The Tower

The First UK printing published by Macmillan & Co.Ltd., London in 1928. The BOOK is in near Fine condition. Original publisher's olive-green cloth, spine and upper cover lettered and elaborately decorated in gilt with one of Thomas Sturge Moore's most striking cover engravings, depicting Ballylee and its reflection. All edges are untrimmed. Free from inscriptions and internally very clean. Light pushing at the spine tips. The scarce WRAPPER is complete and is in near Fine condition. The sea-green pictorial wrapper is printed in black and repeats Sturge Moore's cover design. It is correctly priced '6/- net' to the lower front flap. A little toning and slight rubbing in places to the spine. The wrapper has undergone some expert professional restoration to the extreme spine tips and it now presents as a very striking example in the removable Brodart archival cover. One of only 2000 copies of this cornerstone of the Modern Movement, which is generally accepted to be Yeats's single most important collection. 'The Tower' includes many of Yeats's greatest and most enduring poems, including 'Sailing to Byzantium', 'Nineteen Hundred and Nineteen', 'Leda and the Swan', and 'Among School Children'. Connolly described it as 'a peak in English poetry' and the ODNB 'the summit of Yeats's creative achievement. He thought it the best book he had written, and he was right.' An extremely scarce, sharp copy with such attributes, housed in a custom solander box with gilt titling and marbled inserts. More images available on request. Ashton Rare Books welcomes direct contact.