Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Lawrence Durrell and others. Proems. The Fortune Press, London, 1938.
Price: US$224.57 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: 96pp. Black cloth covered boards with bright gilt lettering to spine. Dusty cream dust jacket with red lettering, protected in clear plastic cover. Sun darkened spine of dust jacket with slight wear to top and tail of spine and a tiny closed tear to top edge of rear cover. Price (6s.) on inside flap unclipped but with pencil mark crossed through price. Previous price (?) on ffep roughly erased. Light shadow to ffep and rfep. Untrimmed fore edge. Decorations to title page and facing Contents page. First publication of THREE poems by Lawrence Durrell as part of a short biography of his uncle entitled Unckebunck. The titles of the poems are: "The Argument" (complete with Author's Note), "Five Soliloquies Upon The Tomb" and selections from "Themes Heraldic". The other poets published in this volume are Patrick Evans, Ruthven Todd, Edgar Foxall, Oswell Blakeston and Rayner Heppenstall. All bar the last named are printed for the first time.
Seller: The Bookshop at Beech Cottage, Newbury, United Kingdom
Price: US$300.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: First edition. Near fine in near fine original printed dust jacket with a little age-toning and very small nicks and tears. A poetry anthology from Fortune Press featuring contributions from Lawrence Durrell, Ruthven Todd, Patrick Evans, Rayner Heppenstall, Edgar Foxall, and Oswell Blakeston. Despite being established to published gay erotica, Fortune Press produced a number of mainstream literary works, most notably Dylan Thomas's first book, *18 Poems*.
Seller: Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc. ABAA, Gloucester City, NJ, U.S.A.
Price: US$750.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: First edition, first printing. Signed by Lawrence Durrell in black marker on the front free endpaper. Bound in publisher's slick black cloth ruled in blind on the front cover, lettered in gilt on the spine, lacking the dust jacket. Near Fine, with a tiny scuff to the rear cover, offsetting to endsheers, and foxing to the edge of the text block, prelims and terminals. An anthology collecting the work of six poets, including Lawrence Durrell.
Seller: Burnside Rare Books, ABAA, Portland, OR, U.S.A.
Price: US$1195.00 + shipping
Description: 1st Edition. Durrell, Lawrence. PROEMS. [Durrell, Lawrence, Ruthven Todd, Patrick Evans, Rayner Heppenstall, Edgar Foxall, & Oswell Blakeston]. London: The Fortune Press, 1938. 8vo., black cloth. First Edition. A fine fresh example in the uncommon original unprinted watermarked white laid paper dustwrapper. A splendid copy in the very uncommon dustwrapper. [From a comprehensive TBCL Durrell collection of first editions in superb condition].
Seller: TBCL The Book Collector's Library, Montreal, QC, Canada
Price: US$2000.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: 12mo. 96 pp., Black Cloth, Very Good with staining to end papers. Woodcuts. (Brigham, p. 37)Provenance: Collection of Chiefly First Editions by Lawrence Durrell, most signed presentation copies, inscribed to his friend Jeremy Mallinson. Mallinson, was Gerald Durrell's right-hand man from the early days of the Jersey Zoo (now Durrell Wildlife Park).
Seller: Wittenborn Art Books, San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.