Spender, Stephen

The Still Centre: Poems

London, England, UK: Faber & Faber Ltd., 1946. First Edition, Fourth Printing. Hardcover. Inscribed, signed, placed & dated by Stephen Spender. "I think that there is a certain pressure of external events on poets today, making them tend to write about what is outside their own limited experience. The violence of the times we are living in, the necessity of sweeping and general and immediate action, tend to dwarf the experience of the individual, and to make his immediate environment and occupations perhaps something that he is even ashamed of. For this reason, in my most recent poems, I have deliberately turned back to a kind of writing which is more personal, and I have included within my subjects weakness and fantasy and illusion." (Stephen Spender, from Foreword, pgs. 10-11) An earlier collection of poems by (Sir) Stephen (Harold) Spender (1909-1995), the canonical British poet, novelist & essayist originally associated with the circle of W.H. Auden, a major influence who was his close friend & contemporary colleague. Originally published in May of 1939 on the eve of the Second World War, this copy is from the "Fourth impression June Mcmxlvi(1946)" as stated at copyright page. Hardcover in clipped dust jacket. At shorter title page, Spender has hand-inscribed, signed, placed & dated in bold black cursive ink: "For Jack(?) Wilson/ (signed) Stephen Spender-/ Ann Arbor May/ 1953." Interestingly, after the word "May" at that same line, Spender wrote the first 1&1/2 numbers of "1953," the last 2&1/2 placed at right margin of recto following leaf (title page); the date can be seen in its entirety when you place the preceding page slightly behind it. Sir Stephen must have realised his mistake & re-dated at signature page. It is also notable that this took place right here in Ann Arbor, undoubtedly when Spender was visiting the University of Michigan as part of his circuit of prestigious readings/professorships. From the collection of Laurence Goldstein (1943-2023), the acclaimed American poet, author, critic, editor & academician here at UM. An essential, exemplary & very popular Spender collectible in its fourth-rarest near-contemporary form; greatly enriched with Spender's most-intriguing inscription, signature, place & date(s), & with highly distinguished, relevant provenance. See also esp. our item No. 6657. Book in relatively quite fine condition with a few faint scratches to red-cloth front, back covers & spine; very slight wear & a few tiny bumps, creases at edges & esp. corners of same; one very faint crease across length of spine (gilt letters thereon appear bright & intact); mild-to-moderate rubbing, age-toning & occasional spotting to edges of text block. Interior fine with moderate-to-significant age-toning to blank front & esp. rear paste-downs & endpapers; light waving & occasional faint creasing to paste-downs that decreasingly extend to first/final few leaves; light age-toning to page leaves esp. at thin margins/edges; minuscule bumps at corners of a few leaves. Dust jacket relatively good-to-near-fine with moderate rubbing, age-toning, faint scratching & occasional spotting, spot-staining to front, back covers, spine & flaps; mild-to-moderate wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; mostly short, closed tears & tiny chips at lower edges/corners; much more significant of same at upper edges/corners with some slight loss of paper esp. at upper spine edge; small angled rectangular area of residue (from sticker removal?) at upper right area of front cover slightly affecting graphic illustration; price notation in pencil at upper left area of blank rear flap which we have retained as possibly from its origin in Great Britain, but can be removed. Fine / Good-Near Fine. [Item #9385]

Price: $100.00 save 10% $90.00