THE GOOD SOLDIER

New York / London: John Lane / Bodley Head, 1915. First edition, American issue. One of his most famous and most scarce works, a novel set before World War I chronicling the tragic lives of two couples using intricate flashbacks. Provenance, R. P Blackmur, poet, critic and teacher, with his blind-stamps to heads of front free endpaper and half-title pages. Light wear to corners and spine tips, spine lettering a bit dulled but readable otherwise very good lacking dust jacket. 1972 TLS on Cornell University Department of English letterhead to "Dearest Bibsy" from "Daddy" with family and departmental gossip and explanation of the book's value, "Maybe you can sell it some day at Parke-Benet and buy one of your grandchildren a sailboat" (but not all of them, alas). ALS from "Mother" on verso witih a bit more family and departmental gossip. ONE OF HIS MOST FAMOUS & MOST SCARCE WORKS