121. [Somerville & Ross] / Verling, John / [Edith Somerville & Violet Martin].

Somerville & Ross – Portfolio of ten (10) original, large Etchings by John Verling [signed].

Ballydehob / Schull, John Verling & Schull Books, 1984. Folio – Sheets (38.2 cm x 28.5 cm). Ten original etchings in bespoke Folder with original tissue-guards. Original Hardcover-Folder with one additional, signed inlay-etching to frontcover. The ten etchings and the folder with the original inlay-art, are all in mint condition. The etchings all protected by their original tissue guards. A stunning publication of a wonderful West Cork – Artist. A must-have for all collector’s of rare and signed Somerville & Ross collectables, this find is simply an unusual occurance because the artwork was originally designed to be framed. One usually never finds this edition with the artwork still in its original folder !

122. Gaelic Fairy Tale Illustrations – [Mac Liammoír, Micheál] Ó Floinn, Tomás / Proinsias Mac Cana.

Scéalaíocht na Ríthe – [Stories of the Kings]. Tomás Ó Floinn agus Proinsias Mac Cana. A chuir in Eagar. Micheál Mac Liammoír a Mhaisigh.

Baile Átha Cliath, Saírséal & Dill, 1956. 18.1cm. 220, [4] pages. Including 6 plates with beautiful, tipped-in illustrations and their often missing, lettered tissue-guards. Hardcover. / Original, illustrated blue publisher’s cloth. Excellent condition with only minor signs of external wear / An underestimated publication with all illustrations in place. While the book was also published in softcover-cardboard, the first edition in Hardcover, which we offer here, is the much better version.

123. McCarthy, Thomas.

Questioning Ireland – Essay and Reviews [Signed by Thomas McCarthy on the titlepage].

First Edition (simultaneously published in Softcover (Paperpack) and Hardcover). Oldcastle, The Gallery Press, 2024. Octavo. 420 pages. Original Softcover (Paperback). As new condition with only minor signs of wear. SIGNED by Thomas McCarthy on the titlepage.

124. O’Flaherty, Liam.

The Wild Swan and other Stories. By Liam O’Flaherty with a Frontispiece by P.V.Moon and a Foreword by Rhys Davies. Being No.10 of the Furnival Books.

London, William Jackson (Books) Ltd. [Joiner & Steele], 1932. Octavo (16.3 cm wide x 25.4 cm high). Frontispiece-Woodcut, 60 pages. Original Hardcover (Buckram). Very good condition with only minor signs of wear. Beautifully signed by Liam O’Flaherty.

125. Bhaldraithe, Tomas de / Corkery, Daniel / and many others.

Collection of over eighty (80) publications on the Gaelic Language (Gaeilge), the History of the Gaelic Language, Gaelic Grammar, gaelic exercise books (new and old), publications on gaelic conversation etc. etc. including a Dictionary by Tomas de Bhaldraithe, a publication by Daniel Corkery on “The Fortunes of the Irish Language”, etc. etc.

Dublin and others, c.1950 – c.1990. Octavo. More than 1500 pages. Original Hardcover and Softcover Volumes. Some of the publications in poor condition but the majority in very good condition (see images).

126. Kavanagh, Patrick.

A Soul For Sale. Poems by Patrick Kavanagh.

First Edition. London, MacMillan & Co.Ltd., 1947. Octavo. 54 pages. Original Hardcover with original dustjacket in protective collector’s mylar. Very good condition with only minor signs of wear. Dustjacket frayed and with some loss. As often with this book, some foxing to book and dustjacket.

127. Heaney, Seamus.

Seeing Things [Signed by Seamus Heaney and with a Beautiful, lengthy Inscription]. With the printed Dedication “For Derek Mahon”.

Second Edition. London, faber and faber, 1991. Octavo. 113 pages. Original Softcover. Very good condition with only minor signs of wear. Signed and beautifully inscribed: “To Christian Tischhauser – with admiration for your commitment to The West Cork Music Festival – Seamus Heaney – 26 June 1996”.

128. Mahon, Derek.

Red Sails [Signed by Derek Mahon].

First Edition. Oldcastle, The Gallery Press (Gallery Books), 2014. 8°. 95 pages. Original Hardcover with original dustjacket. First Edition in MINT condition. Signed by Derek Mahon. With a minor manuscript-correction of a Typo by Derek Mahon on page 83.

129. Mahon, Derek.

Against The Clock [Signed and Inscribed by Derek Mahon].

First Edition. Oldcastle, The Gallery Press (Gallery Books), 2018. 8°. 79 pages. Original Hardcover with original dustjacket. First Edition in MINT condition. Signed and Inscribed by Derek Mahon: “for Peter with best wishes – Derek, Dec. ‘18”.

130. [Moore, George] Gerber, Helmut E.

George Moore On Parnassus – Letters (1900-1933) to Secretaries, Publishers, Printers, Agents, Literati, Friends, and Acquaintances. Edited, with notes and critical-biographical commentary.

Newark, University of Delaware Press, 1988. Octavo (16 cm wide x 23.5 cm). 896 pages. Original Hardcover with original dustjacket. The dustjacket in poor condition. The Volume itself in very good condition with only minor signs of wear.

131. [Joyce, James] Budgen, Frank.

James Joyce and the Making of Ulysses – With a Portrait of James Joyce and four Drawings by the Author [Frank Budgen’s famous illustrations for Ulysses].

First Edition. [Two Volumes]. London / Mayfair, Grayson & Grayson, 1934. Octavo (15 cm wide x 22.4 cm high). Frontispiece – Portrait of a reclining Joyce, 320 pages, complete with all the illustrations in place. Hardcover (original, publisher’s quarter cloth with original spine-label). Very good condition with only minor signs of wear. Firm example of this rare first edition.

132. Joyce, James.

Finnegans Wake.

First American Edition. New York, The Viking Press, 1939. Large-8° (15.7 cm wide x 24.7 cm high). 628 pages. Hardcover without the original dustjacket / Original black publisher’s buckram with gilt lettering on spine and frontcover. Wonderful tight and excellent overall condition of this rare first american edition of Finnegans Wake. Provenance: From the library of one Robert D. Parsons with his bookplate to the front pastedown, dated in 1941. Tiny Booksellers Label from McClelland & Co. in Columbus, Ohio.

133. Ó Ríordáin, Seán Pádraig.

Eireaball Spideoige.

The very rare first edition of the poets first book ! Baile Átha Cliath, Sáirséa agus Dill [Sáirséal Ó Marcaigh], 1952. Small Octavo. 118, [2] pages – [With a frontispiece portrait]. Original Hardcover with the fragile, original, transparent dustjacket (the lettered flaps have been attached to the pastedowns with two small strips of sellotape). The transparent dustjacket in poor condition but the volume itself in very good condition with only minor signs of external wear. Three very small dogears. Name of preowner on endpaper. The first edition of this publication is one of the rarest publications of irish poetry / literature. Scarce ! From the library of irish Historian Tadhg Ó Murchú, with his name on the endpaper.

134. O’Brien, Edna.

House of Splendid Isolation.

London, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1994. 16cm x 24cm. 216 pages. Original Hardcover with original dustjacket in protective collector’s mylar. Excellent condition. Beautifully signed and inscribed during a promotional booktour by author Edna O’Brien during a visit to the english booktown Hay-on-Wye in the year 1994.

135. [Swift, Jonathan] Irving, David.

The Elements of English Composition [With an essay on ‘Critical examinations of a passage in the writings of [Jonathan] Swift’].

The Fourth Edition. London, Printed for Richard Phillips, 1816. Octavo. X, 318 pages. Hardcover / Original publisher’s interimsbinding. Binding slightly rubbed. Endpaper with small abrasion (minor tear). Bookseller-sign on pastedown: “Sold by J.Bolster, Bookseller, No.7, Patrick Street, Cork”. From the library of Richard Meade (Ballymartle) / Name of preowner John Meade in ink on titlepage.

136. [Pearse, Patrick / Pearse, Pádraic] Pádraig Anraí Mac Piarais.

An Mháthair agus sgéalta eile. [The Mother and Other Stories].

Second Edition with Vocabulary. Dun Dealgan [Dundalk], The Dundalgan Press [William Tempest], 1927. 19.5cm x 12.8cm. 95 pages with frontispiece and further beautiful illustrations throughout the publication. Original, illustrated softcover. Excellent condition of the rare softcover-issue with only minor signs of external wear.

137. Pearse, Padraic / Mac Piarais, Pádraic.

Bhodaigh an Chóta Lachtna [″Adventure of the Churl of the Grey Coat” / “Tale of the Carle in the Drab Coat”].

First Edition. Baile Átha Cliath, Connradh na Gaedhilge, 1906. 8°. III, 72 pages. Original Softcover. Besides some fraying to the pages 19-23 in unusually excellent condition with only minor signs of wear. Very Rare !

138. O’Casey, Sean.

Three Volumes of Sean O’Casey’s famous Autobiography: I. I Knock at the Door – Swift Glances Back at Things That Made Me (Rare Second Edition, Printed in the year of the First Edition, 1939) / III. Drums under the Windows (First Edition 1945) / VI. Sunset and Evening Star (First Edition, 1954).

Three Volumes (of Six). London, MacMillan & Co., 1939 – 1954. Octavo (15 cm x 22 cm). Volume I (″I Knock at the Door”): includes a fine Frontispiece-Photograph of “Mrs.Susan Casside in a Gala Dress”, VII, 268, [3] pages / Volume III (″Drums under My Window”): includes a Frontispiece-Photograph of “The Rev.E.M.Griffin”, 339, [2] pages / Volume VI (″Sunset and Evening Star”: includes a very fine Frontispiece-Photograph of “The O’Casey’s” [Niall O’Casey, Breon O’Casey, Sean O’Casey, Shivawn [Shivaun] O’Casey, Eileen O’Casey], VII, 311, [1] pages. Original Hardcover with illustrated dustjackets. All three Volumes in their original state with the original dustjackets frayed but still very good. Volume I and III with two excellent Bookplates / Giftnote to dustjacket of Volume I; Giftnote to endpaper of Volume VI. Exlibris to pastedown “The Vernons” with artwork from artist H. Cutler” .

139. [Heaney, Seamus / Flanagan, T.P.] Kennedy, S. B.

T.P. Flanagan, RHA, PPRUA. [Signed by Seamus Heaney and T.P.Flanagan] Foreword by Seamus Heaney / Catalogue by Martyn Anglesea / An appreciation by John Belmore with notes on selected pictures by T.P. Flanagan and J.K. Jamison. A special edition of this book is limited to one hundred signed copies of which seventy-five are offered for sale. This is one of the 25 copies which were not for sale. It is signed by Seamus Heaney and T.P.Flanagan on the front free endpaper and its provenance is an eminent irish art collection.

Dublin, Four Courts Press in association with the Ulster Museum, 1995. Folio (24 cm x 28 cm). 96 pages with many illustrations in colour and photographs. Softcover. Some staining to endpaper and edge, leading into the outer margins of some pages. Text and illustrations not affected. While the staining is not pretty, this is one of the rare occasions to acquire one of the scarcer signed items from Seamus Heaney (1 of 25 copies from an edition of only 100 signed copies).

140. [Croker, John Wilson].

Familiar Epistles to Frederick Jones, Esq. – On the Present State of the Irish Stage. Fourth Edition, with considerable Additions.

Dublin, Printed by Graisberry & Campbell and sold by all booksellers, 1805. Small Octavo (11.5 cm x 18 cm). XXX, 178 pages plus Errata-leaf. Hardcover / Stunning, recent half leather and marbled-paper-covered-boards with gilt lettering and ornament to spine, bound to style of the 18th/19th century. Excellent condition. Tear in Errata-leaf professionally repaired. From the library of Richard Meade (Ballymartle), with his name in ink to titlepage.