Sir John Piers. (WITH CORRECTIONS BY THE AUTHOR, AND TLS)

JOHN BETJEMAN (writing as 'Epsilon').

Published by Mullinger, The Westmeath Examiner [1938].

About this Item

First edition, limited to 50 copies. 8vo. Ten pages stapled into card wrappers, lightly sunned at edges, with the front wrapper serving as title page. With three pencilled corrections in the author's hand. Illustrated with two fairly poorly reproduced photographs of Tristernagh Abbey, and with the author's initialled complements slip laid-in (this last from the 1970s, to judge from the handwriting). Some superficial creasing, and a tiny touch of spotting to several blank leaves. A very good copy of an extremely scarce pseudonymous publication, one of the most fugitive Betjeman items. A spoof biographical study in verse of Sir John Piers, a notorious bankrupt who was tried in 1807 on charges of criminal conspiracy for making a 'diabolical wager' to seduce Lord Cloncurry's wife. Written whilst Betjeman was staying at Packenham Hall, Ireland with Edward and Christine Longford and printed by the local paper. Laid-in is a signed typewritten letter of about sixty words from Betjeman on his Cloth Fair headed paper, dated 14th December 1965 and in the original mailing envelope. Betjeman writes to thanks one Mr. Pitt for sending a "most interest booklet" on Trowbridge parish church "Crabbe's monument is better seen from the photograph than from the nave of the church"). Peterson AA1. Seller Inventory # ARC91257

Bibliographic Details

Title: Sir John Piers. (WITH CORRECTIONS BY THE ...

Publisher: Mullinger, The Westmeath Examiner [1938].

Binding: Soft cover

Condition: Very Good

Edition: 1st Edition