famous images taken of Dylan Thomas during his American lecture tours, captured by photographer Rollie McKenna.
This J. M. Dent publication was issued with the ISBN 0-460-87320-2.
The cover notes to this edition read;
"Under Milk Wood, Dylan Thomas's last major work, was immortalised in its first broadcast by the B.B.C. in 1954 with a cast led by Richard Burton. It conjures up the dreams and daily business of an imagined Welsh seaside home.
Lust, fantasy and simple love of life create a modern pastoral. Blind, voyaging Captain Cat and his flawed fellow citizens wake from a rich dream-world and the postman. From the germ-free guesthouse to the ever-open 'Sailors Arms' Thomas brings to life the prudery and bawdiness of what he still chose to call this 'place of love'.
Published by J.M. Dent as a subsidiary company of the Orion Publishing Group, St. Martin's Lane, London as part of 'The Everyman Library' series, this is the 1993 paperback edition of Dylan Thomas's 'Play for Voices', Under Milk Wood.
This edition includes notes on the editor and author, a brief chronology, the two prefaces written by Daniel Jones in 1954 and 1974, notes on pronunciation and the full cast list from the 1954 B.B.C. recording.
This copy also features one of the series of famous images taken of Dylan Thomas during his American lecture tours, captured by photographer Rollie McKenna.
This J. M. Dent publication was issued with the ISBN 0-460-87320-2.
The cover notes to this edition read;
"Under Milk Wood, Dylan Thomas's last major work, was immortalised in its first broadcast by the B.B.C. in 1954 with a cast led by Richard Burton. It conjures up the dreams and daily business of an imagined Welsh seaside home.
Lust, fantasy and simple love of life create a modern pastoral. Blind, voyaging Captain Cat and his flawed fellow citizens wake from a rich dream-world and the postman. From the germ-free guesthouse to the ever-open 'Sailors Arms' Thomas brings to life the prudery and bawdiness of what he still chose to call this 'place of love'.
'Under Milk Wood' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited 'Everyman Series', 1999
Published as part of the 'Everyman Series' of publications this is the J.M. Dent and Sons paperback edition of 'Under Milk Wood - The Definitive Edition' which was published in 1999.
The publishers J. M. Dent and Sons, now part of the Orion Publishing Group were, at that time, based in Upper St. Martin's Lane, London.
This edition was printed by Clays Limited based in St. Ives and issued with the ISBN 0-75381-028-X.
The cover portrait is a detail from 'Abstract With Woman's Head' painted by Evan Walters, a portrait which is housed in the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea.
Included in this edition are notes on the author and editors, Ralph Maud and Walford Davies, a brief chronology, a detailed introduction and explanatory and textual notes.
In an extract from the cover notes, the publishers of this definitive edition explains that;
"In 1951, two years before his death at the age of thirty-nine, Dylan Thomas wrote of his plan to complete a radio play, 'an impression for voices, an entertainment out of the darkness, of the town I live in, and to write it simply and warmly and comically with lots of movement and varieties of moods, so that, at many levels...you come to know the town as an inhabitant of it'. The work was Under Milk Wood - an orchestration of voices, sights and sounds that conjure up the dreams and waking hours of an imagined Welsh seaside village within the cycle of one day.
Thomas's flawed villagers reveal a world of delight, gossip and regret, of varied and vivid humanity; a world that his classic 'play for voices' celebrates as 'this place of love".
Published as part of the 'Everyman Series' of publications this is the J.M. Dent and Sons paperback edition of 'Under Milk Wood - The Definitive Edition' which was published in 1999.
The publishers J. M. Dent and Sons, now part of the Orion Publishing Group were, at that time, based in Upper St. Martin's Lane, London.
This edition was printed by Clays Limited based in St. Ives and issued with the ISBN 0-75381-028-X.
The cover portrait is a detail from 'Abstract With Woman's Head' painted by Evan Walters, a portrait which is housed in the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea.
Included in this edition are notes on the author and editors, Ralph Maud and Walford Davies, a brief chronology, a detailed introduction and explanatory and textual notes.
In an extract from the cover notes, the publishers of this definitive edition explains that;
"In 1951, two years before his death at the age of thirty-nine, Dylan Thomas wrote of his plan to complete a radio play, 'an impression for voices, an entertainment out of the darkness, of the town I live in, and to write it simply and warmly and comically with lots of movement and varieties of moods, so that, at many levels...you come to know the town as an inhabitant of it'. The work was Under Milk Wood - an orchestration of voices, sights and sounds that conjure up the dreams and waking hours of an imagined Welsh seaside village within the cycle of one day.
Thomas's flawed villagers reveal a world of delight, gossip and regret, of varied and vivid humanity; a world that his classic 'play for voices' celebrates as 'this place of love".
'Under Milk Wood -The Definitive Edition' Phoenix Books, 2000
'The Definitive Edition' of Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood'.
This edition was published by Phoenix Books in 2000 and was issued with the ISBN 0-75381-049-2.
This edition contains a note on the author and editors, a brief chronology of Dylan Thomas's life, a detailed introduction and explanatory and textual notes.
This 2000 edition was printed and bound by The Guernsey Press Company Limited based in the Channel Islands.
Once again, the cover features a detail from the painting, 'Abstract With Woman's Head' by Evan Walters which is owned by the City and County of Swansea and the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery.
'The Definitive Edition' of Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood'.
This edition was published by Phoenix Books in 2000 and was issued with the ISBN 0-75381-049-2.
This edition contains a note on the author and editors, a brief chronology of Dylan Thomas's life, a detailed introduction and explanatory and textual notes.
This 2000 edition was printed and bound by The Guernsey Press Company Limited based in the Channel Islands.
Once again, the cover features a detail from the painting, 'Abstract With Woman's Head' by Evan Walters which is owned by the City and County of Swansea and the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery.
'Under Milk Wood' Penguin Modern Classics Edition, 2000
A modern paperback edition of Dylan Thomas's 'Play for Voices', Under Milk Wood.
This copy was published by Penguin Books Limited, The Strand, London in 2000 as part of their 'Modern Classics' series and was printed by Clays Limited, based in St. Ives and issued with the ISBN 978-0-140-18888-2.
This slim edition is edited, and has an introduction and notes, written by Walford Davies, and also includes a listing of chronological dates important in the life and history of Dylan Thomas.
Walford Davies was to state, regarding 'Under Milk Wood';
"It's great strength is the Chaucerian life and liveliness of it's characters..."
The synopsis, taken from extensive cover notes for this edition, read;
"As the inhabitants of Llareggub lie sleeping, their dreams and fantasies deliciously unfold. There is Captain Cat, surrounded by fish that 'nibble him down to his wishbone', Mog Edwards, 'a draper mad with love', for shy dressmaker Miss Price, Organ Morgan, listening to the music in Coronation Street with 'spouses...honking like geese and the babies singing opera', while at the sea-end of town, Mr. and Mrs. Floyd lie in their bed 'side by wrinkled side...like two old kippers in a box'. Waking up, their dreams turn to bustling activity as a new day begins.
In this classic modern pastoral, the 'dismays and rainbows' of the imagined seaside town became, within the circle of one day, 'a green-leaved sermon on the innocence of men'.
A modern paperback edition of Dylan Thomas's 'Play for Voices', Under Milk Wood.
This copy was published by Penguin Books Limited, The Strand, London in 2000 as part of their 'Modern Classics' series and was printed by Clays Limited, based in St. Ives and issued with the ISBN 978-0-140-18888-2.
This slim edition is edited, and has an introduction and notes, written by Walford Davies, and also includes a listing of chronological dates important in the life and history of Dylan Thomas.
Walford Davies was to state, regarding 'Under Milk Wood';
"It's great strength is the Chaucerian life and liveliness of it's characters..."
The synopsis, taken from extensive cover notes for this edition, read;
"As the inhabitants of Llareggub lie sleeping, their dreams and fantasies deliciously unfold. There is Captain Cat, surrounded by fish that 'nibble him down to his wishbone', Mog Edwards, 'a draper mad with love', for shy dressmaker Miss Price, Organ Morgan, listening to the music in Coronation Street with 'spouses...honking like geese and the babies singing opera', while at the sea-end of town, Mr. and Mrs. Floyd lie in their bed 'side by wrinkled side...like two old kippers in a box'. Waking up, their dreams turn to bustling activity as a new day begins.
In this classic modern pastoral, the 'dismays and rainbows' of the imagined seaside town became, within the circle of one day, 'a green-leaved sermon on the innocence of men'.
'Under Milk Wood' German Language Edition
An interesting little copy of Dylan Thomas's 'Play for Voices', Under Milk Wood.
This edition was published in Germany yet still retains Dylan Thomas's original English text of his famous 'Play For Voices'.
This edition was published by Reklams Universal Bibliothek GmBH based in Stuttgart and was issued with the ISBN 13-978-3-15009248-4.
This edition contains editorial notes, published in German, a chronology of Dylan Thomas's life and extensive interesting translations of the text from English to German.
An interesting little copy of Dylan Thomas's 'Play for Voices', Under Milk Wood.
This edition was published in Germany yet still retains Dylan Thomas's original English text of his famous 'Play For Voices'.
This edition was published by Reklams Universal Bibliothek GmBH based in Stuttgart and was issued with the ISBN 13-978-3-15009248-4.
This edition contains editorial notes, published in German, a chronology of Dylan Thomas's life and extensive interesting translations of the text from English to German.
'The Beach of Falesa' Panther Books, First Edition Paperback, 1966
Published by Panther Books, based in Brompton Road London, a division of Jonathan Cape Limited, London and printed by C. Nicholls and Company on behalf of The Philips Park Press, Manchester in April 1966, this is a first edition paperback copy of Dylan Thomas's screenplay for 'The Beach of Falesa', which was based on the short story by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Dylan Thomas worked on this screenplay throughout 1948 when he was employed by Gainsborough Pictures, but the idea of turning Dylan Thomas's screenplay into a film was eventually abandoned when it was decided it would prove too costly due to the setting of the narrative on a sun-drenched tropical paradise.
In the 1960's Richard Burton bought the rights to 'The Beach of Falesa' with the intention of collaborating with the writer Christopher Isherwood to work further on the script, but sadly this venture never came to fruition.
Taken from an extract of text from the cover notes, the publishers write;
"The Beach of Falesa is a story of elemental power, a drama-charged clash between opposing forces of good and evil...a sinister, spine-chilling tale of superstition, black-magic and evil. the setting is a South Sea Island, exotic and inviting, described with all the intoxicating richness of language that has made Dylan Thomas the most celebrated and popular poet of our age."
A contemporary review of this Panther Books edition of 'The Beach of Falesa' reads;
"The theme-drunken non-hero fighting ghosts and sleekly smiling villains on a South Seas Island - powerfully caught Thomas's imagination, and the result is a rich and violent piece of writing."
Published by Panther Books, based in Brompton Road London, a division of Jonathan Cape Limited, London and printed by C. Nicholls and Company on behalf of The Philips Park Press, Manchester in April 1966, this is a first edition paperback copy of Dylan Thomas's screenplay for 'The Beach of Falesa', which was based on the short story by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Dylan Thomas worked on this screenplay throughout 1948 when he was employed by Gainsborough Pictures, but the idea of turning Dylan Thomas's screenplay into a film was eventually abandoned when it was decided it would prove too costly due to the setting of the narrative on a sun-drenched tropical paradise.
In the 1960's Richard Burton bought the rights to 'The Beach of Falesa' with the intention of collaborating with the writer Christopher Isherwood to work further on the script, but sadly this venture never came to fruition.
Taken from an extract of text from the cover notes, the publishers write;
"The Beach of Falesa is a story of elemental power, a drama-charged clash between opposing forces of good and evil...a sinister, spine-chilling tale of superstition, black-magic and evil. the setting is a South Sea Island, exotic and inviting, described with all the intoxicating richness of language that has made Dylan Thomas the most celebrated and popular poet of our age."
A contemporary review of this Panther Books edition of 'The Beach of Falesa' reads;
"The theme-drunken non-hero fighting ghosts and sleekly smiling villains on a South Seas Island - powerfully caught Thomas's imagination, and the result is a rich and violent piece of writing."
Paul Ferris, 'Dylan Thomas' Penguin Books Paperback First Edition, 1978
An early paperback edition of the outstanding, in-depth Paul Ferris biography, which was simply entitled on it's initial release in 1977 as 'Dylan Thomas'.
Originally published in hardback in 1977 by Hodder and Stoughton, this is the first paperback edition which was published by Penguin Books and printed by Hazell Watson and Viney Limited based in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire in 1978.
This copy was issued with the ISBN 0-1400-4773-5 and features a cover portrait of the famous Augustus John painting of a young Dylan Thomas, the portrait which now hangs in the National Museum of Wales.
This edition is illustrated with the same black and white photographs as reproduced in the original 1977 edition.
George Gale, writing in The Spectator, stated that;
"Ferris's book is stamped with authority, and I shall be surprised if a better biography of anybody is produced this year, or of Dylan Thomas ever."
Kingsley Amis, in a review for 'The Observer', commenting on this paperback edition wrote; "A hilarious, shocking, sad story. Mr. Ferris has sifted through a great mass of material, written and oral, and assembled his findings with outstanding care and skill. This is a brilliant book".
An early paperback edition of the outstanding, in-depth Paul Ferris biography, which was simply entitled on it's initial release in 1977 as 'Dylan Thomas'.
Originally published in hardback in 1977 by Hodder and Stoughton, this is the first paperback edition which was published by Penguin Books and printed by Hazell Watson and Viney Limited based in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire in 1978.
This copy was issued with the ISBN 0-1400-4773-5 and features a cover portrait of the famous Augustus John painting of a young Dylan Thomas, the portrait which now hangs in the National Museum of Wales.
This edition is illustrated with the same black and white photographs as reproduced in the original 1977 edition.
George Gale, writing in The Spectator, stated that;
"Ferris's book is stamped with authority, and I shall be surprised if a better biography of anybody is produced this year, or of Dylan Thomas ever."
Kingsley Amis, in a review for 'The Observer', commenting on this paperback edition wrote; "A hilarious, shocking, sad story. Mr. Ferris has sifted through a great mass of material, written and oral, and assembled his findings with outstanding care and skill. This is a brilliant book".
Dylan Thomas and John Davenport, 'The Death Of The King's Canary' Penguin Books Limited, 1985
A later edition, published in paperback, of the Dylan Thomas and John Davenport collaboration entitled, 'The Death Of The King's Canary', which was described upon it's first publication as "uncharitable, scabrous, satirical and extraordinarily witty novel which kept a generation guessing".
This later paperback edition also includes the original introduction written by one of Dylan Thomas's first biographers, Constantine FitzGibbon.
This copy of 'The Death Of The King's Canary' was published by Penguin Books Limited, based in Harmondsworth, Middlesex and was printed and bound by Cox and Wyman, based in Reading, Berkshire in 1985.
This edition was issued by Penguin Books with the ISBN 0-14-004577-5.
Taken from the text of the cover notes from this later paperback edition, the publishers' synopsis reads;
"Hilary Byrd threw a wild party to celebrate his Poet Laureateship. The cast numbered every shade of human eccentricity, from a befuddled old duke to a dope-smoking butler. There were polite dwarfs, mincing poofs, hungry nymphomaniacs, a vodka-sodden Nobel Prize-winner; there were Henry Bartatt, the Yorkshire sculptor, and fretful Eric Wetley, dressed entirely in rubber.
In this harshly witty dunciad, Dylan Thomas and John Davenport collaborated to lampoon many of their most distinguished contemporaries, and T. S. Eliot, W. H. Auden, Stephen Spender, Augustus John, Henry Moore and many more are ruthlessly parodied, as well as the authors themselves.
But the book is also a surreal murder thriller...who killed 'The King's Canary?"
A later edition, published in paperback, of the Dylan Thomas and John Davenport collaboration entitled, 'The Death Of The King's Canary', which was described upon it's first publication as "uncharitable, scabrous, satirical and extraordinarily witty novel which kept a generation guessing".
This later paperback edition also includes the original introduction written by one of Dylan Thomas's first biographers, Constantine FitzGibbon.
This copy of 'The Death Of The King's Canary' was published by Penguin Books Limited, based in Harmondsworth, Middlesex and was printed and bound by Cox and Wyman, based in Reading, Berkshire in 1985.
This edition was issued by Penguin Books with the ISBN 0-14-004577-5.
Taken from the text of the cover notes from this later paperback edition, the publishers' synopsis reads;
"Hilary Byrd threw a wild party to celebrate his Poet Laureateship. The cast numbered every shade of human eccentricity, from a befuddled old duke to a dope-smoking butler. There were polite dwarfs, mincing poofs, hungry nymphomaniacs, a vodka-sodden Nobel Prize-winner; there were Henry Bartatt, the Yorkshire sculptor, and fretful Eric Wetley, dressed entirely in rubber.
In this harshly witty dunciad, Dylan Thomas and John Davenport collaborated to lampoon many of their most distinguished contemporaries, and T. S. Eliot, W. H. Auden, Stephen Spender, Augustus John, Henry Moore and many more are ruthlessly parodied, as well as the authors themselves.
But the book is also a surreal murder thriller...who killed 'The King's Canary?"
Jonathan Fryer, 'Dylan - The Nine Lives of Dylan Thomas'
Kyle Cathie Limited, First Edition Paperback, 1994
A paperback edition of the Jonathan Fryer biography entitled, 'Dylan - The Nine Lives of Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published by Kyle Cathie Limited, Hatherley Street, London and printed by Cox And Wyman Limited, based in Reading, Berkshire in 1994.
This is a first edition copy, in paperback format, and was issued upon first publication with the ISBN 1-85626-158-1.
This edition, as in the first edition hardback cover, is illustrated with six pages of black and white photographs.
An extract of text, taken from the cover notes, reads;
"Dylan Thomas is an extraordinary and contradictory subject. Indulgent friends would describe him as an eccentric whose defiance of social convention was a natural extension of his over-fertile imagination. Others were blunter, calling him a liar, a scrounger, a coward and a thief.
In this refreshingly honest biography, Jonathan Fryer draws on many new sources, including close friends and relatives, as well as the considerable amount of new material, such as letters and memoirs, that has come to light in the last fifteen years. His portrait highlights the complexities and paradoxes in Thomas's character, but also shows just what it was about the man that could inspire such devotion from his many loyal patrons and admirers."
Also featured in this paperback edition are extensive notes and a bibliography.
Jonathan Fryer is a British writer, broadcaster, lecturer and politician. As well as this well-researched, intimate and detailed portrait of Dylan Thomas he has also written biographies on the lives of Oscar Wilde, The Sitwells and Christopher Isherwood.
Dylan Thomas's daughter, Aeronwy Thomas, writing in the 'New Welsh Review', stated;
'I can recommended the book as readable and informative about the Soho and Fitzrovia pub world before and during the war, a main haunt for Dylan in the 1930's and 1940's'.
Kyle Cathie Limited, First Edition Paperback, 1994
A paperback edition of the Jonathan Fryer biography entitled, 'Dylan - The Nine Lives of Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published by Kyle Cathie Limited, Hatherley Street, London and printed by Cox And Wyman Limited, based in Reading, Berkshire in 1994.
This is a first edition copy, in paperback format, and was issued upon first publication with the ISBN 1-85626-158-1.
This edition, as in the first edition hardback cover, is illustrated with six pages of black and white photographs.
An extract of text, taken from the cover notes, reads;
"Dylan Thomas is an extraordinary and contradictory subject. Indulgent friends would describe him as an eccentric whose defiance of social convention was a natural extension of his over-fertile imagination. Others were blunter, calling him a liar, a scrounger, a coward and a thief.
In this refreshingly honest biography, Jonathan Fryer draws on many new sources, including close friends and relatives, as well as the considerable amount of new material, such as letters and memoirs, that has come to light in the last fifteen years. His portrait highlights the complexities and paradoxes in Thomas's character, but also shows just what it was about the man that could inspire such devotion from his many loyal patrons and admirers."
Also featured in this paperback edition are extensive notes and a bibliography.
Jonathan Fryer is a British writer, broadcaster, lecturer and politician. As well as this well-researched, intimate and detailed portrait of Dylan Thomas he has also written biographies on the lives of Oscar Wilde, The Sitwells and Christopher Isherwood.
Dylan Thomas's daughter, Aeronwy Thomas, writing in the 'New Welsh Review', stated;
'I can recommended the book as readable and informative about the Soho and Fitzrovia pub world before and during the war, a main haunt for Dylan in the 1930's and 1940's'.
T. H. White, 'Writers and Critics - Dylan Thomas'
Oliver & Boyd Limited, Second Edition, 1966
A second edition copy, in paperback, of the acclaimed 'Writers and Critics' series of books, published by Oliver and Boyd Limited, focusing on a study of Dylan Thomas's life and work written by literary critic T. H. Jones, himself a poet, who at one time was Lecturer of English at the University of New South Wales, Australia.
Originally published in 1963, this edition was published by Oliver and Boyd Limited, based in Edinburgh and was printed by Robert MacLehose and Company, Glasgow in 1966.
At the time of publication this edition was priced at seven shillings and sixpence.
This edition was edited by A. Norman Jeffares with the assistance of David Daiches and C.P. Snow, who was the husband of Dylan Thomas's first girlfriend in the 1930's, herself an aspiring poet, Pamela Hansford-Johnson.
In an extract from the introduction, C.P. Snow writes;
"The flamboyant life and early death of Dylan Thomas have resulted in the creation of a 'Thomas legend' which has done much harm to his reputation. In this affectionate and lively study, T.H. Jones claims that Thomas was, a good poet, the value of whose work has been obscured by sensationalism. He shows that Thomas, poet, dramatist, story-teller and broadcaster, was strongly influenced by his Anglo-Welsh background and owes much to its literary tradition. He adopts a serious critical approach to a serious and conscientious writer which will, it is hoped, help to put Dylan Thomas and his work in their proper perspective."
The Chief Editor for this 'Writers And Critics' series of books, as published by Oliver and Boyd Limited, was A. Norman Jeffares, assisted with advice from David Daiches and novelist and historian, C.P. Snow.
Oliver & Boyd Limited, Second Edition, 1966
A second edition copy, in paperback, of the acclaimed 'Writers and Critics' series of books, published by Oliver and Boyd Limited, focusing on a study of Dylan Thomas's life and work written by literary critic T. H. Jones, himself a poet, who at one time was Lecturer of English at the University of New South Wales, Australia.
Originally published in 1963, this edition was published by Oliver and Boyd Limited, based in Edinburgh and was printed by Robert MacLehose and Company, Glasgow in 1966.
At the time of publication this edition was priced at seven shillings and sixpence.
This edition was edited by A. Norman Jeffares with the assistance of David Daiches and C.P. Snow, who was the husband of Dylan Thomas's first girlfriend in the 1930's, herself an aspiring poet, Pamela Hansford-Johnson.
In an extract from the introduction, C.P. Snow writes;
"The flamboyant life and early death of Dylan Thomas have resulted in the creation of a 'Thomas legend' which has done much harm to his reputation. In this affectionate and lively study, T.H. Jones claims that Thomas was, a good poet, the value of whose work has been obscured by sensationalism. He shows that Thomas, poet, dramatist, story-teller and broadcaster, was strongly influenced by his Anglo-Welsh background and owes much to its literary tradition. He adopts a serious critical approach to a serious and conscientious writer which will, it is hoped, help to put Dylan Thomas and his work in their proper perspective."
The Chief Editor for this 'Writers And Critics' series of books, as published by Oliver and Boyd Limited, was A. Norman Jeffares, assisted with advice from David Daiches and novelist and historian, C.P. Snow.
Paul Ferris, 'Dylan Thomas - The Biography'
Phoenix / Orion Books, Second Impression, 2004
A second impression copy, published in paperback in 2004, of the revised edition of the original Paul Ferris 1977 biography simply entitled, 'Dylan Thomas'.
Originally published in hardback by Hodder And Stoughton in 1977, this revised edition dates from 2004 and was published in this format by Phoenix, an imprint of Orion Books Limited, based in St. Martin's Lane, London.
This edition was printed by Clays Limited, based in St. Ives.
This newly revised and updated edition includes the postscript, 'The Thomas Business' as well as a detailed appendix, notes and bibliography.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 0-75381-083-2 and is illustrated with the same black and white photographs which appeared in the original 1977 publication.
In an extract taken from the cover notes from this edition, the publishers write;
"Dylan Thomas's life and work have made him a legendary figure since he died, amid alcohol and debts, in New York at the age of thirty-nine. At the heart of his achievement are a few dozen poems and stories which, together with the romantic comedy 'Under Milk Wood' haunt the imagination and give his writing a broader appeal than he might have envisaged. Beyond his writing is the chequered figure of the poet himself: often comic, at times in despair, always self-obsessed, in the end defeated by his own nature.
Paul Ferris's classic biography looks in particular at Thomas's marriage to the fiery Caitlin, and finds in it the seeds of a fatal dependence."
The writer Laurie Lee, author of 'Cider With Rosie', reviewing this newly revised edition for The Daily Mail, wrote;
"Paul Ferris's 'Dylan Thomas' stands apart, and instantly impresses by its civilized tone and balance, by the range of its research and cool disentanglement of fact from legend."
Phoenix / Orion Books, Second Impression, 2004
A second impression copy, published in paperback in 2004, of the revised edition of the original Paul Ferris 1977 biography simply entitled, 'Dylan Thomas'.
Originally published in hardback by Hodder And Stoughton in 1977, this revised edition dates from 2004 and was published in this format by Phoenix, an imprint of Orion Books Limited, based in St. Martin's Lane, London.
This edition was printed by Clays Limited, based in St. Ives.
This newly revised and updated edition includes the postscript, 'The Thomas Business' as well as a detailed appendix, notes and bibliography.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 0-75381-083-2 and is illustrated with the same black and white photographs which appeared in the original 1977 publication.
In an extract taken from the cover notes from this edition, the publishers write;
"Dylan Thomas's life and work have made him a legendary figure since he died, amid alcohol and debts, in New York at the age of thirty-nine. At the heart of his achievement are a few dozen poems and stories which, together with the romantic comedy 'Under Milk Wood' haunt the imagination and give his writing a broader appeal than he might have envisaged. Beyond his writing is the chequered figure of the poet himself: often comic, at times in despair, always self-obsessed, in the end defeated by his own nature.
Paul Ferris's classic biography looks in particular at Thomas's marriage to the fiery Caitlin, and finds in it the seeds of a fatal dependence."
The writer Laurie Lee, author of 'Cider With Rosie', reviewing this newly revised edition for The Daily Mail, wrote;
"Paul Ferris's 'Dylan Thomas' stands apart, and instantly impresses by its civilized tone and balance, by the range of its research and cool disentanglement of fact from legend."
'Under Milk Wood' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited Everyman Edition, 1991
A paperback copy of the 'Everyman Edition' of Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons, based in Clapham High Street, London, as part of their 'Everyman's Library' series of books and printed by the Guernsey Press Company Limited in 1991.
This copy was published by J. M. Dent and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-87055-6.
As in other editions, this copy includes both prefaces written by Daniel Jones which were first published in 1954 and 1974 and the cast list from the first B.B.C. broadcast in 1954 with Richard Burton cast in the role of 'First Voice'.
The cover illustration for this edition was painted by Brian Horton and entitled 'Parrog', which translates to English as a coastal bank of pebbles and sand, and was used as a cover design for this edition courtesy of David Messum Fine Paintings, London.
A further edition of 'Under Milk Wood' published in this format and with this cover design is also held in the Richard Burton Museum collection, a later edition dating from 1992, which has also been issued with the ISBN 0-460-87055-6.
A paperback copy of the 'Everyman Edition' of Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons, based in Clapham High Street, London, as part of their 'Everyman's Library' series of books and printed by the Guernsey Press Company Limited in 1991.
This copy was published by J. M. Dent and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-87055-6.
As in other editions, this copy includes both prefaces written by Daniel Jones which were first published in 1954 and 1974 and the cast list from the first B.B.C. broadcast in 1954 with Richard Burton cast in the role of 'First Voice'.
The cover illustration for this edition was painted by Brian Horton and entitled 'Parrog', which translates to English as a coastal bank of pebbles and sand, and was used as a cover design for this edition courtesy of David Messum Fine Paintings, London.
A further edition of 'Under Milk Wood' published in this format and with this cover design is also held in the Richard Burton Museum collection, a later edition dating from 1992, which has also been issued with the ISBN 0-460-87055-6.
'Dylan Thomas - The Notebook Poems 1930 -1934'
J.M. Dent & Sons Limited Everyman's Library Series, 1990
The first paperback edition of Ralph Maud's detailed and excellently researched study entitled, 'Dylan Thomas -The Notebook Poems 1930-1934'.
This edition was published in 1990, the hardback edition having been published the year before in 1989, a copy of which is also held in the Richard Burton Museum collection.
This copy was published as part of the J. M. Dent and Sons Limited 'Everyman's Library' collection and was printed and bound by the Guernsey Press Company Limited, based in the Channel Islands.
As in the hardback copy, this edition features a facsimile of Dylan Thomas's handwritten poem 'The Force That Through The Green Fuse Drives The Flower' as well as an extensive introduction and detailed notes by Professor Ralph Maud.
John Ackerman wrote of this edition;
"These four Notebooks, the only survivors of what in 1933 the poet called the 'innumerable exercise books full of poems' are treasured indeed...This is the definitive edition of what Ralph Maud aptly calls the 'preparatory poetry' and for serious readers of Dylan Thomas is the necessary lead-in to Maud's and Walford Davies' definitive edition of the 'Collected Poems 1934-1953".
J.M. Dent & Sons Limited Everyman's Library Series, 1990
The first paperback edition of Ralph Maud's detailed and excellently researched study entitled, 'Dylan Thomas -The Notebook Poems 1930-1934'.
This edition was published in 1990, the hardback edition having been published the year before in 1989, a copy of which is also held in the Richard Burton Museum collection.
This copy was published as part of the J. M. Dent and Sons Limited 'Everyman's Library' collection and was printed and bound by the Guernsey Press Company Limited, based in the Channel Islands.
As in the hardback copy, this edition features a facsimile of Dylan Thomas's handwritten poem 'The Force That Through The Green Fuse Drives The Flower' as well as an extensive introduction and detailed notes by Professor Ralph Maud.
John Ackerman wrote of this edition;
"These four Notebooks, the only survivors of what in 1933 the poet called the 'innumerable exercise books full of poems' are treasured indeed...This is the definitive edition of what Ralph Maud aptly calls the 'preparatory poetry' and for serious readers of Dylan Thomas is the necessary lead-in to Maud's and Walford Davies' definitive edition of the 'Collected Poems 1934-1953".
'Dylan Thomas - The Collected Poems 1934 - 1953'
J.M. Dent & Sons Limited Everyman Series, 1990
Published by J. M. Dent as part of the 'Everyman' series, this is the 1992 edition of 'Collected Poems 1934-1953'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent, a subsidiary of the Orion Publishing Group, St Martin's Lane, London and was printed by The Guernsey Press Company Limited, based in the Channel Islands and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-87054-8.
This edition was edited by Professor Ralph Maud and Professor Walford Davies and features extensive notes on the poems and a facsimile of Dylan Thomas's draft for 'Prologue'.
The cover illustration for this edition is entitled 'The Mawddach Estuary' and was painted by Brian Horton.
John Ackerman's synopsis, written for the cover notes, reads;
"This edition of 'Collected Poems' provides the definitive edition, 'In Country Heaven' and 'Elegy' alone make this the necessary 'Collected Poems' for serious readers of Dylan Thomas's work. Nevertheless there are additional minor but vital revisions of the text of other poems, all lucidly explained. Readers and students of Thomas's poetry will be deeply indebted to the 'specifically enabling' notes - the editor's apt phrase - to individual poems; they are signposts to understanding, particularly of the occasionally still intractable verse. Likewise the illustrations uniquely illuminate the early poetry."
J.M. Dent & Sons Limited Everyman Series, 1990
Published by J. M. Dent as part of the 'Everyman' series, this is the 1992 edition of 'Collected Poems 1934-1953'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent, a subsidiary of the Orion Publishing Group, St Martin's Lane, London and was printed by The Guernsey Press Company Limited, based in the Channel Islands and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-87054-8.
This edition was edited by Professor Ralph Maud and Professor Walford Davies and features extensive notes on the poems and a facsimile of Dylan Thomas's draft for 'Prologue'.
The cover illustration for this edition is entitled 'The Mawddach Estuary' and was painted by Brian Horton.
John Ackerman's synopsis, written for the cover notes, reads;
"This edition of 'Collected Poems' provides the definitive edition, 'In Country Heaven' and 'Elegy' alone make this the necessary 'Collected Poems' for serious readers of Dylan Thomas's work. Nevertheless there are additional minor but vital revisions of the text of other poems, all lucidly explained. Readers and students of Thomas's poetry will be deeply indebted to the 'specifically enabling' notes - the editor's apt phrase - to individual poems; they are signposts to understanding, particularly of the occasionally still intractable verse. Likewise the illustrations uniquely illuminate the early poetry."
'Dylan Thomas - The Poems' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited Everyman Series, 1991
A definitive collection of Dylan Thomas's poems published as part of the 'Everyman' series of books and simply entitled, 'Dylan Thomas -The Poems'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Clapham High Street, London in 1991 and was printed by The Guernsey Press Company Limited, based in the Channel Islands.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 0-460-87057--2 and was edited and introduced by Daniel Jones, who also wrote extensive notes especially for this edition.
The cover illustration by Brian Horton entitled 'Corwen' appears courtesy of David Messum Fine Paintings, London.
The cover notes describe this edition with the words;
"This volume contains nearly two hundred poems, arranged chronologically, by the Welsh poet whose untimely death in 1953 robbed the world of a unique literary talent. It includes all the verse from the 'Collected Poems' 1934 -1952' together with over one hundred other poems previously either quite inaccessible or not easily accessible. In 1978 an example of Thomas's 'pub poetry' recently discovered by Wynford Vaughan
Thomas and never published in any anthology, was added. It is therefore the most representative collection of the poet's work available in one volume."
Martin Seymour-Smith reviewing this edition for 'The Scotsman' wrote..."A collection of the poems that is exceedingly valuable to us.. Dr. Jones's notes on the verse patterns is quite excellent..."
A definitive collection of Dylan Thomas's poems published as part of the 'Everyman' series of books and simply entitled, 'Dylan Thomas -The Poems'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, Clapham High Street, London in 1991 and was printed by The Guernsey Press Company Limited, based in the Channel Islands.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 0-460-87057--2 and was edited and introduced by Daniel Jones, who also wrote extensive notes especially for this edition.
The cover illustration by Brian Horton entitled 'Corwen' appears courtesy of David Messum Fine Paintings, London.
The cover notes describe this edition with the words;
"This volume contains nearly two hundred poems, arranged chronologically, by the Welsh poet whose untimely death in 1953 robbed the world of a unique literary talent. It includes all the verse from the 'Collected Poems' 1934 -1952' together with over one hundred other poems previously either quite inaccessible or not easily accessible. In 1978 an example of Thomas's 'pub poetry' recently discovered by Wynford Vaughan
Thomas and never published in any anthology, was added. It is therefore the most representative collection of the poet's work available in one volume."
Martin Seymour-Smith reviewing this edition for 'The Scotsman' wrote..."A collection of the poems that is exceedingly valuable to us.. Dr. Jones's notes on the verse patterns is quite excellent..."
'Dylan Thomas - The Loud Hill Of Wales - Poetry Of Place'
J.M. Dent & Sons Limited Everyman Series, 1991
First published as part of the J. M. Dent and Sons 'Everyman' series of books, this is a collection of Dylan Thomas's beautiful landscape poetry, selected and introduced by Walford Davies, Director of Extra-Mural Studies at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.
This copy was published in 1991 and was printed by the Guernsey Press Company Limited, based in the Channel Islands.
As well as Dylan Thomas's landscape poetry this edition also includes the short stories and broadcasts: 'Reminiscences of Childhood', 'Laugharne', 'The Orchards', 'The Enemies', 'A Prospect of the Sea', 'A Visit to Grandpa's', 'Who Do You Wish Was With Us?' 'The Crumbs of One Man's Year', and selections from 'Under Milk Wood'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, based in Clapham High Street, London and issued with the ISBN 0-460-87076-9.
The cover illustration by Brian Horton is entitled, 'Landscape Near Dolgelly' and was reproduced for this 'Everyman Series' cover by David Messum Fine Paintings, London.
The J. M. Dent cover notes describe this collection with the words;
"Dylan Thomas's crucial relationship to Wales, his intense 'sense of place' is manifested in his open admission that only in Wales was he able to write.
That relationship is fleshed out and illustrated in this new anthology.
Walford Davies has made a special selection from the full range of his poems, with the backing of some prose, illustrating the attractiveness and complexity of that relationship from the obscure teenager in the Swansea of the 1930's to the celebrated poet in Laugharne of the early 1950's. at the end of his still young life, the poet evoked by the anthology is one with a firm love for what he called 'the loud hill of Wales' and the surest instinct for what we can call the 'Poetry of Place'."
J.M. Dent & Sons Limited Everyman Series, 1991
First published as part of the J. M. Dent and Sons 'Everyman' series of books, this is a collection of Dylan Thomas's beautiful landscape poetry, selected and introduced by Walford Davies, Director of Extra-Mural Studies at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.
This copy was published in 1991 and was printed by the Guernsey Press Company Limited, based in the Channel Islands.
As well as Dylan Thomas's landscape poetry this edition also includes the short stories and broadcasts: 'Reminiscences of Childhood', 'Laugharne', 'The Orchards', 'The Enemies', 'A Prospect of the Sea', 'A Visit to Grandpa's', 'Who Do You Wish Was With Us?' 'The Crumbs of One Man's Year', and selections from 'Under Milk Wood'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, based in Clapham High Street, London and issued with the ISBN 0-460-87076-9.
The cover illustration by Brian Horton is entitled, 'Landscape Near Dolgelly' and was reproduced for this 'Everyman Series' cover by David Messum Fine Paintings, London.
The J. M. Dent cover notes describe this collection with the words;
"Dylan Thomas's crucial relationship to Wales, his intense 'sense of place' is manifested in his open admission that only in Wales was he able to write.
That relationship is fleshed out and illustrated in this new anthology.
Walford Davies has made a special selection from the full range of his poems, with the backing of some prose, illustrating the attractiveness and complexity of that relationship from the obscure teenager in the Swansea of the 1930's to the celebrated poet in Laugharne of the early 1950's. at the end of his still young life, the poet evoked by the anthology is one with a firm love for what he called 'the loud hill of Wales' and the surest instinct for what we can call the 'Poetry of Place'."
'Dylan Thomas - The Collected Poems 1934-1953'
Phoenix / Orion Books, 2000
First published, in this format, by J.M. Dent and Sons Limited, London in 1998, this is a copy of 'The Collected Poems 1934-1953', as published by Phoenix / Orion Books Limited, St. Martin's Lane, London.
This edition was printed in Great Britain by Clays Limited based in St. Ives in 2000 and issued with the ISBN 978-0-7538-1066-8.
Edited by Walford Davies and Professor Ralph Maud, this is the definitive collection of Dylan Thomas' s five volumes of poetry which include; '18 Poems', 'Twenty-Five Poems', 'The Map Of Love', 'Deaths and Entrances', and, 'In Country Sleep'.
Included in this edition is a detailed chronology of Dylan Thomas's life, a facsimile of the first two pages of 'Prologue', which Dylan Thomas wrote out for J. M. Dent in 1952 and extensive notes regarding each of the poems.
A further, later edition of 'Dylan Thomas - Collected Poems 1934-1953' is also held in the Richard Burton Museum collection. This later copy was published in 2003 and issued with the ISBN 0-75381-066-2.
Phoenix / Orion Books, 2000
First published, in this format, by J.M. Dent and Sons Limited, London in 1998, this is a copy of 'The Collected Poems 1934-1953', as published by Phoenix / Orion Books Limited, St. Martin's Lane, London.
This edition was printed in Great Britain by Clays Limited based in St. Ives in 2000 and issued with the ISBN 978-0-7538-1066-8.
Edited by Walford Davies and Professor Ralph Maud, this is the definitive collection of Dylan Thomas' s five volumes of poetry which include; '18 Poems', 'Twenty-Five Poems', 'The Map Of Love', 'Deaths and Entrances', and, 'In Country Sleep'.
Included in this edition is a detailed chronology of Dylan Thomas's life, a facsimile of the first two pages of 'Prologue', which Dylan Thomas wrote out for J. M. Dent in 1952 and extensive notes regarding each of the poems.
A further, later edition of 'Dylan Thomas - Collected Poems 1934-1953' is also held in the Richard Burton Museum collection. This later copy was published in 2003 and issued with the ISBN 0-75381-066-2.
'Dylan Thomas - Selected Poems' J.M. Dent & Sons Everyman Edition, 1993
Published by J. M. Dent, part of the Orion Publishing Group, St. Martin's Lane, London,
as a publication from their 'Everyman' series of books is this edition of 'Dylan Thomas - Selected Poems', published in 1993.
This edition was printed and bound by The Guernsey Press Company Limited, based in the Channel Islands, and issued with the ISBN 0-460-87298-2.
This copy was edited, and includes an introduction and detailed notes, by Walford Davies.
The cover was designed for this edition by The Tango Design Consultancy.
The cover notes read;
"Most notable for his verbal inventiveness, image-making power and almost pagan metaphysics, Dylan Thomas celebrated the glorious particulars of inner and outer landscapes in the face of weakness, mortality and decay.
Here, through seventy of his most memorable poems, his craftsmanship and relish for the spoken word communicate an exultant humanity.
This selection spans the controversial poet's writing lifetime - from his first collection, '18 Poems', published to instant acclaim at the age of twenty, to his last, unfinished poem about his father's death."
Published by J. M. Dent, part of the Orion Publishing Group, St. Martin's Lane, London,
as a publication from their 'Everyman' series of books is this edition of 'Dylan Thomas - Selected Poems', published in 1993.
This edition was printed and bound by The Guernsey Press Company Limited, based in the Channel Islands, and issued with the ISBN 0-460-87298-2.
This copy was edited, and includes an introduction and detailed notes, by Walford Davies.
The cover was designed for this edition by The Tango Design Consultancy.
The cover notes read;
"Most notable for his verbal inventiveness, image-making power and almost pagan metaphysics, Dylan Thomas celebrated the glorious particulars of inner and outer landscapes in the face of weakness, mortality and decay.
Here, through seventy of his most memorable poems, his craftsmanship and relish for the spoken word communicate an exultant humanity.
This selection spans the controversial poet's writing lifetime - from his first collection, '18 Poems', published to instant acclaim at the age of twenty, to his last, unfinished poem about his father's death."
'Dylan Thomas - The Collected Stories' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited Everyman Edition, 1984
First published, in this format, by J.M. Dent and Sons Limited, St. Martin's Lane, London in 1984, this is a later copy of the 1998 edition of the 'Everyman Library' edition of 'The Collected Stories'.
This copy was published by the Orion Publishing Group, a subsidiary company within J. M. Dent and Sons Limited.
This edition was printed by The Guernsey Press Company Limited, based in the Channel Islands, and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-87330-X.
This copy of 'The Collected Stories' presents the complete span of Dylan Thomas's work as a story writer, from his very early attempts at short stories and continuing through the years that gave the reader the collections entitled 'The Map Of Love', 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' and 'Adventures In The Skin Trade'.
Also included in this anthology are the pieces of writing Dylan Thomas wrote which were intended only for radio broadcast and publication in magazines such as; 'Quite Early One Morning', 'Return Journey' and 'A Child's Christmas In Wales'.
This volume was edited by Walford Davies of The University of Wales and introduced by Leslie Norris from the Brigham Young University, Utah.
Also included in this edition is a brief chronology of Dylan Thomas's life and work.
First published, in this format, by J.M. Dent and Sons Limited, St. Martin's Lane, London in 1984, this is a later copy of the 1998 edition of the 'Everyman Library' edition of 'The Collected Stories'.
This copy was published by the Orion Publishing Group, a subsidiary company within J. M. Dent and Sons Limited.
This edition was printed by The Guernsey Press Company Limited, based in the Channel Islands, and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-87330-X.
This copy of 'The Collected Stories' presents the complete span of Dylan Thomas's work as a story writer, from his very early attempts at short stories and continuing through the years that gave the reader the collections entitled 'The Map Of Love', 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' and 'Adventures In The Skin Trade'.
Also included in this anthology are the pieces of writing Dylan Thomas wrote which were intended only for radio broadcast and publication in magazines such as; 'Quite Early One Morning', 'Return Journey' and 'A Child's Christmas In Wales'.
This volume was edited by Walford Davies of The University of Wales and introduced by Leslie Norris from the Brigham Young University, Utah.
Also included in this edition is a brief chronology of Dylan Thomas's life and work.
'Dylan Thomas - The Poems' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited Everyman Classics Edition, 1988
A modern edition of a collection of selected poems by Dylan Thomas dating from 1988, which was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited as part of their 'Everyman Classics' series of books and which was printed by The Guernsey Press Company Limited based in the Channel Islands. This edition was issued with the ISBN 0-460-01299-1.
This copy of 'The Poems' includes a reprinting of the introduction written by Daniel Jones in 1970, who also edited this edition, as well as an appendix featuring early and unfinished poems, extensive notes and an index of titles and first lines.
The cover illustration for this collection was by the artist Paul Cox.
An extract from the cover notes reads as follows;
"This volume contains nearly two hundred poems, arranged chronologically, by the Welsh poet whose untimely death in 1953 robbed the world of a unique literary talent. It includes all the verse of 'The Collected Poems 1934-1952', together with over one hundred other poems previously either quite inaccessible or not easily accessible. In 1978 an example of Thomas's 'pub poetry', recently discovered by Wynford Vaughan Thomas and never published in any anthology, was added. It is therefore the most representative collection of the poet's work available in one volume".
A modern edition of a collection of selected poems by Dylan Thomas dating from 1988, which was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited as part of their 'Everyman Classics' series of books and which was printed by The Guernsey Press Company Limited based in the Channel Islands. This edition was issued with the ISBN 0-460-01299-1.
This copy of 'The Poems' includes a reprinting of the introduction written by Daniel Jones in 1970, who also edited this edition, as well as an appendix featuring early and unfinished poems, extensive notes and an index of titles and first lines.
The cover illustration for this collection was by the artist Paul Cox.
An extract from the cover notes reads as follows;
"This volume contains nearly two hundred poems, arranged chronologically, by the Welsh poet whose untimely death in 1953 robbed the world of a unique literary talent. It includes all the verse of 'The Collected Poems 1934-1952', together with over one hundred other poems previously either quite inaccessible or not easily accessible. In 1978 an example of Thomas's 'pub poetry', recently discovered by Wynford Vaughan Thomas and never published in any anthology, was added. It is therefore the most representative collection of the poet's work available in one volume".
'Dylan Thomas - The Collected Stories' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited Everyman Classics Paperback Edition, 1990
A modern copy of 'The Collected Stories', published as part of the J. M. Dent and Sons 'Everyman Classics' series of books.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, London and printed by The Guernsey Press Company Limited, based in the Channel Islands in 1990 and issued with the ISBN 0-460-02285-7.
The cover features an illustration by artist, Paul Cox.
This edition features a foreword by Welsh poet and writer Leslie Norris, himself a winner of the David Higham Prize for Fiction.
The Times Literary Supplement, in a contemporary review of this edition of 'The Collected Stories', wrote;
" It is his stories which serve as the surest guide to the development of one of the most remarkable writers of the present century."
A modern copy of 'The Collected Stories', published as part of the J. M. Dent and Sons 'Everyman Classics' series of books.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent and Sons Limited, London and printed by The Guernsey Press Company Limited, based in the Channel Islands in 1990 and issued with the ISBN 0-460-02285-7.
The cover features an illustration by artist, Paul Cox.
This edition features a foreword by Welsh poet and writer Leslie Norris, himself a winner of the David Higham Prize for Fiction.
The Times Literary Supplement, in a contemporary review of this edition of 'The Collected Stories', wrote;
" It is his stories which serve as the surest guide to the development of one of the most remarkable writers of the present century."
'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited Everyman Fiction Paperback Edition, 1983
A later copy of Dylan Thomas's delightful collection of short stories entitled 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog'.
This edition was published in 1983 by J.M. Dent and Sons Limited, Welbeck Street, London as part of their 'Everyman Fiction' series of paperbacks and was printed by The Guernsey Press Company Limited based in the Channel Islands.
This copy contains all the stories as published in the original 1940 J. M. Dent edition.
This 1983 edition was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02258-X with a cover illustration provided by artist Paul Cox.
The linear notes included for this issue describe this edition as;
"Dylan Thomas's classic evocation of his youth in suburban Swansea.
Here is Thomas as a schoolboy, fighting one moment, spouting precocious verses the next - Thomas the adolescent, coping with delicious giggling girls - Thomas the aspiring reporter, his determined sauvity slipping away with each pint of bitter. This is a lyrical, rumbustious self-portrait, its exuberance tempered by irony and Thomas's painful awareness of his separate, lonely destiny as a poet."
A later copy of Dylan Thomas's delightful collection of short stories entitled 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog'.
This edition was published in 1983 by J.M. Dent and Sons Limited, Welbeck Street, London as part of their 'Everyman Fiction' series of paperbacks and was printed by The Guernsey Press Company Limited based in the Channel Islands.
This copy contains all the stories as published in the original 1940 J. M. Dent edition.
This 1983 edition was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02258-X with a cover illustration provided by artist Paul Cox.
The linear notes included for this issue describe this edition as;
"Dylan Thomas's classic evocation of his youth in suburban Swansea.
Here is Thomas as a schoolboy, fighting one moment, spouting precocious verses the next - Thomas the adolescent, coping with delicious giggling girls - Thomas the aspiring reporter, his determined sauvity slipping away with each pint of bitter. This is a lyrical, rumbustious self-portrait, its exuberance tempered by irony and Thomas's painful awareness of his separate, lonely destiny as a poet."
'Dylan Thomas - Collected Stories' Phoenix Books Edition, 2000
A paperback copy of 'Dylan Thomas - The Collected Stories', an edition which was first published in this format in 2000 by Phoenix, an imprint of Orion Books, St. Martin's Lane, London which is a subsidiary company within J.M. Dent and Sons Limited and printed by The Guernsey Press Company Limited, based in the Channel Islands.
This edition of 'Collected Stories', contains all of Dylan Thomas's previously selected prose writings which were previously issued in the 'Everyman Library' anthology, edited by Ralph Maud and Walford Davies and which is featured above.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 0-75381-048-4.
This book presents the complete span of Thomas's stories, from his first urgent hallucinatory visions of the dark forces beneath the surface of Welsh life to the inimitable comedy of his later autobiographical writings.
With 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' and 'Adventures In The Skin Trade', Thomas found a new voice for his irreverent memories of lust and bravado in south-west Wales and London, leading to a sequence of classic evocations of childhood magic and the follies of adult life.
A paperback copy of 'Dylan Thomas - The Collected Stories', an edition which was first published in this format in 2000 by Phoenix, an imprint of Orion Books, St. Martin's Lane, London which is a subsidiary company within J.M. Dent and Sons Limited and printed by The Guernsey Press Company Limited, based in the Channel Islands.
This edition of 'Collected Stories', contains all of Dylan Thomas's previously selected prose writings which were previously issued in the 'Everyman Library' anthology, edited by Ralph Maud and Walford Davies and which is featured above.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 0-75381-048-4.
This book presents the complete span of Thomas's stories, from his first urgent hallucinatory visions of the dark forces beneath the surface of Welsh life to the inimitable comedy of his later autobiographical writings.
With 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog' and 'Adventures In The Skin Trade', Thomas found a new voice for his irreverent memories of lust and bravado in south-west Wales and London, leading to a sequence of classic evocations of childhood magic and the follies of adult life.
'A Child's Christmas In Wales' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited Paperback Edition, 1992
A later paperback edition of 'A Child's Christmas In Wales' published by J. M. Dent & Sons Limited and printed by Graficromo S.A. Spain in 1992.
This later edition was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02772-7 and is again illustrated with the beautiful paintings by Edward Ardizzone.
The cover notes for this edition read;
"Edward Ardizzone, the distinguished artist, has brilliantly illustrated the first picture book of 'A Child's Christmas In Wales' This magical account of Dylan Thomas's own childhood and of a Christmas Day in a small Welsh town has become a modern classic."
A later paperback edition of 'A Child's Christmas In Wales' published by J. M. Dent & Sons Limited and printed by Graficromo S.A. Spain in 1992.
This later edition was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02772-7 and is again illustrated with the beautiful paintings by Edward Ardizzone.
The cover notes for this edition read;
"Edward Ardizzone, the distinguished artist, has brilliantly illustrated the first picture book of 'A Child's Christmas In Wales' This magical account of Dylan Thomas's own childhood and of a Christmas Day in a small Welsh town has become a modern classic."
'The Love Letters of Dylan Thomas' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited First Edition, 2001
A first edition, published in hardback, of 'The Love Letters of Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent in association with Weidenfeld and Nicolson, a subsidiary company within the Orion Publishing Group Limited in 2001. This first edition copy was printed by Butler and Tanner Limited, based in Frome and London and was issued on black cloth boards with silver gilt lettering with the ISBN 0-46068-000-4.
This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket which incorporates an image of a young Dylan Thomas with his first girlfriend, Pamela Hansford-Johnson, photographed in the early 1930's at Caswell Bay overlaid with an image of the Boathouse overlooking the estuary at Laugharne.
The publishers cover notes to this first edition read;
"Dylan Thomas's letters to the many women in his life are among the most beautiful and lyrical he wrote. From Wales, from London, from New York, from wherever the poet's life took him, he wrote letters full of longing and separation. They are cajoling, apologetic, uninhibited, funny, tactical and loving.
This collection includes letters to Pamela, his first love, to Caitlin, his equally flamboyant wife, and to later loves, like Elizabeth Reitell, the woman who was with him on his last night.
Like most great letter-writers, Thomas had the gift of writing as if his correspondent stood in front of him. Sensual and earthy, like so much of his poetry, his letters were all designed to secure Thomas's place in his lover's heart and memory - the purpose of all true love letters."
A first edition, published in hardback, of 'The Love Letters of Dylan Thomas'.
This edition was published by J. M. Dent in association with Weidenfeld and Nicolson, a subsidiary company within the Orion Publishing Group Limited in 2001. This first edition copy was printed by Butler and Tanner Limited, based in Frome and London and was issued on black cloth boards with silver gilt lettering with the ISBN 0-46068-000-4.
This copy is complete with the original dust-jacket which incorporates an image of a young Dylan Thomas with his first girlfriend, Pamela Hansford-Johnson, photographed in the early 1930's at Caswell Bay overlaid with an image of the Boathouse overlooking the estuary at Laugharne.
The publishers cover notes to this first edition read;
"Dylan Thomas's letters to the many women in his life are among the most beautiful and lyrical he wrote. From Wales, from London, from New York, from wherever the poet's life took him, he wrote letters full of longing and separation. They are cajoling, apologetic, uninhibited, funny, tactical and loving.
This collection includes letters to Pamela, his first love, to Caitlin, his equally flamboyant wife, and to later loves, like Elizabeth Reitell, the woman who was with him on his last night.
Like most great letter-writers, Thomas had the gift of writing as if his correspondent stood in front of him. Sensual and earthy, like so much of his poetry, his letters were all designed to secure Thomas's place in his lover's heart and memory - the purpose of all true love letters."
'The Edge Of Love - The Love Letters of Dylan Thomas'
Phoenix Books, 2008
Published to coincide with the release of the John Maybury film, 'The Edge Of Love', this is the 2008 Phoenix paperback edition of 'The Love Letters of Dylan Thomas'.
This collection of letters had been previously published by J. M. Dent, St. Martin's Lane, London in 2001.
This later copy features a 'movie tie-in' cover as well as a foreword written, in verse, by film director John Maybury and includes interviews with the cast and crew of the Lionsgate film production of 'The Edge Of Love'.
This collection of Dylan Thomas's personal correspondence includes letters to his first girlfriend, Pamela Hansford-Johnson, his later girlfriend Wyn Henderson, his wife Caitlin and his American mistress Liz Reitell.
The cover notes to this edition state that;
"Dylan Thomas's letters to the many women in his life are among the most beautiful and lyrical he wrote, full of longing and separation. They are cajoling, apologetic, uninhibited, funny, tactical and loving.
This collection includes letters to his first love Pamela, his flamboyant wife Caitlin, and Elizabeth Reitell, who was with him on the night he died. Sensual and earthy, they were designed to secure Thomas's place in his lover's heart and memory.
Two great loves of Dylan's life - his wife Caitlin and his childhood sweetheart Vera Philips - provide the inspiration for 'The Edge Of Love', a beautifully drawn love story set in the bohemian underworld of war-torn London and Wales, where four lives are intertwined by broken promises, passion and betrayal."
Also included in this edition are a few interesting letters to his more famous female sponsors and patrons, which included Edith Sitwell, Ruth Wyn Owen and Margaret Taylor.
This edition was printed by Clays Limited based in St. Ives and issued with the ISBN 978-0-7538-2619-5.
Phoenix Books, 2008
Published to coincide with the release of the John Maybury film, 'The Edge Of Love', this is the 2008 Phoenix paperback edition of 'The Love Letters of Dylan Thomas'.
This collection of letters had been previously published by J. M. Dent, St. Martin's Lane, London in 2001.
This later copy features a 'movie tie-in' cover as well as a foreword written, in verse, by film director John Maybury and includes interviews with the cast and crew of the Lionsgate film production of 'The Edge Of Love'.
This collection of Dylan Thomas's personal correspondence includes letters to his first girlfriend, Pamela Hansford-Johnson, his later girlfriend Wyn Henderson, his wife Caitlin and his American mistress Liz Reitell.
The cover notes to this edition state that;
"Dylan Thomas's letters to the many women in his life are among the most beautiful and lyrical he wrote, full of longing and separation. They are cajoling, apologetic, uninhibited, funny, tactical and loving.
This collection includes letters to his first love Pamela, his flamboyant wife Caitlin, and Elizabeth Reitell, who was with him on the night he died. Sensual and earthy, they were designed to secure Thomas's place in his lover's heart and memory.
Two great loves of Dylan's life - his wife Caitlin and his childhood sweetheart Vera Philips - provide the inspiration for 'The Edge Of Love', a beautifully drawn love story set in the bohemian underworld of war-torn London and Wales, where four lives are intertwined by broken promises, passion and betrayal."
Also included in this edition are a few interesting letters to his more famous female sponsors and patrons, which included Edith Sitwell, Ruth Wyn Owen and Margaret Taylor.
This edition was printed by Clays Limited based in St. Ives and issued with the ISBN 978-0-7538-2619-5.
'Dylan Thomas - Selected Poems' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited Everyman's Poetry Edition, 1997
A first edition copy, in this format, of the 'Everyman's Poetry' edition of 'Dylan Thomas - Selected Poems'.
This later, modern edition was published by J. M. Dent, a subsidiary company within the Orion Publishing Group, St. Martin's Lane, London and printed and bound by Clays Limited of St. Ives in 1997 and issued with the ISBN 978-0-4608-7831-9.
This collection, selected and edited by Walford Davies, features notes on the author and editor, a chronology of Dylan Thomas's life and an introduction and extensive notes on the poems.
This edition features a stunning cover painting by artist Karin Littlewood.
A further copy of the 'Everyman's Poetry' edition of 'Dylan Thomas - Selected Poems' is held in the Richard Burton Museum collection. A later edition from 1998, issued in the same format and with the same contents and cover design issued with the ISBN 0-460-87831-X.
A first edition copy, in this format, of the 'Everyman's Poetry' edition of 'Dylan Thomas - Selected Poems'.
This later, modern edition was published by J. M. Dent, a subsidiary company within the Orion Publishing Group, St. Martin's Lane, London and printed and bound by Clays Limited of St. Ives in 1997 and issued with the ISBN 978-0-4608-7831-9.
This collection, selected and edited by Walford Davies, features notes on the author and editor, a chronology of Dylan Thomas's life and an introduction and extensive notes on the poems.
This edition features a stunning cover painting by artist Karin Littlewood.
A further copy of the 'Everyman's Poetry' edition of 'Dylan Thomas - Selected Poems' is held in the Richard Burton Museum collection. A later edition from 1998, issued in the same format and with the same contents and cover design issued with the ISBN 0-460-87831-X.
Rob Gittins, 'The Poet änd the Private Eye'
Y Lolfa Cyf First Edition Paperback, 2014
A highly entertaining, readable and gripping novel centered around Dylan Thomas's final days in New York entitled, 'The Poet and the Private Eye', which was written by Rob Gittins, author of the previous factual and in-depth biography, 'The Last Days Of Dylan Thomas'.
This is a first edition paperback copy which was published and printed by Y Lolfa Cyf, based in Talybont, Ceredigion with the support of Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru in 2014 and issued with the ISBN 978-1-84771-899-0.
Rob Gittins, explaining his book in the author's note, wrote;
"This book employs the form and techniques of a novel to tell a true story involving real people and real events.
All of the events depicted here actually happened. However, to shape these events into a fictional form, certain dramatic liberties have been taken; most specifically, events from four different American tours undertaken by the poet at the heart of this story have been amalgamated into just the one.
Various characters who, in actuality, feature at different times on those four tours, now feature on just this one tour also.
However, so far as the events involving those characters are concerned, nothing has been invented.
In contrast. little, if anything, is known about the other, major, real-life character in this story, the private eye. His character, background and history is, necessarily, entirely my invention."
Taken from an extract of the cover notes is a review by William Owen Roberts, himself a winner of the Wales Book Of The Year Award, which reads;
"A gripping story which takes a highly original look at the unravelling of Dylan Thomas's chaotic life and ultimate death. But central to the novel is the power of Dylan's poetry and how it's ultimately a force for hope, reconciliation and even redemption in the lives of people it touches".
Gwyneth Lewis, National Poet of Wales, 2005-6 concludes;
"Rob Gittins's charming half-factual evocation of Dylan Thomas's last days explains how poetry can both ruin and save your marriage, shorten your days and yet give others a future. This is an unusual account of why poetry comes to matter to a gumshoe and, by extension, ordinary people worldwide."
Y Lolfa Cyf First Edition Paperback, 2014
A highly entertaining, readable and gripping novel centered around Dylan Thomas's final days in New York entitled, 'The Poet and the Private Eye', which was written by Rob Gittins, author of the previous factual and in-depth biography, 'The Last Days Of Dylan Thomas'.
This is a first edition paperback copy which was published and printed by Y Lolfa Cyf, based in Talybont, Ceredigion with the support of Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru in 2014 and issued with the ISBN 978-1-84771-899-0.
Rob Gittins, explaining his book in the author's note, wrote;
"This book employs the form and techniques of a novel to tell a true story involving real people and real events.
All of the events depicted here actually happened. However, to shape these events into a fictional form, certain dramatic liberties have been taken; most specifically, events from four different American tours undertaken by the poet at the heart of this story have been amalgamated into just the one.
Various characters who, in actuality, feature at different times on those four tours, now feature on just this one tour also.
However, so far as the events involving those characters are concerned, nothing has been invented.
In contrast. little, if anything, is known about the other, major, real-life character in this story, the private eye. His character, background and history is, necessarily, entirely my invention."
Taken from an extract of the cover notes is a review by William Owen Roberts, himself a winner of the Wales Book Of The Year Award, which reads;
"A gripping story which takes a highly original look at the unravelling of Dylan Thomas's chaotic life and ultimate death. But central to the novel is the power of Dylan's poetry and how it's ultimately a force for hope, reconciliation and even redemption in the lives of people it touches".
Gwyneth Lewis, National Poet of Wales, 2005-6 concludes;
"Rob Gittins's charming half-factual evocation of Dylan Thomas's last days explains how poetry can both ruin and save your marriage, shorten your days and yet give others a future. This is an unusual account of why poetry comes to matter to a gumshoe and, by extension, ordinary people worldwide."
Peter Thabit Jones and Aeronwy Thomas, 'Dylan Thomas - Walking Tour of Greenwich Village' The Seventh Quarry Press First Edition Paperback, 2014
This wonderful guide-book of the Dylan Thomas related sites around Greenwich Village, New York, was conceived and written by Peter Thabit Jones alongside Dylan Thomas's daughter, Aeronwy Thomas in celebration of the Centenary of Dylan Thomas's birth in 2014.
Extremely fascinating and detailed, this delightful and informative book provides information regarding ten specific places of historic importance relating to Dylan Thomas's stays in the city on the four tours which he undertook from 1950 until the last fateful tour of 1953.
Featured along the walk are cafes and bars which Dylan Thomas was often known to frequent, most notably The White Horse Tavern, as well as a theatre, a church, the apartment of e.e. cummings and the hospital in which he died, St. Vincent's.
Lavishly illustrated with colour photographs, the book also includes rare drawings by both Dylan and Caitlin Thomas and an unpublished photograph of Dylan Thomas's death mask which was previously owned by the original sculptor, David Slivka.
This edition was published by The Seventh Quarry Press and Cross-Cultural Communications in 2014, the Centenary of Dylan Thomas's birth, and was printed by the Dinefwr Press, Carmarthenshire with the ISBN 978-089304-997-3.
This first edition of 'The Dylan Thomas Walking Tour Of Greenwich Village' has the delightful addition of having been personally signed by the co-author and poet, Peter Thabit Jones.
This wonderful guide-book of the Dylan Thomas related sites around Greenwich Village, New York, was conceived and written by Peter Thabit Jones alongside Dylan Thomas's daughter, Aeronwy Thomas in celebration of the Centenary of Dylan Thomas's birth in 2014.
Extremely fascinating and detailed, this delightful and informative book provides information regarding ten specific places of historic importance relating to Dylan Thomas's stays in the city on the four tours which he undertook from 1950 until the last fateful tour of 1953.
Featured along the walk are cafes and bars which Dylan Thomas was often known to frequent, most notably The White Horse Tavern, as well as a theatre, a church, the apartment of e.e. cummings and the hospital in which he died, St. Vincent's.
Lavishly illustrated with colour photographs, the book also includes rare drawings by both Dylan and Caitlin Thomas and an unpublished photograph of Dylan Thomas's death mask which was previously owned by the original sculptor, David Slivka.
This edition was published by The Seventh Quarry Press and Cross-Cultural Communications in 2014, the Centenary of Dylan Thomas's birth, and was printed by the Dinefwr Press, Carmarthenshire with the ISBN 978-089304-997-3.
This first edition of 'The Dylan Thomas Walking Tour Of Greenwich Village' has the delightful addition of having been personally signed by the co-author and poet, Peter Thabit Jones.
'Encounters With Dylan' Edited By Jon Gower
The H'mm Foundation, Swansea University Press First Edition, 2014
An anthology of essays, compiled and edited by Jon Gower, especially published in 2014, the centenary year of the birth of Dylan Thomas.
This delightful collection was published by the H'mm Foundation of Swansea University and printed by Gwasg Gomer, based in Llandysul, Wales.
Published on the centenary of Dylan Thomas's birth these essays examine Dylan Thomas's life and work from many different angles, confirming that the act of reading and considering his work anew continues to reap rewards.
Contributors to this fascinating volume include; Jeff Towns, George Tremlett, Dafydd Ellis-Thomas, Andrew Lycett and Guy Masterson.
The cover for this volume features the haunting and disturbing photograph of Dylan Thomas, captured by Rollie McKenna, taken at Millbrook, New York, in 1952.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 978-09927560-2-4.
The H'mm Foundation, Swansea University Press First Edition, 2014
An anthology of essays, compiled and edited by Jon Gower, especially published in 2014, the centenary year of the birth of Dylan Thomas.
This delightful collection was published by the H'mm Foundation of Swansea University and printed by Gwasg Gomer, based in Llandysul, Wales.
Published on the centenary of Dylan Thomas's birth these essays examine Dylan Thomas's life and work from many different angles, confirming that the act of reading and considering his work anew continues to reap rewards.
Contributors to this fascinating volume include; Jeff Towns, George Tremlett, Dafydd Ellis-Thomas, Andrew Lycett and Guy Masterson.
The cover for this volume features the haunting and disturbing photograph of Dylan Thomas, captured by Rollie McKenna, taken at Millbrook, New York, in 1952.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 978-09927560-2-4.
'Vernon Watkins on Dylan Thomas and other Poets and Poetry' Selected and Edited by Gwen Watkins and Jeff Towns
Parthian Books Signed Second Edition, 2015
Originally published in 2013, this is a second edition copy of, 'Vernon Watkins On Dylan Thomas And Other Poets And Poetry', a wonderful collection of pieces written by Vernon Watkins selected and compiled by Gwen Watkins and Jeff Towns.
This edition was published and printed by Parthian Books, based in Cardigan, with the support of the Welsh Books Council and the Rhys Davies Trust in 2015.
This edition was published by Parthian Books in 2015 and issued with the ISBN 978-1-909844-05-6.
Gwen Watkins wrote her own personal, beautiful and poignantly written afterword to this anthology of her late husband's words, which reads;
"Some years after Vernon's death, I was asked to read and discuss a selection of his poems to a Ladies' Literary Society. Afterwards, an old lady came up to me and said in a soft voice, 'But what was he like as a human being?'
I foresaw that this was going to take some time, so we sat on a bench (the meeting was, appropriately, in a chapel - the very chapel, in fact, where Dylan Thomas had spent so many Sunday afternoons, longing to be down on the Mumbles seashore) and I told the old lady that Vernon had been a devoted husband, a loving father who had played games with his children, helped them with their homework, read to them and been read to by them; that he worked in a very busy bank, in those days on Saturday mornings too, that he left home before 8.30 and was seldom back before 6 p.m. That he loved swimming, walking in Gower, catching prawns and lobsters and occasionally fish, that he was a passionate sportsman who played hockey and cricket and watched Glamorgan whenever they played at St. Helen's, that he had many friends whom he saw as often as he could and that he listened to a great deal of classical music.
'And you may not know,' I said, 'that he published, besides seven books of poems and a verse play, two books of translations, and many other translations from French, German, Italian, Spanish and indeed from Hungarian; also from Latin as well. I went on remorselessly, 'He taught in universities at Swansea and Seattle, and gave talks all over Britain, and in France and America.' 'My goodness,' said the old lady feebly. 'Yes, and after his death, we found piles and piles of papers, unfinished poems, and, surprisingly, quite a lot of prose articles.' 'Where there any stories?' she asked hopefully. 'No, indeed,' I said. 'They were all about poets, poetry and how to write poetry; and he seemed to know where poetry came from!' Like the Queen of Sheba, there was no spirit left in the old lady. 'My, my,' she murmured feebly; but then she came back with a saying which I have often thought about since. 'It seems as though,' she said, 'he must have been a lot different from all the rest of us.' Other people thought so, all his life. In the memorial volume published after his death, his close friend Michael Hamburger calls him 'one of the most admirable and lovable of men', and Hugo Williams, a much younger man with whom he once carried out a tour reading poems at different places along the route, was both amused and delighted by his 'kind and zany chivalry which made people love him'. At a grand tea, he would cheerfully offer round from a brown paper bag unshelled prawns which he had caught that morning, or with one prong of his silver cake-knife send fragments of meringue speeding to all corners of the room. Incidents such as these would have disconcerted a less humble man, but Vernon accepted them as part of his life. What he could never accept was his complete inability to perform simple practical actions such as mending a fuse, putting a fan-belt on a vacuum cleaner, removing screws from any small object without instantly losing them.
These failures would drive him into acts of furious rage such as upending and violently shaking a grandmother clock to make it chime, or battering to death an oil-stove from which he had failed to remove a worn-out wick. With infinite patience he would wait months or even years for a poem to be perfect, but he could never wait three minutes for a bus to arrive, or a train to start.
What powered, drove and exalted him, what was 'Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart,' as Wordsworth put it, was poetry; his own and that of other poets. It gave him almost the same sense of satisfaction to discover a fine poem by an unknown writer as to complete a poem of his own; as for the great poets of Britain, France and Germany they were like breathing to him. I never mentioned or quoted a poet whom he did not know and whom he could not quote from; but he did not care for anthologies. He felt that one should devote one's whole attention to the work of one poet at a time without being distracted by the work of another. He believed that all great art was dictated or suggested by higher powers (or Powers) than those of humanity; and since he was mainly a lyric poet, the immortal with whom he had the most dealings with was the Muse of Lyric verse.
Poets through the ages, from Virgil to Milton have believed in and evoked the favour of the Muses. Milton said that in old age he could command the Muse to do whatever he wanted. Vernon was not so fortunate; he found his particular Lady difficult to deal with. Sometimes her communications would sound like a very faint telephone call, with many lines or words inaudible, so that the poet had to labour to find the missing words - and only the right words would do. Sometimes she would neglect him for weeks or months at a time, sometimes require his attention when he was particularly busy.. There seemed no way to ensure her undivided attention. 'It's the emotions of girls that I simply don't understand', he grumbled to Philip Larkin; and as he aged he gave up trying to understand this particular Girl, but simply acquiesced in her erratic behaviour. If she neglected him; he turned to translation or comic verse; if he was too busy to attend to her demands, she simply had to wait.
Vernon Watkins wrote more about poets and about the writing of poetry than any other poet before or after Wordsworth. his book 'Affinities' consists almost entirely of poems on these subjects. He thought that Dylan Thomas and he would live into old age, their poems 'moving', he said, 'like Swedenborg's angels, towards the dayspring of their youth.' It was not to be. Neither poet lived into old age. Dylan Thomas wrote in 1951 'the joy and function of poetry is, and was, the celebration of man, which is also the celebration of God.' I think Vernon Watkins would have agreed; except that he might have said, 'the joy and function of poetry is, and was, the celebration of God, which is also the celebration of man.'
Dylan Thomas himself said of his friend Vernon Watkins;
"He is one of the few poets I know, intensely occupied with his craft...I think him to be the most profound and greatly accomplished Welshman writing poems in English."
The publishers' cover notes describe this delightful book with the following synopsis;
"Vernon Watkins was one of the outstanding Welsh poets of the twentieth century. He was also an original thinker and theorist on the art and nature of poetry.
This collection of previously unpublished work further reveals him as a wise, sensitive and perceptive critic.
The edited selection of his prose writing has been sourced from his personal papers and it seeks to reflect Watkins' central interests and includes a substantial body of work devoted to his great friend Dylan Thomas."
This marvellous book also has the wonderful addition of the inclusion of a stirring foreword written by Dr. Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury and Baron Williams of Oystermouth, which reads;
"Vernon Watkins is very slowly finding his place as a poet of serious attention. His former strictness as a writer, combined with the metaphysical complexity of some of his work has made readers over the last forty years or so unduly cautious and too easily discouraged. But the intensity of the best poems, their sheer disciplined intricacy as well as their metaphorical freshness, have begun to find a new public. In recent months, I was delighted that a reading of some of Watkin's poems to a student audience provoked enthusiasm and some astonishment; why hadn't they heard about him? Where could they read more?
But to develop acquaintance with and appreciation of Watkins, one has to give at least a little thought of what we expect poetry to be. Watkins was sparing in his theoretical observations on this subject, and would never have thought himself as a critic. But he did, in letters, brief essays and occasional talks, set out something of a general or theoretical approach, and the pieces collected here allow us to see something of what he thought his business as a poet really was. Predictably, he warns against assuming that there is one and only one 'natural' voice for poetry overall or for any one poet in particular. It takes time and experience to discover a voice; no serious poet's idiom is just 'natural' speech, whatever a hasty reading of the preface to the 'Lyrical Ballads' might suggest. Any poetic form is a thing discovered, laboured for, devised; not 'artificial' in the derogatory sense, but a work of artifice certainly. Finding how to be natural is, after all, a lifetime's ascetic work for human beings.
Such achieved naturalness comes in response to that 'second pressure' in poetry which denies us the use of the obvious things we are good at, moves us away from the fluency of a half-talent, requires us to invent a new language or register. This may be more or less obviously formal, more or less traditional, but what distinguishes it is that it has come out of a moment of abandoning the surface skills with begin with, however spectacular. In these reflections, Watkins points again and again to the ways poets reinvent their own voices. We see how even Dylan Thomas (for many people an example of just that unreflective fluency Watkins challenges) is driven to move away from an idiom in both prose and poetry that depends unfairly on musicality and suggestive lyrical vagueness. And Yeats, of course, stands as the cardinal example of how to respond to the 'second pressure'.
Only a poetry schooled in this process of abandonment can escape the doom of being timebound. With sublimely unfashionable confidence, Watkins appeals to the 'eternal' that is coded in a poem; meaning not a poem's capacity to convey unspecific gusts of inspiration but its freedom to break into the conventional understanding of both its own era and others and enlarge the world of successive generations. Which is why, in perhaps his best known aphorism, Watkins identifies reputation as the real enemy of poetry.
These all too brief fragments and essays will prompt many to look again at Watkins' large and impressive body of work with new eyes, and, I hope stimulate new questions and new kind of attention for the poetic work of many others."
Parthian Books Signed Second Edition, 2015
Originally published in 2013, this is a second edition copy of, 'Vernon Watkins On Dylan Thomas And Other Poets And Poetry', a wonderful collection of pieces written by Vernon Watkins selected and compiled by Gwen Watkins and Jeff Towns.
This edition was published and printed by Parthian Books, based in Cardigan, with the support of the Welsh Books Council and the Rhys Davies Trust in 2015.
This edition was published by Parthian Books in 2015 and issued with the ISBN 978-1-909844-05-6.
Gwen Watkins wrote her own personal, beautiful and poignantly written afterword to this anthology of her late husband's words, which reads;
"Some years after Vernon's death, I was asked to read and discuss a selection of his poems to a Ladies' Literary Society. Afterwards, an old lady came up to me and said in a soft voice, 'But what was he like as a human being?'
I foresaw that this was going to take some time, so we sat on a bench (the meeting was, appropriately, in a chapel - the very chapel, in fact, where Dylan Thomas had spent so many Sunday afternoons, longing to be down on the Mumbles seashore) and I told the old lady that Vernon had been a devoted husband, a loving father who had played games with his children, helped them with their homework, read to them and been read to by them; that he worked in a very busy bank, in those days on Saturday mornings too, that he left home before 8.30 and was seldom back before 6 p.m. That he loved swimming, walking in Gower, catching prawns and lobsters and occasionally fish, that he was a passionate sportsman who played hockey and cricket and watched Glamorgan whenever they played at St. Helen's, that he had many friends whom he saw as often as he could and that he listened to a great deal of classical music.
'And you may not know,' I said, 'that he published, besides seven books of poems and a verse play, two books of translations, and many other translations from French, German, Italian, Spanish and indeed from Hungarian; also from Latin as well. I went on remorselessly, 'He taught in universities at Swansea and Seattle, and gave talks all over Britain, and in France and America.' 'My goodness,' said the old lady feebly. 'Yes, and after his death, we found piles and piles of papers, unfinished poems, and, surprisingly, quite a lot of prose articles.' 'Where there any stories?' she asked hopefully. 'No, indeed,' I said. 'They were all about poets, poetry and how to write poetry; and he seemed to know where poetry came from!' Like the Queen of Sheba, there was no spirit left in the old lady. 'My, my,' she murmured feebly; but then she came back with a saying which I have often thought about since. 'It seems as though,' she said, 'he must have been a lot different from all the rest of us.' Other people thought so, all his life. In the memorial volume published after his death, his close friend Michael Hamburger calls him 'one of the most admirable and lovable of men', and Hugo Williams, a much younger man with whom he once carried out a tour reading poems at different places along the route, was both amused and delighted by his 'kind and zany chivalry which made people love him'. At a grand tea, he would cheerfully offer round from a brown paper bag unshelled prawns which he had caught that morning, or with one prong of his silver cake-knife send fragments of meringue speeding to all corners of the room. Incidents such as these would have disconcerted a less humble man, but Vernon accepted them as part of his life. What he could never accept was his complete inability to perform simple practical actions such as mending a fuse, putting a fan-belt on a vacuum cleaner, removing screws from any small object without instantly losing them.
These failures would drive him into acts of furious rage such as upending and violently shaking a grandmother clock to make it chime, or battering to death an oil-stove from which he had failed to remove a worn-out wick. With infinite patience he would wait months or even years for a poem to be perfect, but he could never wait three minutes for a bus to arrive, or a train to start.
What powered, drove and exalted him, what was 'Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart,' as Wordsworth put it, was poetry; his own and that of other poets. It gave him almost the same sense of satisfaction to discover a fine poem by an unknown writer as to complete a poem of his own; as for the great poets of Britain, France and Germany they were like breathing to him. I never mentioned or quoted a poet whom he did not know and whom he could not quote from; but he did not care for anthologies. He felt that one should devote one's whole attention to the work of one poet at a time without being distracted by the work of another. He believed that all great art was dictated or suggested by higher powers (or Powers) than those of humanity; and since he was mainly a lyric poet, the immortal with whom he had the most dealings with was the Muse of Lyric verse.
Poets through the ages, from Virgil to Milton have believed in and evoked the favour of the Muses. Milton said that in old age he could command the Muse to do whatever he wanted. Vernon was not so fortunate; he found his particular Lady difficult to deal with. Sometimes her communications would sound like a very faint telephone call, with many lines or words inaudible, so that the poet had to labour to find the missing words - and only the right words would do. Sometimes she would neglect him for weeks or months at a time, sometimes require his attention when he was particularly busy.. There seemed no way to ensure her undivided attention. 'It's the emotions of girls that I simply don't understand', he grumbled to Philip Larkin; and as he aged he gave up trying to understand this particular Girl, but simply acquiesced in her erratic behaviour. If she neglected him; he turned to translation or comic verse; if he was too busy to attend to her demands, she simply had to wait.
Vernon Watkins wrote more about poets and about the writing of poetry than any other poet before or after Wordsworth. his book 'Affinities' consists almost entirely of poems on these subjects. He thought that Dylan Thomas and he would live into old age, their poems 'moving', he said, 'like Swedenborg's angels, towards the dayspring of their youth.' It was not to be. Neither poet lived into old age. Dylan Thomas wrote in 1951 'the joy and function of poetry is, and was, the celebration of man, which is also the celebration of God.' I think Vernon Watkins would have agreed; except that he might have said, 'the joy and function of poetry is, and was, the celebration of God, which is also the celebration of man.'
Dylan Thomas himself said of his friend Vernon Watkins;
"He is one of the few poets I know, intensely occupied with his craft...I think him to be the most profound and greatly accomplished Welshman writing poems in English."
The publishers' cover notes describe this delightful book with the following synopsis;
"Vernon Watkins was one of the outstanding Welsh poets of the twentieth century. He was also an original thinker and theorist on the art and nature of poetry.
This collection of previously unpublished work further reveals him as a wise, sensitive and perceptive critic.
The edited selection of his prose writing has been sourced from his personal papers and it seeks to reflect Watkins' central interests and includes a substantial body of work devoted to his great friend Dylan Thomas."
This marvellous book also has the wonderful addition of the inclusion of a stirring foreword written by Dr. Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury and Baron Williams of Oystermouth, which reads;
"Vernon Watkins is very slowly finding his place as a poet of serious attention. His former strictness as a writer, combined with the metaphysical complexity of some of his work has made readers over the last forty years or so unduly cautious and too easily discouraged. But the intensity of the best poems, their sheer disciplined intricacy as well as their metaphorical freshness, have begun to find a new public. In recent months, I was delighted that a reading of some of Watkin's poems to a student audience provoked enthusiasm and some astonishment; why hadn't they heard about him? Where could they read more?
But to develop acquaintance with and appreciation of Watkins, one has to give at least a little thought of what we expect poetry to be. Watkins was sparing in his theoretical observations on this subject, and would never have thought himself as a critic. But he did, in letters, brief essays and occasional talks, set out something of a general or theoretical approach, and the pieces collected here allow us to see something of what he thought his business as a poet really was. Predictably, he warns against assuming that there is one and only one 'natural' voice for poetry overall or for any one poet in particular. It takes time and experience to discover a voice; no serious poet's idiom is just 'natural' speech, whatever a hasty reading of the preface to the 'Lyrical Ballads' might suggest. Any poetic form is a thing discovered, laboured for, devised; not 'artificial' in the derogatory sense, but a work of artifice certainly. Finding how to be natural is, after all, a lifetime's ascetic work for human beings.
Such achieved naturalness comes in response to that 'second pressure' in poetry which denies us the use of the obvious things we are good at, moves us away from the fluency of a half-talent, requires us to invent a new language or register. This may be more or less obviously formal, more or less traditional, but what distinguishes it is that it has come out of a moment of abandoning the surface skills with begin with, however spectacular. In these reflections, Watkins points again and again to the ways poets reinvent their own voices. We see how even Dylan Thomas (for many people an example of just that unreflective fluency Watkins challenges) is driven to move away from an idiom in both prose and poetry that depends unfairly on musicality and suggestive lyrical vagueness. And Yeats, of course, stands as the cardinal example of how to respond to the 'second pressure'.
Only a poetry schooled in this process of abandonment can escape the doom of being timebound. With sublimely unfashionable confidence, Watkins appeals to the 'eternal' that is coded in a poem; meaning not a poem's capacity to convey unspecific gusts of inspiration but its freedom to break into the conventional understanding of both its own era and others and enlarge the world of successive generations. Which is why, in perhaps his best known aphorism, Watkins identifies reputation as the real enemy of poetry.
These all too brief fragments and essays will prompt many to look again at Watkins' large and impressive body of work with new eyes, and, I hope stimulate new questions and new kind of attention for the poetic work of many others."
'Dylan Thomas - Selected Poems - Poet To Poet Series' Edited by Derek Mahon Faber & Faber First Edition Paperback, 2004
A first edition, published in paperback, of a special collection entitled, 'Dylan Thomas - Selected Poems'.
This edition was published by Faber and Faber as part of their 'Poet To Poet' series and this collection of the poems of Dylan Thomas was especially selected for this publication by Award-winning poet, Derek Mahon.
This copy was published in 2004 and was printed by Bookmarque Limited of Croydon and issued with the ISBN 0-571-21834-2.
The cover to this edition features the haunting photograph of Dylan Thomas standing in the graveyard of St. Martin's Church in Laugharne, just a few months before he was himself laid to rest there.
In this series of books, a contemporary poet, in this case Derek Mahon, selects and introduces their own personal favourite poems by a famous poet from the past.
In the introduction to this slim volume Derek Mahon explains why he chose the poems included, and offers his criticism and personal insights into the influence of the poems on his own work.
Derek Mahon is an Irish poet who was educated at Trinity College, Dublin and at the Sorbonne. Since graduating he has held journalistic and academic positions in both London and New York and has won numerous awards for his poetry including The Irish Academy of Letters and Poetry Now awards and the Scott Moncrieff translation prize. His own volume of 'Collected Poems' was published in 1999.
A first edition, published in paperback, of a special collection entitled, 'Dylan Thomas - Selected Poems'.
This edition was published by Faber and Faber as part of their 'Poet To Poet' series and this collection of the poems of Dylan Thomas was especially selected for this publication by Award-winning poet, Derek Mahon.
This copy was published in 2004 and was printed by Bookmarque Limited of Croydon and issued with the ISBN 0-571-21834-2.
The cover to this edition features the haunting photograph of Dylan Thomas standing in the graveyard of St. Martin's Church in Laugharne, just a few months before he was himself laid to rest there.
In this series of books, a contemporary poet, in this case Derek Mahon, selects and introduces their own personal favourite poems by a famous poet from the past.
In the introduction to this slim volume Derek Mahon explains why he chose the poems included, and offers his criticism and personal insights into the influence of the poems on his own work.
Derek Mahon is an Irish poet who was educated at Trinity College, Dublin and at the Sorbonne. Since graduating he has held journalistic and academic positions in both London and New York and has won numerous awards for his poetry including The Irish Academy of Letters and Poetry Now awards and the Scott Moncrieff translation prize. His own volume of 'Collected Poems' was published in 1999.
Caitlin Thomas, 'My Life With Dylan Thomas: Double Drink Story' The Virago Press Paperback Edition, 2009
First published by The Virago Press, an imprint of the Little, Brown Book Group in 1998, this is a copy of the 2009 paperback edition of, 'My Life With Dylan Thomas: Double Drink Story', which was written by Caitlin Thomas.
This copy was printed and bound by Clays Limited, based in St.Ives, and was issued with the ISBN 978-1-84408-518-7.
This edition was published with an afterword written by Francesco Fazio, who was Caitlin Thomas's son from her second marriage.
This edition is illustrated with black and white photographs.
An extract from the text of the cover notes reads;
"From the moment they met at a pub in London, drink was the most conspicuous part of the lives of Caitlin and her 'genius poet'.
It fuelled their sexual adventures, lessened their shyness and enriched their social life.
This searing book is Caitlin Thomas's story of the passions, the rage and the tragic humour of those years of drink, and the toll it took on the lives of two talented people".
The Mail On Sunday, in a contemporary review, described the book as;
"Compelling, if painful, reading".
The Scotsman, writing in 1998, described the book as;
"Fatally arrogant, fatally naive, bold and unruly, the Two Terrible Children derided the pale orthodox world of despised moderation."
Caitlin Thomas's own, slightly sarcastic and acidic introduction to this very honest account of life with Dylan Thomas and her own alcoholism, reads;
"Although many good biographies have been written about Dylan Thomas, I feel that none of their professional authors, even with the best will in the world and all their brilliance, knows what I know about Dylan and our relationship. I also feel my contribution will provide an interesting sidelight on Dylan's character and life to many less intellectual people like myself.
I therefore can but try to add my little personal contributions to the colourful picture.
I think I started feeling better when I stopped thinking that I absolutely had to become a great writer, that I absolutely had to produce an immortal work. I can't imagine what gave rise to this idea, but it has been my conviction since I can remember. The urge to write persisted despite the fact that there was no reason to suppose that I should ever become a great writer. I had hardly any education; my father, Francis MacNamara, did not believe in educating girls. He left Oxford, where he was studying law, to become a professional eccentric and an inferior poet who believed in free love. He died an abysmal failure.
To my natural shortcomings as a writer was added, ironically, the biggest disadvantage of all: I was married to a genuinely great writer. As a result, I hardly ever dared to put pen to paper in his lifetime. It was only after Dylan's death that I can riot and let loose my pent-up feelings in a desperate effort at self-expression. The result, 'Leftover Life To Kill', was inflamed by the gross presumptions that accompany excessive drinking, and it served only to show the extent of my unbridled ignorance and of my ungrammatical desperation. As a literary work, its value was nil; it was no more than a splash in a puddle at a time when the whole world was smarting from Dylan's untimely death. And in due course, after its short-lived sensational value, it faded into the limbo of forgotten things where it rightly belonged. I had things to say but I did not know how to write. It was as simple as that.
However, the sense of being set apart and having a burning mission (a common complaint of alcoholics; I believe) is rather pleasant and hard to let go of. It has served me all my life as a convenient excuse for getting out of doing boring housework and cooking. With the common sense of sobriety, I am no longer pressured by my burning mission. But although it is a relief to be free of it, I must admit that I do miss it; I need to feel some other purpose in life beyond being simply sober.
All my prayers (I do say prayers, to whom I don't quite know) say: 'Let it not all be for nothing.' Meaning there must be something more in life than what I have got. I keep forgetting that, in truth, I have had my life with all its immutable mistakes and that what I have now, with the aid of my husband, Giuseppe, my son Francesco, the Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and my own fighting spirit, is a perfectly undeserved bonus which I must lean to be quiet in, to appreciate and in which to be still."
First published by The Virago Press, an imprint of the Little, Brown Book Group in 1998, this is a copy of the 2009 paperback edition of, 'My Life With Dylan Thomas: Double Drink Story', which was written by Caitlin Thomas.
This copy was printed and bound by Clays Limited, based in St.Ives, and was issued with the ISBN 978-1-84408-518-7.
This edition was published with an afterword written by Francesco Fazio, who was Caitlin Thomas's son from her second marriage.
This edition is illustrated with black and white photographs.
An extract from the text of the cover notes reads;
"From the moment they met at a pub in London, drink was the most conspicuous part of the lives of Caitlin and her 'genius poet'.
It fuelled their sexual adventures, lessened their shyness and enriched their social life.
This searing book is Caitlin Thomas's story of the passions, the rage and the tragic humour of those years of drink, and the toll it took on the lives of two talented people".
The Mail On Sunday, in a contemporary review, described the book as;
"Compelling, if painful, reading".
The Scotsman, writing in 1998, described the book as;
"Fatally arrogant, fatally naive, bold and unruly, the Two Terrible Children derided the pale orthodox world of despised moderation."
Caitlin Thomas's own, slightly sarcastic and acidic introduction to this very honest account of life with Dylan Thomas and her own alcoholism, reads;
"Although many good biographies have been written about Dylan Thomas, I feel that none of their professional authors, even with the best will in the world and all their brilliance, knows what I know about Dylan and our relationship. I also feel my contribution will provide an interesting sidelight on Dylan's character and life to many less intellectual people like myself.
I therefore can but try to add my little personal contributions to the colourful picture.
I think I started feeling better when I stopped thinking that I absolutely had to become a great writer, that I absolutely had to produce an immortal work. I can't imagine what gave rise to this idea, but it has been my conviction since I can remember. The urge to write persisted despite the fact that there was no reason to suppose that I should ever become a great writer. I had hardly any education; my father, Francis MacNamara, did not believe in educating girls. He left Oxford, where he was studying law, to become a professional eccentric and an inferior poet who believed in free love. He died an abysmal failure.
To my natural shortcomings as a writer was added, ironically, the biggest disadvantage of all: I was married to a genuinely great writer. As a result, I hardly ever dared to put pen to paper in his lifetime. It was only after Dylan's death that I can riot and let loose my pent-up feelings in a desperate effort at self-expression. The result, 'Leftover Life To Kill', was inflamed by the gross presumptions that accompany excessive drinking, and it served only to show the extent of my unbridled ignorance and of my ungrammatical desperation. As a literary work, its value was nil; it was no more than a splash in a puddle at a time when the whole world was smarting from Dylan's untimely death. And in due course, after its short-lived sensational value, it faded into the limbo of forgotten things where it rightly belonged. I had things to say but I did not know how to write. It was as simple as that.
However, the sense of being set apart and having a burning mission (a common complaint of alcoholics; I believe) is rather pleasant and hard to let go of. It has served me all my life as a convenient excuse for getting out of doing boring housework and cooking. With the common sense of sobriety, I am no longer pressured by my burning mission. But although it is a relief to be free of it, I must admit that I do miss it; I need to feel some other purpose in life beyond being simply sober.
All my prayers (I do say prayers, to whom I don't quite know) say: 'Let it not all be for nothing.' Meaning there must be something more in life than what I have got. I keep forgetting that, in truth, I have had my life with all its immutable mistakes and that what I have now, with the aid of my husband, Giuseppe, my son Francesco, the Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and my own fighting spirit, is a perfectly undeserved bonus which I must lean to be quiet in, to appreciate and in which to be still."
'Quite Early One Morning' J.M. Dent & Sons Limited
Everyman Classics, 1985
A later copy of 'The Everyman's Library' paperback edition of 'Quite Early One Morning'.
This edition was published and printed by The Guernsey Press on behalf of J. M. Dent and Sons Limited based in Aldine House, Welbeck Street, London and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02503-1.
The cover illustration is by artist, Paul Cox.
Originally published as part of 'The Everyman' series in 1978, this is the later 1985 copy which contains exactly the same contents as the original J. M. Dent hardback edition, which was first published posthumously in 1954, the titles being;
Reminiscences Of Childhood (The 1943 and 1953 versions) / Quite Early One Morning / Memories Of Christmas / Holiday Memory / How To Begin A Story / The Crumbs Of One Man's Year / The Festival Exhibition of 1952 / The International Eisteddfod / A Visit To America / Laugharne / Return Journey / Wilfred Owen / Walter de la Mare As A Prose Writer / Sir Philip Sidney / A Dearth Of Comic Writers / The English Festival Of Spoken Poetry / On Reading One's Own Poems / Welsh Poets / Wales And The Artist / Three Poems / On Poetry.
Everyman Classics, 1985
A later copy of 'The Everyman's Library' paperback edition of 'Quite Early One Morning'.
This edition was published and printed by The Guernsey Press on behalf of J. M. Dent and Sons Limited based in Aldine House, Welbeck Street, London and was issued with the ISBN 0-460-02503-1.
The cover illustration is by artist, Paul Cox.
Originally published as part of 'The Everyman' series in 1978, this is the later 1985 copy which contains exactly the same contents as the original J. M. Dent hardback edition, which was first published posthumously in 1954, the titles being;
Reminiscences Of Childhood (The 1943 and 1953 versions) / Quite Early One Morning / Memories Of Christmas / Holiday Memory / How To Begin A Story / The Crumbs Of One Man's Year / The Festival Exhibition of 1952 / The International Eisteddfod / A Visit To America / Laugharne / Return Journey / Wilfred Owen / Walter de la Mare As A Prose Writer / Sir Philip Sidney / A Dearth Of Comic Writers / The English Festival Of Spoken Poetry / On Reading One's Own Poems / Welsh Poets / Wales And The Artist / Three Poems / On Poetry.
Andrew Lycett, 'Dylan Thomas - A New Life'
Phoenix / Orion Books First Edition Paperback, 2004
A first edition paperback copy of Andrew Lycett's outstanding, well-researched, beautifully written and detailed biography which he entitled, 'Dylan Thomas - A New Life'.
This paperback edition was published by Phoenix, an imprint of Orion Books Limited, London, and printed and bound by Clays Limited based in St. Ives in 2004.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 978-07538-1787-2.
This paperback copy is illustrated with the same black and white photographs as in the first edition hardback copy and features the same cover portrait of Dylan Thomas taken at the famous 'Vogue' sessions, as photographed by Lee Miller.
The cover notes for this paperback edition read;
"Dylan Thomas was a romantic and controversial figure: a poet who lived to excess and died young. An inventive genius with a gift for both lyrical phrases and impish humour, he also wrote for films and radio, and was renowned for his stage performances. He became the first literary star in the age of popular culture - a favourite of both T. S. Eliot and John Lennon.
As his status as a poet and entertainer increased, so did his alcoholic binges and his sexual promiscuity, threatening to destroy his marriage to his fiery Irish wife Caitlin. As this colourful biography reveals, he was a man of many contradictions. but out of his tempestuous life, he produced some of the most dramatic and enduring poetry in the English language."
Robert Nye, writing in The Scotsman, reviewed the book with high praise, stating;
"This is the best biography of the poet I have ever read. Andrew Lycett has turned up plenty of scandalous new material about Thomas's private life...More importantly, he seems to actually like and understand Thomas's poems. All in all, this is a book that no one interested in Dylan Thomas can afford to be without."
Phoenix / Orion Books First Edition Paperback, 2004
A first edition paperback copy of Andrew Lycett's outstanding, well-researched, beautifully written and detailed biography which he entitled, 'Dylan Thomas - A New Life'.
This paperback edition was published by Phoenix, an imprint of Orion Books Limited, London, and printed and bound by Clays Limited based in St. Ives in 2004.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 978-07538-1787-2.
This paperback copy is illustrated with the same black and white photographs as in the first edition hardback copy and features the same cover portrait of Dylan Thomas taken at the famous 'Vogue' sessions, as photographed by Lee Miller.
The cover notes for this paperback edition read;
"Dylan Thomas was a romantic and controversial figure: a poet who lived to excess and died young. An inventive genius with a gift for both lyrical phrases and impish humour, he also wrote for films and radio, and was renowned for his stage performances. He became the first literary star in the age of popular culture - a favourite of both T. S. Eliot and John Lennon.
As his status as a poet and entertainer increased, so did his alcoholic binges and his sexual promiscuity, threatening to destroy his marriage to his fiery Irish wife Caitlin. As this colourful biography reveals, he was a man of many contradictions. but out of his tempestuous life, he produced some of the most dramatic and enduring poetry in the English language."
Robert Nye, writing in The Scotsman, reviewed the book with high praise, stating;
"This is the best biography of the poet I have ever read. Andrew Lycett has turned up plenty of scandalous new material about Thomas's private life...More importantly, he seems to actually like and understand Thomas's poems. All in all, this is a book that no one interested in Dylan Thomas can afford to be without."
Brenda Hughes, 'Dylan Thomas: The Final Story 'The Cat's Whiskers' Dinefwr Press First Edition, 1998
A first edition copy, published in softback, of author Brenda Hughes' charming Dylan Thomas related book entitled, 'Dylan Thomas: The Final Story - The Cat's Whiskers'.
This edition, personally published by the author, was printed and bound by the Dinefwr Press, based in Carmarthenshire, West Wales and was issued with the ISBN 0-9532081-0-9 in 1998.
This is a very interesting 'local history' book which, quite surprisingly, convincingly suggests that Dylan Thomas's fictional town of Llareggub, upon which 'Under Milk Wood' was based, may have had it's origins in the picturesque Welsh town of Ferryside in West Wales, a town which Dylan Thomas knew well, knowing many of the local residents intimately, which also included many of the author's own family.
This edition is illustrated throughout with scenic, contemporary photographs of Ferryside and documents and photographs from the author's personal family collection.
The preface to this very interesting, well-researched historical book reads;
"Dylan Thomas was born in Swansea in 1914 and grew up in the town. Both his parents had family members in Carmarthen and district and he spent many days with them. To get to Carmarthen he travelled by train or bus. The train from Swansea travelled through Gowerton, Llanelly, Burry port, Kidwelly and on to Ferryside. Here he would get off the train and spend several hours at one or more of the public houses which were less than one hundred yards from the station.
There were four pubs in very close proximity - The Mariners kept by Ernest Bright, The White Lion Hotel kept by his brother Richard Bright, The Ship and The Pelican next to the Cloth Hall. Dylan would catch a later train and continue his journey to Carmarthen Junction and Carmarthen Town. Much of his poetry was written in West Wales and although it is said he did not speak Welsh he must have understood quite a lot. Could the play 'Under Milk Wood' have been written without a fair knowledge of the Welsh language?"
A first edition copy, published in softback, of author Brenda Hughes' charming Dylan Thomas related book entitled, 'Dylan Thomas: The Final Story - The Cat's Whiskers'.
This edition, personally published by the author, was printed and bound by the Dinefwr Press, based in Carmarthenshire, West Wales and was issued with the ISBN 0-9532081-0-9 in 1998.
This is a very interesting 'local history' book which, quite surprisingly, convincingly suggests that Dylan Thomas's fictional town of Llareggub, upon which 'Under Milk Wood' was based, may have had it's origins in the picturesque Welsh town of Ferryside in West Wales, a town which Dylan Thomas knew well, knowing many of the local residents intimately, which also included many of the author's own family.
This edition is illustrated throughout with scenic, contemporary photographs of Ferryside and documents and photographs from the author's personal family collection.
The preface to this very interesting, well-researched historical book reads;
"Dylan Thomas was born in Swansea in 1914 and grew up in the town. Both his parents had family members in Carmarthen and district and he spent many days with them. To get to Carmarthen he travelled by train or bus. The train from Swansea travelled through Gowerton, Llanelly, Burry port, Kidwelly and on to Ferryside. Here he would get off the train and spend several hours at one or more of the public houses which were less than one hundred yards from the station.
There were four pubs in very close proximity - The Mariners kept by Ernest Bright, The White Lion Hotel kept by his brother Richard Bright, The Ship and The Pelican next to the Cloth Hall. Dylan would catch a later train and continue his journey to Carmarthen Junction and Carmarthen Town. Much of his poetry was written in West Wales and although it is said he did not speak Welsh he must have understood quite a lot. Could the play 'Under Milk Wood' have been written without a fair knowledge of the Welsh language?"
'The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas', Edited By John Goodby, Weidenfeld & Nicolson Paperback First Edition, 2016
First published in hardback form in 2014 to coincide with the Dylan Thomas Centenary, this paperback edition of 'The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas' was published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson, an imprint of the Orion Publishing Group Limited, in 2016 and was issued with the ISBN 978-1-780-22723-8.
This later paperback edition was printed by Clays Limited, based in St. Ives, and was
edited and annotated by John Goodby, Professor of English at the University of Swansea, who has also included a highly detailed introduction. This edition also includes detailed notes and extracts from letters from Dylan Thomas to Pamela Hansford-Johnson and Henry Treece.
The publisher's cover notes to this complete collection read;
"Like Shakespeare and Joyce before him, Dylan Thomas expanded our sense of what the English language can do.
Rhythmically forceful yet subtly musical and full of memorable lines, his poems are anthology favourites, his 'Play for Voices' Under Milk Wood a modern classic. Much loved by The Beatles and Bob Dylan, he is a cultural icon and continues to inspire artists today.
This new edition, released to commemorate the centenary of Thomas's birth, collects more of his poems together in a single volume than ever before. With recently discovered material and accessible critique from Dylan Thomas expert John Goodby, it looks at Thomas's body of work in a fresh light, taking us to the beating heart of his poetry.
This edition is updated to include the lost poem, A Dream Of Winter".
First published in hardback form in 2014 to coincide with the Dylan Thomas Centenary, this paperback edition of 'The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas' was published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson, an imprint of the Orion Publishing Group Limited, in 2016 and was issued with the ISBN 978-1-780-22723-8.
This later paperback edition was printed by Clays Limited, based in St. Ives, and was
edited and annotated by John Goodby, Professor of English at the University of Swansea, who has also included a highly detailed introduction. This edition also includes detailed notes and extracts from letters from Dylan Thomas to Pamela Hansford-Johnson and Henry Treece.
The publisher's cover notes to this complete collection read;
"Like Shakespeare and Joyce before him, Dylan Thomas expanded our sense of what the English language can do.
Rhythmically forceful yet subtly musical and full of memorable lines, his poems are anthology favourites, his 'Play for Voices' Under Milk Wood a modern classic. Much loved by The Beatles and Bob Dylan, he is a cultural icon and continues to inspire artists today.
This new edition, released to commemorate the centenary of Thomas's birth, collects more of his poems together in a single volume than ever before. With recently discovered material and accessible critique from Dylan Thomas expert John Goodby, it looks at Thomas's body of work in a fresh light, taking us to the beating heart of his poetry.
This edition is updated to include the lost poem, A Dream Of Winter".
'The Dylan Thomas Omnibus' Phoenix / Orion Books First Edition Phoenix Giant Paperback, 1995
A large format edition of 'The Dylan Thomas Omnibus'.
This copy is a first edition copy, published in this large format, and was published by Phoenix Giant, a division of Orion Books Limited, St. Martins Lane, London and printed by Clays Limited of St. Ives in 1995.
Published by Phoenix with the ISBN 1-85799-353-5.
This omnibus collection is, according to the cover notes, the essential Dylan Thomas.
It is indeed a nice collection which includes all of Dylan Thomas's poetry originally included in '18 Poems', 'Twenty-Five Poems', 'The Map Of Love', 'Deaths And Entrances' and 'In Country Sleep', as well as the complete 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog', 'Under Milk Wood' and the text of selected B.B.C. broadcasts and several early short stories.
The cover photograph, as in the above edition was taken from the iconic 1946 'Vogue Studio' sessions, as captured by photographer Lee Miller.
A large format edition of 'The Dylan Thomas Omnibus'.
This copy is a first edition copy, published in this large format, and was published by Phoenix Giant, a division of Orion Books Limited, St. Martins Lane, London and printed by Clays Limited of St. Ives in 1995.
Published by Phoenix with the ISBN 1-85799-353-5.
This omnibus collection is, according to the cover notes, the essential Dylan Thomas.
It is indeed a nice collection which includes all of Dylan Thomas's poetry originally included in '18 Poems', 'Twenty-Five Poems', 'The Map Of Love', 'Deaths And Entrances' and 'In Country Sleep', as well as the complete 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog', 'Under Milk Wood' and the text of selected B.B.C. broadcasts and several early short stories.
The cover photograph, as in the above edition was taken from the iconic 1946 'Vogue Studio' sessions, as captured by photographer Lee Miller.
'The Dylan Thomas Omnibus' The Phoenix Press, 2000
A first edition copy, published in paperback, of 'The Dylan Thomas Omnibus'.
This edition was published by the Phoenix Press, a division of The Orion Publishing Group Limited, St. Martin's Lane, London in 2000 and printed and bound by Clays Limited based in St. Ives.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 978-0-7538-1103-0.
From an extract of text taken from the cover-notes, the publishers write;
"A rich collection of his best loved poems and stories, as well as pieces he wrote for radio and magazines, including his play 'Under Milk Wood'. This selection spans Thomas's writing lifetime, and it shows the full range of this tempestuous and meticulous artist who once cheerfully claimed that he had beast, angel and madman within him".
A nice collection which includes all of Dylan Thomas's poetry included in '18 Poems', 'Twenty-Five Poems', 'The Map Of Love', 'Deaths And Entrances' and 'In Country Sleep', as well as the complete 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog', 'Under Milk Wood' and the text of selected B.B.C. broadcasts and several early short stories, namely, 'After the Fair', 'The Tree', 'The Dress', 'the Visitor' and 'The Vest'.
A first edition copy, published in paperback, of 'The Dylan Thomas Omnibus'.
This edition was published by the Phoenix Press, a division of The Orion Publishing Group Limited, St. Martin's Lane, London in 2000 and printed and bound by Clays Limited based in St. Ives.
This edition was issued with the ISBN 978-0-7538-1103-0.
From an extract of text taken from the cover-notes, the publishers write;
"A rich collection of his best loved poems and stories, as well as pieces he wrote for radio and magazines, including his play 'Under Milk Wood'. This selection spans Thomas's writing lifetime, and it shows the full range of this tempestuous and meticulous artist who once cheerfully claimed that he had beast, angel and madman within him".
A nice collection which includes all of Dylan Thomas's poetry included in '18 Poems', 'Twenty-Five Poems', 'The Map Of Love', 'Deaths And Entrances' and 'In Country Sleep', as well as the complete 'Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Dog', 'Under Milk Wood' and the text of selected B.B.C. broadcasts and several early short stories, namely, 'After the Fair', 'The Tree', 'The Dress', 'the Visitor' and 'The Vest'.
'A Child's Christmas In Wales' (Welsh Language First Edition) J.M. Dent & Sons, 1978
A beautiful copy of Dylan Thomas's 'A Child's Christmas In Wales', published by J. M. Dent and Sons and printed by the Gomer Press, based in Llandysul. This is the Welsh language version entitled, 'Nadolig Plentyn yng Nghymru', which was translated from Dylan Thomas's original script by Bryan Martin Davies. This J. M. Dent first edition hardback copy was published in 1978 and is complete with the original dust-jacket.
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The beautiful illustrations which grace the pages of this edition, and which perfectly compliment the text of Dylan' Thomas's prose were by author, painter and children's books illustrator, Edward Ardizzone.
This page was revised and updated on the 23rd of July, 2021
