James Stephens - The Insurrection in Dublin, inscribed presentation copy

Description: The Insurrection in Dublin, an inscribed presentation copy James Stephens London: Maunsel & Company, 1919 New edition Condition: Good This is an inscribed 1919 edition of Irish writer James Stephens’s personal account of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin. The inscription, inked in two lines on the title page between the title and author’s name, reads “To Alice & Harry Saffin | From James Stephens”. At the time, Stephens was serving as Registrar of the National Gallery of Ireland. “From the vantage point of the gallery premises in Merrion Square, Stephens observed the fighting around St. Stephen’s Green in Easter week 1916; his instant book on the rising, The Insurrection in Dublin (1916), is regarded as the most vivid account by a contemporary observer of the changing moods and scenes of Dublin during the rising…” (Dictionary of Irish Biography) This inscribed copy is "A NEW EDITION" of 1919, so stated on the title page. Condition is only good, owing solely to the aesthetic deterioration of the spine. While the gray, paper-covered boards and the paper front cover label are firmly intact, significant portions of the spine paper – nearly half – are gone, exposing the intact mull beneath. The boards show only modest wear to extremities. The contents are clean and bright with no spotting and no previous ownership marks apart from the author’s inscription. James Stephens (1880?- 1950) began to contribute stores to the journal United Irishman (later Sinn Fein) in 1905, “at first anonymously and generally without payment” before becoming a regular contributor from 1907. This led to Stephens’s discovery by George William Russell (to whom Stephens dedicated his first published volume of poetry, 1909’s Insurrections) and gave Stephens “access to Dublin literary circles". Stephens went on to write half a dozen novels and a dozen volumes of poetry, as well as several plays, short stories, retellings of Irish folktales, this historical account of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, and a biographic portrait of the founder of Sinn Fein. In 1925 Stephens relocated to London, reflecting “disillusionment with the political and literary scene in post-civil war Ireland.” In England, he moved in British literary circles and struck up a friendship with James Joyce “who in 1927 left instructions that if he died before finishing Finnegans Wake Stephens was to complete it.” Stephens also became a BBC broadcaster. Though Stephens declared himself an Englishman in 1940 in protest at Irish neutrality in the Second World War, he visited Dublin in 1947 to receive a Doctor in Letters from Trinity College, Dublin. (Dictionary of Irish Biography) Ref #: 007471 CHURCHILL BOOK COLLECTOR We are Churchill Book Collector, a professional bookseller specializing in books and other published works by and about the great twentieth century statesman and acclaimed writer, Sir Winston Churchill. We offer both a singular inventory and approachable expertise. The integrity of our inventory is backed by our membership in the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA), the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), and the Independent Online Booksellers Association (IOBA). Churchill's official biographer, Sir Martin Gilbert, rightly called Churchill's long life "remarkable and versatile". Statesman, soldier, war correspondent, ardent social reformer, combative cold warrior, painter - Churchill was many things, but perhaps above all a master wordsmith. We’re here to help Churchill’s words find your shelves. Our extensive inventory features some of the rarest material offered – including fine first editions and inscribed copies – as well as reading copies and works about Churchill’s life and time. While we specialize in Churchill, our inventory also includes noteworthy first and collectible editions by other authors, ranging from Xenophon to T. E. Lawrence, spanning exploration and empire to twentieth century fiction. We are able to help with anything from finding individual books to assembling full collections, working closely with individual collectors to identify and accommodate their preferences and budget. We are also able to commission preservation cases and fine bindings. Please contact us if you have books to sell. We buy, and in some cases consign, fine and collectible individual items, as well as whole collections.

Price: 120 USD

Location: San Diego, California

End Time: 2025-01-16T04:42:24.000Z

Shipping Cost: 12 USD