Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
TATE, Allen. The Hovering Fly and Other Essays. The Cummington Press, Cummington, MA, 1949.
Price: US$85.00 + shipping
Description: First edition and first printing. Hardcover. Number 138 from an edition of 245 copies. A collection of essays from this accomplished writer who was Poet Laureate from 1943 to 1944. An about good copy copy in paper covered boards with a leather spine which has rubbing and wear. No dust jacket. Internally a clean copy.
Seller: Jeff Hirsch Books, ABAA, Wadsworth, IL, U.S.A.
Price: US$175.00 + shipping
Description: 8vo. 102, [1]pp. Original leather-backed boards. Spine worn, FIRST EDITION, LIMITED ISSUE, number 115 of 140 copies from an edition of 245. Printed by Wightman Williams, who cut the woodblocks, and Harry Duncan, who set the type.
Seller: Riverrun Books & Manuscripts, ABAA, Ardsley, NY, U.S.A.
Allen Tate. The Hovering Fly and Other Essays. The Cummington Press, Cummington, 1949.
Price: US$275.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: Near fine, one of 140 copies of the regular unsigned issue on Arches paper, quarter cloth over brown laid-paper boards. Very tight clean copy, corners completely sharp, no markings of any kind in the book. Tiny scuff on the paper spine label (nicking a letter). Lovely bright copy. Caligraphic "compliments of the author" card laid in. Nice clean book.
Seller: Blue Sky Rare Books, Palm Springs, CA, U.S.A.
Tate, Allen. The Hovering Fly and Other Essays. Cummington Press, Cummington ,Ma, 1949.
Price: US$300.00 + shipping
Description: Inscribed by Tate in 1958 on front free endsheet Very good. Slight chipping to spine ends. Otherwise an excellent letter-press volume. Decorated throughout with small, delicate woodblock prints in chocolate-colored ink. Former owner's gift inscription on front endsheet 1/4 brown leather with dark gray boards Number 168 of an edition limited to 245 copies.
Seller: Weller Book Works, A.B.A.A., Salt Lake City, UT, U.S.A.
Tate, Allen. The hovering fly & other essays. Cummington School of the Arts, Cummington, Mass, 1949.
Price: US$375.00 + shipping
Description: Edition limited to 245 numbered copies (this, no. 151), 8vo, pp. [4], 102, [2]; printed in blue, red and black; 26 woodblocks by Williams; original brown morocco-backed gray paper-covered boards; spine a little rubbed, else very good. From the library of Kim Merker. Of this edition the first 12 contained an original drawing with hand-colored illustrations; the next 93 were printed on Van Gelder and are signed by Tate and Williams; the last 80 (as here) are unsigned. Allen Tate was the U.S. Poet Laureate from 1943 to 1944.
Seller: Rulon-Miller Books (ABAA / ILAB), St. Paul, MN, U.S.A.
TATE, Allen.. The Hovering Fly.. Cummington Mass. Cummington Press, 1949.
Price: US$453.75 + shipping
Description: First edition, first printing. One of the 93 special copies signed by the author and artist. (There were copies hand-coloured and a further 140 unsigned copies) Publisher's natural linen, black leather title label to spine gilt, and a further one depicting the bee. Bookplate to front paste down with a little 'bleed' from the adhesive, trace of erasure to the front free endpaper but a near-fine copy of a particularly handsome book. One of a number of Tate's books to be printed by the Cummington Press and probably the most handsome. Prints a number of the author's marvellous literary essays.
Seller: Shapero Rare Books, London, United Kingdom