Obras I. Lamentaciones. de BORGES, Jorge Luis - ALMAFUERTE - 1906

La Plata: , 1906. First edition, sole impression, of this scarce first instalment in the works of Argentine poet Pedro B. Palacios (1854-1917, who wrote as "Almafuerte"). This is a superb association copy with the ownership inscription of his Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986) to the first blank. Borges in his early career, before turning to short stories in the 1940s, considered himself primarily a poet and literary critic. He was a devotee of Almafuerte and praised him in Evaristo Carriego (1930), also listing him in his prologue of the Antologia Poetica Argentina (1941) as one of the most important Argentine poets. Lamentaciones was the first publication in a projected ten volume series, all instalments of which appear to be very scarce indeed. This copy has the bookseller's ink stamp of the Samet bookshop on the Avenue de Mayo, Buenos Aires, which Borges frequented. Octavo. Original grey wrappers with titles in black and red to front. Housed in a custom red cloth folding case. Wrappers partially chipped from the spine but the book nonetheless sound, extremities somewhat chipped and creased with some toning and faint spotting to the wrappers, but a fair copy.