Kenner, Hugh (Beckett, Samuel; Joyce, James; O'Casey, Sean; Synge, John MIllington; Yeats, William Butler et al.)

A Colder Eye: The Modern Irish Writers with: Ephemera

ISBN: 0394422252
New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1983. First Edition. Hardcover. "From one of the finest critics at work in America today...a brilliant, funny, complicated, altogether dazzling account of the Irish Literary Revival, that surprising explosion of genius which first made itself heard in the last years of the nineteenth century and whose aftershocks are still rumbling through the world of letters. Here are (William Butler) Yeats, (James) Joyce, (John Millington) Synge, (Sean) O'Casey, (Samuel) Beckett, and the rest, disagreeing and complaining and sometimes helping one another- and at the same time producing, in the name of their tiny, impoverished, unlikely country, a literature as splendid and prepotent as anything in our time." (from front flap) A deep, dense & sweeping survey of the great modern Irish writers by Hugh Kenner (1923-2003), the acclaimed & prolific Canadian-born scholar, critic & academician. Hardcover in unclipped first-issue dust jacket (with $16.95 price printed at front flap, "4/83" at rear flap), first edition as stated on copyright page, first printing though not explicated as such by this publisher thereon. With a delightful illustration of seven canonical Irish authors wrapped across front, back covers & spine of jacket by the great Edward Sorel (b. 1929). We found & have retained, between blank rear endpaper & paste-down, a lengthy, erudite review of this volume entitled "Mulligan Stew" by Robert M. Adams from the May 12, 1983 issue of the New York Review of Books, two sheets folded into quarters in very fine condition with moderate browning, slightly irregular edges as issued or cut. From the collection of George Bornstein (1941-2021), scholar, author, academician here at the University of Michigan- & the dearly missed friend & mentor to this writer. The great Irish writers depicted herein, especially Yeats, were Bornstein's scholarly specialization. Throughout this volume are underlingings, highlightings & occasional marginalia in red pencil by Bornstein, never effecting legibility of text & which are, in our estimation, an enrichment from a source as learned & insightful as the author (with whom Bornstein was undoubtedly acquainted). A rewarding collectible of literary criticism & biography in its rarest contemporary form, with very distinguished & relevant provenance. Book in fine condition with very mild rubbing to front, back covers & spine (gilt letters at spine, author initials at front cover appear completely bright & intact); a bit of wear, rubbing & a few tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same. Interior fine with light browning, occasional spotting to blank white front paste-down & endpaper; Bornstein's owner's signature, date (in year of publication) & place in red pencil near upper left corner of front paste-down; more significant browning to rear paste-down & endpaper (due to long placement of ephemera noted above); markings & marginalia at many page leaves (which, as noted above, we consider an enrichment), which otherwise appear quite mint. Dust jacket fine with light rubbing, a touch of browning & faint scratching to front, back covers, spine & flaps; light wear, some tiny bumps, creases & very short, mostly closed tears at edges & corners of same esp. upper spine-edge & corners with minor loss of paper, surface paper. An extra handling fee will be added for shipping due to the weight of this item. Fine / Fine. [Item #5957]

Price: $40.00