Armed October and Other Poems.

WHISTLER, Laurence & Rex.

Published by London: Cobden-Sanderson, 1932

About this Item

First edition, first impression, the dedication copy, inscribed by Laurence on the front free endpaper, "My darling Helen - from Laurie. May 31, 1932"; the dedication page is printed "To Helen Henschel". The dedicatee has made occasional pencil markings to the text and one annotation, which identifies the subject of the poem "A Sleeping Child": Henschel writes, "This is Joan, aged 10" (p. 31). Henschel (1882-1973) was the daughter of the conductor Sir George and an accomplished musician in her own right, training under the pianist Alma Haas, the violinist Enrique Fernández Arbós, and at the Royal College of Music. Her biography of her father is titled When Soft Voices Die (1944). Laurence Whistler's first collection of poems, Armed October won him the inaugural 1934 King's Gold Medal for Poetry, a prize that continues to be awarded annually to this day. Loosely inserted is a review of the work, clipped from The Scotsman, 18 August 1932, stating that "the quality of the poems, their arrangement and the imaginative headpieces by Rex Whistler make the book a pleasant one to possess". Octavo. Text by Laurence Whistler. Illustrations by Rex Whistler. Original brown cloth-backed yellow illustrated boards, spine lettered in gilt. Inlaid bookseller's typed note on the recipient. Boards soiled, rubbing to extremities, wear to corners, sporadic small spots and marks to contents. A very good copy. Seller Inventory # 160945

Bibliographic Details

Title: Armed October and Other Poems.

Publisher: London: Cobden-Sanderson, 1932

Signed: Signed by Author(s)

Edition: 1st Edition