Variorum Edition of the Poems of W.B. Yeats - First Edition - Signed - William Butler Yeats - Bauman Rare Books

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Variorum Edition of the Poems of W.B. Yeats

William Butler YEATS

Item#: 110912 We're sorry, this item has been sold

Variorum Edition of the Poems of W.B. Yeats

Variorum Edition of the Poems of W.B. Yeats

COMPREHENSIVE SIGNED LIMITED EDITION OF YEATS' POEMS

YEATS, William Butler. The Variorum Edition of the Poems of W.B. Yeats. New York: Macmillan, 1957. Large thick octavo, original red and tan cloth.

Signed limited first edition, number 707 of 825 copies signed by Yeats.

Few poets revised as frequently or extensively as did Yeats. This volume contains variant wordings from a wide range of published sources, from the first appearance of individual poems to their final appearance in various collections, each footnoted with Yeats' emendations. With an appendix containing Yeats' own notes regarding the poems. As was occasionally the case with popular authors, Yeats signed his name to a number of specially printed sheets to be tipped into publications after his death. Without original acetate and slipcase. Wade 211N.

A fine signed copy.

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Aquatint Copperplate process by which the plate is “bitten” by exposure to acid. By changing the areas of the plate that are exposed and the length of time the plate is submerged in the acid bath, the engraver can obtain fine and varying shades of gray that closely resemble watercolor washes. Although the name contains the word “tint”, this is a black-and-white printing process; aquatint plates can often be hand colored, however.
Armorial Used to describe a binding bearing the coat of arms of the original owner, or with bookplates incorporating the owner’s arms.
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Boards Hard front and rear covers of a bound book which are covered in cloth, leather or paper. “Original boards” refers to cardboard-like front and back boards, from about 1700 to 1840, used as temporary protection for books before their purchasers would have them bound. Of particular value to collectors as evidence of a very early form of the book.
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Calf Binding material made from cowhide—versatile, durable, usually tan or brown in color, of smooth texture with no or little apparent grain. Readily marbled (“tree calf”), mottled, diced, colored, polished, tooled in gilt or blind, even scented (known as “russia”). Reverse calf, with a distinctive suede-like texture, is occasionally used.
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Doublure Pastedowns made not of paper but of leather, for decorative purposes.
Duodecimo (12MO) Smaller than an octavo, typically less than six inches tall; smaller formats, such as 24mo and 32mo, are uncommon.
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