"COMMONER THAN WATER, CRUELLER THAN TRUTH"
THOMAS, Dylan. Quite Early One Morning. New York: New Directions, (1954). Octavo, original gray cloth, original dust jacket.
First edition of the highly expanded and revised collection of Thomas' radio broadcasts, published in America the year after his death and the month after the shorter English edition, this edition featuring the first printing in book form of the American version of A Child's Christmas in Wales and other works not present in the English edition.
"Shortly before his sudden illness and death, Thomas sketched out plans for such a volume of prose pieces to be called Quiet Early One Morning." The English edition was "made up solely of broadcasts as Thomas delivered them." This American edition "differs considerably from the English edition,… [with] a number of stories and articles published in magazines and… more finished versions of the broadcast talks, as Thomas revised them for publication" (Publisher's Note). This edition, published December 15, 1954, "cannot be regarded properly as the 'second edition' since it contents differ considerably" from the first English edition, published November 4, 1954 (Rolph B.23). First issue with no statement of printings on the dust jacket front flap. Containing 25 works, including the "first printing in book form" of the 1950 Harper's Bazaar serialization of Child's Christmas in Wales (Rolph C.17), as well as many revised versions of works in the English edition, and some not present there, such as Replies to an Enquiry and How to be a Poet. Rolph, B.24. Maud, 22-3.
A fine copy.