Mervyn Peake — Shapes & Sounds

London, Chatto & Windus, 1941 . First edition. Cloth. A superb first edition of Mervyn Peake's first collected volume of poetry, one of 1,000 copies issued, preserved in the striking original unclipped dust wrapper. In the  publisher's original quarter cloth binding with paper boards. First edition.  Issued in a limited first edition of 1,000 copies, 500 copies were initially bound in October 1941, with the remaining stock sold by March 1942; a further 250 copies were bound from sheets in 1945. Complete with the original unclipped dust wrapper.  The first collected volume of poetry by Mervyn Peake, published five years before Titus Groan. The collection comprises twenty-four poems, including The Cocky Walkers, Rhondda Valley and Palais de Danse, and brings together both previously published work and new poems. In the  publisher's original quarter cloth binding with paper boards. Externally, lovely. One or two very slight marks to boards; very minor shelf wear to extremities. Very minor tape residue to flyleaves, likely a from previous protective cover. Dust wrapper, excellent. Slight discolouration to spine. Very light soiling with the odd very minor mark. Minor edge wear to spine ends. 1cm closed tear to rear joint. Internally, firmly bound. Pages bright and clean with one or two very small spots. Near Fine . Ill.: Mervyn Peake. Near Fine/Near Fine.