Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Eliot, T.S.. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. Faber and Faber, London, 1939.
Price: US$6500.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: First Edition, First Printing SIGNED by T.S. Eliot on a laid in signature. A beautiful dustjacket that is rich in color with NO chips or tears with minor repair. The book is in excellent condition. The binding is tight, and the boards are crisp with minor wear to the edges. The pages are clean with NO writing, marks or bookplates in the book. A beautiful copy of this SIGNED by the author. We buy Eliot First Editions.
Seller: Magnum Opus Rare Books, Missoula, MT, U.S.A.
Price: US$16146.97 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: The First UK printing published by Faber and Faber, London in 1939. The BOOK is in Very Good++ condition. Publisher's original yellow boards with the spine lettered in red and the front with a vignette illustration in red. The boards remain clean with a hint of toning to the edges. Internally, a contemporary gift inscription to the upper front blank end-paper. Very light offsetting to the front blank end-paper with one tiny mark to the lower rear blank end-paper. A few of the pages have been roughly uncut resulting in a small closed tear to the fore-edge of pages 25 and 31, and some irregularity to the upper half of the fore-edge of pages 13 and 15. The WRAPPER is complete and is in Very Good++ condition. A slither of loss at the spine ends with some toning to the spine, folds and edges and some light age related markings. The wrapper artwork (by the author) remains very striking in the removable Brodart archival cover. The book has been signed (without dedication) by the author to the title page. Housed in a custom solander box, with marbled inserts, a silk tie and gilt titling. One of the author's key titles and very rarely found with such attributes. More images available on request. Ashton Rare Books welcomes direct contact.
Seller: Ashton Rare Books ABA : PBFA : ILAB, Market Harborough, United Kingdom
Price: US$22605.75 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: HARDBACK - The book is in very good condition with clean yellow boards. The inner text is clean, free of finger marks or folded pages. The book has been Inscribed by the author, the inscription reads FOR SALLY BLAKE FROM TOM POSSUM. Sally Blake was the daughter of George Blake, the Scottish author, journalist and Broadcaster. Sally Blake's father became friends with Eliot after being made director of Faber & Faber in 1930, and as Sally Blake herself recalls, in August 1942 he invited Eliot to his home in East Devon Lodge in Dollar, Scotland. There was much anticipation in the Blake household at the prospect of Eliot's visit, and some anxiety on the part of Sally over the imminent arrival of the 'important man'. Knowing that Blake had an eight year old daughter, Eliot had brought with him this copy of Old Possum which he duly Inscribed to Sally. He did spend some time reading to the girl, but rather than his own poems, he chose the Uncle Remus stories of Joel Chandler Harris. Unfortunately, he also chose to adopt a deep southern American accent, which much have sounded entirely foreign, and perhaps a little frightening, to young Scottish ears. At any rate Sally was unsettled to the point of tears, and looking back now, she suggests that the poet rather put the enjoyment of his own performance above the sensibilities of his young listener. The dust wrapper is in very good condition with a little browning to the spine. There are a couple of small closed tears, with a little rubbing to the folds. The dust wrapper has not been price clipped, and presents as a very nice clean example.
Seller: West Hull Rare Books - P.B.F.A., Hull, YORKS, United Kingdom
Eliot, T. S.. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. Faber and Faber, London, 1939.
Price: US$24000.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: First edition of T. S. Eliot's whimsical collection of poems about feline psychology and sociology. Inscribed by the author, though Elliot's name not signed, "To Edith with love / Christmas 1939". A warm and personal inscription. Though impossible to prove, this might be inscribed to avant garde poet Edith Sitwell, one cannot say for certain. Elizabeth Salter in The Last Years of a Rebel: A Memoir Of Edith Sitwell cites a note Sitwell circulated to friends circa 1960, "I've not read Mr. Eliot's Book Of Practical Cats, so can you tell me if it is true that he is the author of these lines? I tort I saw a puddy tat .I wonder what put it into my head that he is the author?" Bound in publisher's original pale yellow cloth printed in red. Very Good with light soiling to cloth, light wear at extremities with a slight repair at the crown, contents tanned and lightly thumbed. Eliot wrote these poems in the 1930s and included them, under his assumed name "Old Possum", in letters to his godchildren.
Seller: Burnside Rare Books, ABAA, Portland, OR, U.S.A.