Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Gay, John.. Polly. Written by Mr. Gay. Drawings by William Nicholson.. William Heinemann, 1923.
Price: US$16.75 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Original blue paper covered boards with yellow pastedown and black lettering on cover and along spine. Black quarterstripe. Sun fading top edge and moderate rubbing along edges and tips. Binding and hinges tight and square; contents clean and unmarked. 107pp featuring eight hand colored tissue protected plates by William Nicholson. Plates and text in fine condition. Musical scores throughout. All items carefully packed to avoid damage from moisture and rough handling.
Seller: Imperial Books and Collectibles, Wauwatosa, WI, U.S.A.
GAY, John.. Polly (Being the Second Part of the Beggar's Opera).. William Heinemann,, London:, 1923.
Price: US$20.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Eight color plates. First edition thus. Damp stain on rear board, moderate shelf wear and aging, else good in black cloth and blue paper covered boards. No dust jacket. ; 107 pages B000JWHXBI
Seller: Grendel Books, ABAA/ILAB, Springfield, MA, U.S.A.
GAY, John. Polly. Heinemann, London, 1923.
Price: US$27.39 + shipping
Description: 1st edition thus, with 8 plates by William Nicholson. Some foxing; binding tight; board edges worn; water-stain on both boards. The second part of The Beggar's Opera. Used - Good. Good hardback in paperboards with cloth spine
Seller: Cotswold Internet Books, Cheltenham, United Kingdom
Price: US$29.95 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Hardcover in blue boards. No dust jacket. Faded black cloth at spine, with title on paper label on front and spine. Book is solidly bound and clean. Edges of boards are worn through and front and back boards are lightly rubbed. Interior pages including tissue guard are intact, as are the eight full-page color illustrations by William Nicholson. Musical notation throughout. A nice copy. Small narrow 4to. 107 pp.
Seller: KULTURAs books, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$40.00 + shipping
Description: Grey boards with black cloth spine. Yellow title block with black lettering. 106 pp. with bw line drawings and musical notation and with 8 color plates covered with tissue guards. The dialogue, and Airs (including music and lyrics) of Polly, from The Beggar's Opera, written by John Gay in 1728. Polly is one of the main characters, Polly Peachum. The opera is in 3 acts. This particular volume's delightful color plates are by English artist, William Nicholson, and include Polly in Disguise, Mrs. Diana Trapes, Molly Brazen, Mr. Ducat, Culverin. Morano, The Pyrates' camp, and Pohetohee. VG, clean and tight internally, although very top edges of some pages have dust discoloration. Most pages have age toning, but plates and plate pages (different kind of paper from text pages) are in excellent condition. Covers are badly discolored, and spine is worn and cracked and has been re-glued.
Seller: Mullen Books, ABAA, Marietta, PA, U.S.A.
Price: US$60.00 + shipping
Description: Hardcover in blue boards with embossed illustration in silver without dustjacket; 108 pages with 9 tipped in plates and printed tissue guards; signed by William Nicholson and numbered 368/380; covers good with small losses to top and bottom of darkened spine and yellowing to edges of covers; internally very good. Foreign shipping may be extra.
Seller: ANARTIST, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Gay, John. Polly. William Heinemann, London, 1923.
Price: US$76.97 + shipping
Condition: Fair
Description: Text bright with occasional spotting throughout, rubbing and some light discoloration to boards, some of the cloth is coming away from the spine but is extant and could be repaired, binding firm. Size: 4to
Seller: Bookcase, Carlisle, United Kingdom
Gay, John. Polly. William Heinemann, London, 1923.
Price: US$100.00 + shipping
Description: 105 pages. 26.5 x 21 cm. Polly: An Opera, copy 311 of 350 on hand made paper is signed by William Nicholson in red ink. Tipped-in color plates with lettered tissue guards. "Polly" was a sequel to the "Devil's Opera," was produced in 1777. Polly is Polly Peachum, better known to us via Brecht's "Three Penny Opera." Edges, corners rubbed, spotting to covers. Black cloth spine and pale blue boards lettered an decorated in gilt. Teg. Very good
Seller: Royoung Bookseller, Inc. ABAA, Ardsley, NY, U.S.A.
John Gay. Polly. William Heinemann, London, 1923.
Price: US$109.03 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: A beautifully illustrated edition of Polly by John Gay, limited edition signed by the illustrator William Nicholson. Limited edition of Polly by John Gay in the original publisher's cloth binding.With illustrations by William Nicholson. Signed by the artist to the limitation page. This is copy number 111 out of 380 printed.Collated and complete with nine colour plates and tissue guards.Polly is a ballad opera first performed in 1777. A revised and edited version debuted in 1922. In the original publisher's cloth binding. Externally, very smart. There is some minor bumping to the head and tail of the spine and to the extremities. Internally, firmly bound. The pages are very bright and clean. Very Good
Seller: Rooke Books PBFA, Bath, United Kingdom
GAY, Mr [John]; illustrated by NICHOLSON, William. POLLY. London: William Heinemann., 1923.
Price: US$153.93 + shipping
Description: First edition thus, first printing. Limited edition, signed by the illustrator. Publisher's original blue cloth with black titles and silver decorations to the spine and upper board. Gilt top edge. Illustrated with nine colour plates by William Nicholson, as well as a black and white title page illustration and a few drawings throughout the text. A very good copy, the binding square and firm, the board edges lightly rubbed and the spine a little toned, the corners and top edge very slightly bumped. The contents, with a little light toning and infrequent spotting to the deckled edges, are otherwise clean throughout and without previous owners' stamps or inscriptions. The frontispiece with a small corner crease otherwise all plates are in fine condition. Limited to 380 copies of which this is numbered 49 and signed by William Nicholson in black ink on the limitation page. Further details and images for any of the items listed are available on request. Lucius Books welcomes direct contact with our customers.
Seller: LUCIUS BOOKS (ABA, ILAB, PBFA), York, United Kingdom
Price: US$160.35 + shipping
Description: First Nicholson illustrated edition. One of 350 copies for sale, signed by Nicholson, this copy no. 101. Illustrated title page, text embellished with musical scores, vignettes and tipped-in colour plates. 4to., original blue cloth, decorative block in silver to upper cover, spine in silver and black, top edge gilt, others uncut. A very good copy. A ballad opera, with text by John Gay and music by Johann Christoph Pepusch. A sequel to Gay's 'The Beggar's Opera'. Due to censorship, 'Polly' was not performed during Gay's lifetime. It would eventually premiere in June 1777, at the Haymarket Theatre in London.
Seller: G. Heywood Hill Ltd ABA, London, United Kingdom
Gay, Mr. [John Gay]. Polly. William Heinemann 1923, London, 1923.
Price: US$160.35 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: xvi, 108 pp. Decorated blue cloth stamped in silver and black. No. 242 of 380 copies signed by the artist William Nicholson. Top edge gilt. Printed on hand-made paper. Spine slightly faded and worn at head & tail. Nine tissue-guarded tipped-in full page colour plates by William Nicholson. Short closed tear to frontispiece. Musical notation and head and tail-pieces. Some fading to the spine. Small 4to
Seller: Foster Books - Stephen Foster - ABA, ILAB, & PBFA, London, United Kingdom
Gay, John. POLLY - AN OPERA. , 1923.
Price: US$175.00 + shipping
Description: (Nicholson, William)illus. POLLY - AN OPERA by John Gay. Heinemann, London, 1923. Limited edition of 380 copies, signed by William Nicholson. 4to., cloth, 106pp., 9 tipped-on color plates. VG, with light edgewear to the cloth, residue on the front pastedown from removal of a bookplate, and a small loss to margin of one plate (Molly Brazen).
Seller: Edward T. Pollack, ABAA, Portland, ME, U.S.A.
Price: US$200.00 + shipping
Description: First edition thus, Number 235 of 385 copies on hand-made paper and signed by the Artist, William Nicholson. 9 full page tipped-in color Drawings by William Nicholson. xvi, [1]- 107, [3] pp. 1 vols. 4to. The Sequel to The Beggar's Opera, Signed by Nicholson. Full blue cloth, stamped in silver and black, t.e.g., rest uncut, unopened. Covers a bit rubbed and soiled, three plates torn and creased 9 full page tipped-in color Drawings by William Nicholson. xvi, [1]- 107, [3] pp. 1 vols. 4to First edition thus, Number 235 of 385 copies on hand-made paper and signed by the Artist, William Nicholson.
Seller: James Cummins Bookseller, ABAA, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$250.00 + shipping
Description: 107 [2] pp. Tipped-in color plates by William Nicholson. Large 8vo, publisher's blue cloth stamped in silver and black. First edition; No. 153 of 380 copies, signed by William Nicholson. Slight rubbing to extremities of the binding; clean, tight and sound. An unopened copy.
Seller: Jeffrey H. Marks, Rare Books, ABAA, Rochester, NY, U.S.A.
Mr Gay. Polly. William Heinemann, London, 1923.
Price: US$269.38 + shipping
Description: A smartly bound, illustrated edition of John Gay's sequel to 'The Beggar's Opera'. 'Polly' was first performed posthumously on 19th June 1777 at the Haymarket theatre. First thus, the first edition with Nicholson's illustrations. With half-title. Illustrated, with a coloured frontispiece and six further coloured plates by William Nicholson. Nicholson was known for his still life and landscape paintings. He also worked as a designer for theatre, which has informed his illustrations to this work, which are the characters in costume. This opera follows the adventures of Polly Peachum in the West Indies. Its performance was forbidden by the Lord Chamberlain, most likely through Walpole's influence who saw the satire to be too strong. A lovely copy of this opera, with the musical scores as vignettes alongside the text. In a quarter crushed morocco binding with cloth covered boards. Externally, excellent with minor shelfwear. A few light marks to boards. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are generally bright. Offsetting to page 17 from a previously inserted leaf. Scattered spotting to pages. Very Good Indeed
Seller: Rooke Books PBFA, Bath, United Kingdom
Price: US$275.60 + shipping
Description: In 4 reliure de toile bleue d'éditeur. Un des 380 exemplaires numérotés et signés par l'artiste, celui-ci exemplaire de Max Beerborn. Dos et premier plat tachés sinon bon exemplaire.
Seller: La Basse Fontaine, VENCE, France
Price: US$325.00 + shipping
Description: First edition, Number 335 of 350 signed by the artist. 9 full page color Drawings by William Nicholson. 1 vols. 4to. The Sequel to The Beggar's Opera, Signed by Nicholson. Half cloth and blue boards. Frontispiece plate slightly bent, slightly rubbed, else almost Fine 9 full page color Drawings by William Nicholson. 1 vols. 4to First edition, Number 335 of 350 signed by the artist.
Seller: James Cummins Bookseller, ABAA, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$500.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: Finely bound by Sangorski & Suttcliffe (signed) in half polished calf over marbled boards, green leather labels lettered in gilt on an ornately gilt spine with five raised bands and gilt tail date, marbled end papers, top edge gilt. Published by Heinemann in 1923, they also published a signed limited edition that year. This edition with 8 color plates by William Nicholson. The sequel to "The Beggar's Opera". Near Fine, light rubbing to calf at tips. Size: 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall
Seller: Dale Steffey Books, ABAA, ILAB, Bloomington, IN, U.S.A.