A Bibliography of the Writings of D. H. Lawrence
[Illustration]
BOOKS by D. H. LAWRENCE
_Fiction: Novels_
THE WHITE PEACOCK (1911)
THE TRESPASSER (1912)
SONS AND LOVERS (1913)
THE RAINBOW (1915)
WOMEN IN LOVE (1920)
THE LOST GIRL (1920)
AARON’S ROD (1922)
KANGAROO (1923)
THE BOY IN THE BUSH (1924) (with M. L. Skinner)
_Fiction: Short Stories and Novelle_
THE PRUSSIAN OFFICER (1914)
ENGLAND, MY ENGLAND (1922)
THE LADYBIRD (1923)
ST. MAWR (_In preparation_)
_Poetry_
LOVE POEMS AND OTHERS (1913)
AMORES (1916)
LOOK! WE HAVE COME THROUGH! (1917)
NEW POEMS (1918)
BAY (1919)
TORTOISES (1921)
BIRDS, BEASTS AND FLOWERS (1923)
_Drama_
THE WIDOWING OF MRS. HOLROYD (1914)
TOUCH AND GO (1920)
_Travel_
TWILIGHT IN ITALY (1916)
SEA AND SARDINIA (1921)
_Metaphysics_
PSYCHOANALYSIS AND THE UNCONSCIOUS (1921)
FANTASIA OF THE UNCONSCIOUS (1922)
_History_
MOVEMENTS IN EUROPEAN HISTORY (1921)
_Criticism_
STUDIES IN CLASSIC AMERICAN LITERATURE (1923)
_Translation_
MASTRO-DON GESUALDO, by Giovanni Verga (1923)
LITTLE NOVELS OF SICILY, by Giovanni Verga (1925)
[Illustration: D. H. Lawrence]
A Bibliography
of the Writings of
D. H. Lawrence
By
Edward D. McDonald
With a Foreword by D. H. Lawrence
[Illustration]
PHILADELPHIA
THE CENTAUR BOOK SHOP
1925
COPYRIGHT 1925 BY
THE CENTAUR BOOK SHOP
CONTENTS
PAGE
THE BAD SIDE OF BOOKS, BY D. H. LAWRENCE 9
INTRODUCTION 15
FIRST EDITIONS:
THE WHITE PEACOCK 23
THE TRESPASSER 26
LOVE POEMS AND OTHERS 28
SONS AND LOVERS 30
THE WIDOWING OF MRS. HOLROYD 33
THE PRUSSIAN OFFICER AND OTHER STORIES 34
THE RAINBOW 36
TWILIGHT IN ITALY 39
AMORES 41
LOOK! WE HAVE COME THROUGH! 43
NEW POEMS 44
BAY 45
TOUCH AND GO 47
WOMEN IN LOVE 48
THE LOST GIRL 52
MOVEMENTS IN EUROPEAN HISTORY 54
PSYCHOANALYSIS AND THE UNCONSCIOUS 56
TORTOISES 60
SEA AND SARDINIA 61
AARON’S ROD 64
FANTASIA OF THE UNCONSCIOUS 65
ENGLAND, MY ENGLAND 67
THE LADYBIRD 70
STUDIES IN CLASSIC AMERICAN LITERATURE 71
KANGAROO 73
BIRDS, BEASTS AND FLOWERS 74
THE BOY IN THE BUSH 76
TRANSLATION:
MASTRO-DON GESUALDO 81
CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOOKS:
I. POETRY 85
II. PROSE 101
CONTRIBUTIONS TO PERIODICALS:
I. POETRY 111
II. PROSE 119
STUDIES AND REVIEWS:
I. IN BOOKS 131
II. IN PERIODICALS 137
THE BAD SIDE OF BOOKS
BY D. H. LAWRENCE
There doesn’t seem much excuse for me, sitting under a little cedar tree
at the foot of the Rockies, looking at the pale desert disappearing
westward, with hummocks of shadow rising in the stillness of incipient
autumn, this morning, the near pine trees perfectly still, the sunflowers
and the purple michaelmas daisies moving for the first time, this
morning, in an invisible breath of breeze, to be writing an introduction
to a bibliography.
Books to me are incorporate things, voices in the air, that do not
disturb the haze of autumn, and visions that don’t blot out the
sunflowers. What do I care for first or last editions? I have never read
one of my own published works. To me, no book has a date, no book has a
binding.
What do I care if “e” is somewhere upside down, or “g” comes from the
wrong fount? I really don’t.
And when I force myself to remember, what pleasure is there in that? The
very first copy of _The White Peacock_ that was ever sent out, I put into
my mother’s hands when she was dying. She looked at the outside, and then
at the title-page, and then at me, with darkening eyes. And though she
loved me so much, I think she doubted whether it could be much of a book,
since no-one more important than I had written it. Somewhere, in the
helpless privacies of her being, she had wistful respect for me. But for
me in the face of the world, not much. This David would never get a stone
across at Goliath. And why try? Let Goliath alone!—Anyway, she was beyond
reading my first immortal work. It was put aside, and I never wanted to
see it again. She never saw it again.
After the funeral, my father struggled through half a page, and it might
as well have been Hottentot.
“And what dun they gi’e thee for that, lad?”
“Fifty pounds, father.”
“Fifty pound!” He was dumbfounded, and looked at me with shrewd eyes, as
if I were a swindler. “Fifty pound! An’ tha’s niver done a day’s hard
work in thy life.”
I think to this day, he looks upon me as a sort of cleverish swindler,
who gets money for nothing: a sort of Ernest Hooley. And my sister says,
to my utter amazement: “You _always_ were lucky!”
Somehow, it is the actual corpus and substance, the actual paper and rag
volume of any of my works, that calls up these personal feelings and
memories. It is the miserable tome itself which somehow delivers me to
the vulgar mercies of the world. The voice inside is mine forever. But
the beastly marketable chunk of a published volume is a bone which every
dog presumes to pick with me.
William Heinemann published _The White Peacock_. I saw him once; and then
I realized what an immense favour he was doing me. As a matter of fact,
he treated me quite well.
I remember, at the last minute, when the book was all printed and ready
to bind: some even bound: they sent me in great haste a certain page
with a marked paragraph. Would I remove this paragraph, as it might be
considered “objectionable,” and substitute an exactly identical number
of obviously harmless words. Hastily I did so. And later, I noticed that
the two pages, on one of which was the altered paragraph, were rather
loose, not properly bound in to the book.—Only my mother’s copy had the
paragraph unchanged.
I have wondered often if Heinemann’s just altered the “objectionable” bit
in the first little batch of books they sent out, then left the others as
first printed. Or whether they changed all but the one copy they sent me
ahead.
It was my first experience of the objectionable. Later, William Heinemann
said he thought _Sons and Lovers_ one of the dirtiest books he had ever
read. He refused to publish it.—I should not have thought the deceased
gentleman’s reading had been so circumspectly narrow.
I forget the first appearance of _The Trespasser_ and _Sons and Lovers_.
I always hide the fact of publication from myself as far as possible. One
writes, even at this moment, to some mysterious presence in the air. If
that presence were not there, and one thought of even a single solitary
actual reader, the paper would remain forever white.
But I always remember how, in a cottage by the sea, in Italy, I re-wrote
almost entirely that play, _The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd_, right on the
proofs which Mitchell Kennerley had sent me. And he nobly forbore with me.
But then he gave me a nasty slap. He published _Sons and Lovers_ in
America, and one day, joyful, arrived a cheque for twenty pounds. Twenty
pounds in those days was a little fortune: and as it was a windfall, it
was handed over to Madame; the first pin-money she had seen. Alas and
alack, there was an alteration in the date of the cheque, and the bank
would not cash it. It was returned to Mitchell Kennerley, but that was
the end of it. He never made good, and never to this day made any further
payment for _Sons and Lovers_. Till this year of grace 1924, America has
had that, my most popular book, for nothing—as far as I am concerned.
Then came the first edition of _The Rainbow_. I’m afraid I set my rainbow
in the sky too soon, before, instead of after the deluge. Methuen
published that book, and he almost wept before the magistrate, when he
was summoned for bringing out a piece of indecent literature. He said
he did not know the dirty thing he had been handling, he had not read
the work, his reader had misadvised him—and _Peccavi! Peccavi!_ wept the
now be-knighted gentleman. Then around me arose such a fussy sort of
interest, as when a really scandalous bit of scandal is being whispered
about one. In print my fellow-authors kept scrupulously silent, lest a
bit of the tar might stick to them. Later Arnold Bennett and May Sinclair
raised a kindly protest. But John Galsworthy told me, very calmly and ex
cathedra, he thought the book a failure as a work of art.—They think as
they please. But why not wait till I ask them, before they deliver an
opinion to me? Especially as impromptu opinions by elderly authors are
apt to damage him who gives as much as him who takes.
There is no more indecency or impropriety in _The Rainbow_ than there is
in this autumn morning—I, who say so, ought to know. And when I open my
mouth, let no dog bark.
So much for the first edition of _The Rainbow_. The only copy of any
of my books I ever keep is my copy of Methuen’s _Rainbow_. Because
the American editions have all been mutilated. And this is almost my
favourite among my novels: this, and _Women in Love_. And I should really
be best pleased if it were never re-printed at all, and only those blue,
condemned volumes remained extant.
Since _The Rainbow_, one submits to the process of publication as to a
necessary evil: as souls are said to submit to the necessary evil of
being born into the flesh. The wind bloweth where it listeth. And one
must submit to the processes of one’s day. Personally, I have no belief
in the vast public. I believe that only the winnowed few can care. But
publishers, like thistle, must set innumerable seeds on the wind, knowing
most will miscarry.
To the vast public, the autumn morning is only a sort of stage background
against which they can display their own mechanical importance. But to
some men still the trees stand up and look around at the daylight, having
woven the two ends of darkness together into visible being and presence.
And soon, they will let go the two ends of darkness again, and disappear.
A flower laughs once, and having had his laugh, chuckles off into seed,
and is gone. Whence? Whither? Who knows, who cares? That little laugh of
achieved being is all.
So it is with books. To every man who struggles with his own soul in
mystery, a book that is a book flowers once, and seeds, and is gone.
First editions or forty-first are only the husks of it.
Yet if it amuses a man to save the husks of the flower that opened once
for the first time, one can understand that too. It is like the costumes
that men and women used to wear, in their youth, years ago, and which now
stand up rather faded in museums. With a jolt they reassemble for us the
day-to-day actuality of the by-gone people, and we see the trophies once
more of man’s eternal fight with inertia.
_Lobo_
_September 1st, 1924_
INTRODUCTION
This book, a record of the published writings of Mr. D. H. Lawrence,
follows the general plan of the _Centaur Bibliographies_ which have
preceded it. The opening section contains collations of the first issues
of Mr. Lawrence’s books, twenty-seven in all. Among these collations
is that of _Movements in European History_, a book written by Mr.
Lawrence, published under the _nom de plume_ Lawrence H. Davison, and
never heretofore openly attributed to him. Many of the collations are
accompanied by notes. Some of these discuss bibliographical points which
could not be adequately covered in the more technical descriptions of the
books; others estimate the relative scarcity of the various items, or
give information about interesting editions after the first; a few are
critical.
Since ten of Mr. Lawrence’s books were first published in America, some
consistent method had to be found for ranking the American “firsts” of
an English author. The plan adopted for this work was to list the first
publication of each book, regardless of place of publication, as the
real first edition of that book. It was difficult to escape the logic
and common-sense of this solution of a vexing problem. But because
the whimseys, prejudices, and sentiments of book-collectors are often
notoriously free from logical or sensible restraints, all of the first
English editions of Mr. Lawrence are fully described, even though some
of them appeared months after the corresponding American editions.
Preceding each collation, the year, the month, and, in important
instances, the day of publication are given. This information, for the
American books, was supplied especially by Mr. B. W. Huebsch and Mr.
Thomas Seltzer. Similar information about the English books was received
from Mr. Lawrence’s London publishers, but only in part; in the main, the
year and the month of publication were taken from the _English Catalogue
of Books_. Information from this source does not always agree absolutely
with publishers’ records; but it was usually accepted as sufficiently
accurate, since the month of publication at least is oftener a nice
refinement in a bibliography than a significant fact. So much for the
first section of this study.
The other sections are: Translation; Contributions to Books;
Contributions to Periodicals; Studies and Reviews. All but the first of
these require some special comment.
In cataloguing Mr. Lawrence’s writings every reasonable effort was made
(with what success cannot now be told) to insure a complete record of
his numerous and varied contributions to books. In this business it is
plainly impossible to be sure that some items have not been overlooked.
Without in the least attempting to disarm criticism, one may properly
call attention to the great difficulty of running down anthologies of
modern poetry and prose, to the making of which there seems, indeed, to
be no end. Added to this is the even greater difficulty of ascertaining
what these anthologies contain, without examining each one separately.
There simply isn’t an index of modern collections of poetry. And indices
of the short story leave much to be discovered elsewhere.
Nevertheless, under Contributions to Books are listed some thirty volumes
with Lawrence material. They are treated in two ways: the books which
contain Lawrence “first printings between boards” are fully described
and annotated; those which include reprintings only are not described,
but the extent and the source of Mr. Lawrence’s contributions to them
are noted. The former are genuine Lawrence items and should be in a
comprehensive collection of his writings.
In the fourth section of this study will be found an approximately
complete record of Mr. Lawrence’s contributions to periodicals. These
contributions are not, everything considered, numerous. There are reasons
for this. It has not been Mr. Lawrence’s custom to publish novels
serially. He is not a voluminous writer of short stories, contenting
himself, evidently, with being a great one. He has never been much given
to reviewing, or to any other sort of hack-writing. Plainly, these are
not Mr. Lawrence’s ways of keeping the pot boiling.
But numerous or not, the contributions to periodicals are often of
great interest—even for reasons unrelated to technical bibliography.
For example, many American reviewers of _Studies in Classic American
Literature_, published August, 1923, were bewildered by what they
considered a surprise attack along our Parnassian front. Others, less
alarmed but scarcely more informed, found a direct connection between
the book and Mr. Lawrence’s visits to our shores in 1922 and 1923.
“Obviously,” they seemed to reason, “the author of this volume came to
_These States_ for a first-hand view of our literary shrines, and here is
the critical account of his pilgrimage.” All very interesting, if true.
In point of fact, long before 1923 many of the studies, in their first
forms, lay quietly inurned, but recoverable, in the files of the _English
Review_. The earliest study goes back to November, 1918, and most of the
others followed hard upon the first.
There is, too, something for the collector among the contributions to
periodicals. Items of particular interest to him are commented upon. In
this connection, a special effort was made to list the Lawrence material
in out-of-the-way magazines. Some of this sort to which Mr. Lawrence
contributed were, alas, not long for this hard world. _The Blue Review_,
_The Signature_, and _The Seven Arts_ are typical examples of such
ephemera.
Although perhaps a majority of Mr. Lawrence’s contributions to
periodicals were subsequently used in certain of his works, many remain
uncollected. The notes which follow the separate items will usually
enable the curious to distinguish the collected from the uncollected.
They will also show that Mr. Lawrence often altered the titles of poems
and stories before including them in his books. But there the notes
stop. No consistent effort was made to deal with the larger phase of Mr.
Lawrence’s textual revisions. That lies outside the scope of this volume.
However, a comparison, say, of the stories in _The Prussian Officer_ with
their first published forms will show that Mr. Lawrence’s revisions go
much beyond titles.
Regarding the chronological lists of Studies and Reviews little need
be said—except perhaps in apology. They do not, strictly, belong in a
volume of this sort, but were finally included for whatever value they
might have as an index to the critical comment on Mr. Lawrence’s writings
since the publication of _The White Peacock_. The lists make no claim
to completeness. Nevertheless, they are probably more inclusive than
they should be. Along with much that is fine, they contain much that is
pointless and futile. But this is not surprising: the average critic
sitting in judgment of Mr. Lawrence is quickly _au bout de son latin_.
Such, then, is the general plan of this bibliographical study. Designed
primarily to meet the needs of Lawrence collectors, it will also be
serviceable to students of what is now the most brilliant and challenging
career in really contemporary English literature. And it may have a
further use. Although Mr. Lawrence is quite without the sort of pride
in authorship that busies itself with shapes of books or records of
publications, he may nevertheless find in this glorified card-index some
usefulness. If so, I shall be repaid for the making of it.
And now a word of thanks for help on this book must go especially to Mr.
Lawrence, to Mr. Harold T. Mason, to Mr. David Jester, Jr., and to Mr.
Carroll Frey. Mr. Lawrence first told me about _Movements in European
History_, and he has generously forwarded my work in other ways. The
intrepid publishers of this volume made it possible for me to examine
duplicates of the various Lawrence items, and Mr. Mason’s knowledge of
the investiture of the books herein described was frequently drawn upon.
Mr. Frey helped with the typography—which in a book like the present
is no small matter. I am also indebted to a number of people, both in
England and America, for replies to many sorts of questions.
An appropriate conclusion to this introduction would be, I have no doubt,
a solemn recital of the General Confession. But there’s no good here
prating of things done or left undone. There simply isn’t. Bibliolatry
has its virtues, but sweet charity is not among them. Indeed she’s not.
All this by way of letting the users of this book know that reports of
my sins of omission and commission will be received with true stoical
fortitude.
EDWARD D. MCDONALD
_Philadelphia_
_October 15, 1924_
FIRST EDITIONS
(1)
THE WHITE PEACOCK
Published January 1911
THE / WHITE PEACOCK / By / D. H. Lawrence / (_publisher’s device_) /
London / William Heinemann / 1911
COLLATION:—pp. iv + 496, consisting of half-title (with list of
_New 6s. Novels_—eleven items—in upper left of verso), pp. (i,
ii); title-page, as above (with _Copyright, London, 1911, by
William Heinemann, and Washington, U.S.A._, / _by Duffield and
Company_ at foot of verso), pp. (iii, iv); fly-leaf, with _Part
I_ and signature _1_ on recto (verso blank), pp. (1, 2); text,
pp. 3-496. There is no printer’s imprint. There are divisional
fly-leaves, which mark the three parts of the book, at pp. (1,
2), (189, 190), (359, 360). Pp. (2), (188), (190), (358), (360)
blank.
Crown 8vo, 7⁷⁄₁₆ × 4¾; issued in greenish dark blue cloth; front cover
has across top three-panel rectangular form in black, middle panel of
which encloses lettering and ornamentation in white as follows: _The
White_ / _Peacock_ / (three dots) / _D. H._ / _Lawrence_; end panels
enclose conventionalized rose-bush designs in black. Backbone ornamented
and lettered across in gilt: (heavy line) / _The White_ / _Peacock_ /
(three dots) / _D. H._ / _Lawrence_ / (heavy line) / (heavy line) /
_Heinemann_ / (heavy line). Back cover has at center blind stamp of
publisher’s device. Top and fore edges cut; bottom edges untrimmed.
End-papers white.
_The White Peacock_, Mr. Lawrence’s first book, was published by William
Heinemann from plates imported from Duffield and Company, New York. The
omission of the English printer’s imprint was, however, accidental, not
intentional. The exact date of the publication of the English edition
was January 20, 1911, while that of the American issue was January
19. It is evident, therefore, that _The White Peacock_ was meant to
appear simultaneously in England and America. The book was, of course,
manufactured late in 1910, and copyright proceedings were begun in both
countries in this year, which is, in fact, given in the copyright notice
in the American book.
The first binding order on the English _White Peacock_, I am informed by
William Heinemann, Ltd., was for 750 copies. The second binding order was
for a like number. The two bindings differ on one point. The first has a
blind stamp of the Heinemann device, the wind-mill, on the back cover;
the second has not. However, both “cases,” which are otherwise alike,
contain the first printed sheets. The inadvertent omission of the stamp
from the second binding is the sort of variation which often occurs when
the same sheets are bound at different times.
Copies of the first edition of _The White Peacock_ are now genuinely
scarce. The book is seldom listed in catalogues, where later Lawrence
items are usually to be found. It is well known that certain books of
comparatively recent publication tend, for one reason or another, to
disappear. These are often first books, the initial editions of which
are seldom large. _The White Peacock_, a notable first novel, is a good
example of this tendency. I believe that the Heinemann _White Peacock_
is as scarce as the Methuen _Rainbow_, universally regarded as the
rarest Lawrence item. Certain it is that I have seen more copies of _The
Rainbow_ in fine condition than I have seen of _The White Peacock_ in any
condition.
Collectors who have a copy of this book, and who are curious about Mr.
Lawrence’s comment on the textual change made after the sheets were
bound, will probably find a tipped-in leaf at pages 229 and 230. I have
examined only four copies. All of these had the inserted leaf. I suspect
the bowdlerizing was efficient and thorough, but I cannot, under the
circumstances, be sure. However, in connection with this textual change
appears my reason for including a collation of the American first edition
of this book. The Duffield text is unaltered, as a comparison of the
English and American editions of 1911 will show.
(1A)
THE WHITE PEACOCK
Published January 1911
THE / WHITE PEACOCK / A Novel / By / D. H. Lawrence / (_publishers’
device_) / New York / Duffield & Company / 1911
COLLATION:—pp. viii + 496, consisting of blank leaf, pp. (i,
ii); half-title (verso blank), pp. (iii, iv); title-page, as
above (with _Copyright, 1910, by_ / _Duffield & Company_ / (a
line) / _The Trow Press, New York_ on verso), pp. (v, vi);
table of _Contents_ (verso blank), pp. (vii, viii); fly-leaf,
with _Part I_ on recto (verso blank), pp. (1, 2); text, pp.
3-496. There are divisional fly-leaves, which mark the three
parts of the book, at pp. (1, 2), (189, 190), (359, 360). Pp.
(2), (188), (190), (358), (360) blank.
Crown 8vo, 7⅜ × 5; issued in light blue cloth; front cover ornamented and
lettered in white and dark blue as follows: (a spread peacock, in white
and dark blue) / (a line, in dark blue) / (a heavier broken line, in the
same) / _The White Peacock_ / _D. H. Lawrence_ / (all lettering in white,
and is with all ornamentation surrounded by one-line border in dark
blue). Backbone lettered in white: _The_ / _White_ / _Peacock_ / (a line)
/ _Lawrence_ / _Duffield_ Back cover blank. All edges cut. End-papers
white.
(2)
THE TRESPASSER
Published May 1912
THE TRESPASSER / By / D. H. Lawrence / (_publishers’ device_) / London:
Duckworth & Co. / Henrietta Street, Covent Garden / 1912
COLLATION:—pp. iv + 292, consisting of half-title (verso
blank), pp. (i, ii); title-page, as above (with _All rights
reserved._ in center of verso), pp. (iii, iv); text, pp.
(1)-292. Printers’ imprint, beneath thin line, at foot of p.
292 as follows: _Billing and Sons, Ltd., Printers, Guildford_
At end of volume there is 20-page, numbered but undated,
catalogue of _A Selection from_ / _Duckworth & Co.’s_ / _List
of Publications_
Crown 8vo, 7¼ × 4⅞; issued in dark blue cloth; front cover has, at top
and bottom only, thick line border, with thin inner line—both in blind;
and inside of gilt circle at center is lettered in gilt as follows: _The_
/ _Trespasser_ / _By the Author of_ / _“The White_ / _Peacock”_ Backbone
ornamented and lettered across in gilt: (one thick, one thin line at
top) / _The_ / _Trespasser_ / _D. H._ / _Lawrence_ / _Duckworth_ / (one
thin, one thick line at bottom). Back cover has at center blind stamp of
publishers’ device, but is otherwise blank. All edges cut. End-papers
white.
Dealers in modern first editions call _The Trespasser_ a “hard” book.
It _is_ scarce, but the dealers protest too much. Surely they are not
correct in assuming, as they frequently do, that _The Trespasser_ is as
scarce as the Heinemann _White Peacock_, even if good copies of it are
difficult to come by—as they certainly are.
Although the above is the genuine first issue of _The Trespasser_, there
are extant copies identical with it on the inside, but in a light green
“case,” lettered on the front in black and on the backbone in gilt—except
_Duckworth_, which is in black. The curious who have at hand a first
edition of Mr. W. H. Davies’ _Beggars_, also published by Duckworth, will
know the cover-design of _The Trespasser_ in green. The texture and the
color of the cloths differ somewhat. I know nothing about this unusual
form, except that the copy I have is on the inside, page for page,
identical with the above. One other copy has been reported to me, by Mr.
Arthur Rogers, an English dealer.
The publishers (their file copies of _The Trespasser_ having disappeared)
are a bit vague, but they suggest that perhaps copies for the Colonial
market were bound in green. This may be the answer; but since the green
“case” is certainly more elaborate, and was probably more expensive than
the blue, one suspects the former may have been a “trial” binding.
The first American edition of _The Trespasser_ was published, from the
Duckworth sheets, by Mitchell Kennerley, New York, 1912.
(3)
LOVE POEMS AND OTHERS
Published February 1913
LOVE (_dot_) POEMS / AND (_dot_) OTHERS / By (_dot_) D. H. Lawrence /
Author of “The White Peacock” “The Trespasser” / Duckworth (_dot_) and
(_dot_) Co. / Covent (_dot_) Garden (_dot_) London / MCMXIII
COLLATION:—pp. 6 (preceded by blank leaf) + lxiv, consisting
of half-title (verso blank), pp. (1, 2); title-page, as
above (with _Several of these Poems have_ / _appeared in the
“English_ / _Review,” the “Nation,” and_ / _the “Westminster
Gazette.”_ in center of verso), pp. (3, 4); table of
_Contents_, pp. (5, 6); text, pp. i-(lxiv). Printers’ imprint,
beneath line, at foot of p. (lxiv) as follows: _Turnbull and
Spears, Printers, Edinburgh_
Large cr. 8vo, 8⅝ × 6; issued in dark blue cloth; front cover has
one-line border in blind, and at upper left is lettered in gilt as
follows: _Love Poems_ / _and Others_ / _By_ / _D. H. Lawrence_ Backbone
ornamented and lettered across in gilt: (one thick, one thin line at top)
/ _Love_ / _Poems_ / _and_ / _Others_ / (a line) / _D. H._ / _Lawrence_
/ _Duckworth_ / (one thin, one thick line at bottom). Back cover has in
lower left corner blind stamp of publishers’ device, but is otherwise
blank. Top edges gilt; fore and bottom edges cut. End-papers white.
_Love Poems and Others_ was Mr. Lawrence’s third book, and his first
volume of poetry. As to the comparative scarcity of this first edition
opinion differs greatly. Of the six books of poems (not counting _Bay_, a
private press volume) by Mr. Lawrence, I am inclined to rank _Love Poems_
third in scarcity. I suspect that both _Amores_ (first issue, with the
catalogue) and _Look! We Have Come Through!_ are scarcer than this item.
Be that as it may, _Love Poems_ is far from common. Fortunately, however,
the book was stoutly built, and copies of the first edition, when they do
turn up, are usually in quite satisfactory condition—satisfactory even to
collectors.
The first American edition of _Love Poems and Others_ was published, from
the Duckworth sheets, by Mitchell Kennerley, New York, 1913.
(4)
SONS AND LOVERS
Published May 1913
SONS AND LOVERS / By / D. H. Lawrence / Author of / “Love Poems,” “The
White Peacock,” “The Trespasser” / (_publishers’ device_) / London:
Duckworth & Co. / Henrietta Street, Covent Garden / 1913
COLLATION:—pp. viii + 424, consisting of half-title (verso
blank), pp. (i, ii); title-page, as above (with _All rights
reserved_ in center of verso), pp. (iii, iv); dedication,
_To_ / _Edward Garnett_ (verso blank), pp. (v, vi); table of
_Contents_ (verso blank), pp. vii, (viii); text, pp. (1)-423.
Printers’ imprint, beneath thin line, at foot of p. 423 as
follows: _Billing and Sons, Ltd., Printers, Guildford_ P. (424)
blank. At end of volume there is 20-page, numbered but undated,
catalogue of _A Selection from_ / _Duckworth & Co.’s_ / _List
of Publications_
Crown 8vo, 7¼ × 4¾; issued in dull dark blue cloth; front cover has
two-line border in blind, and is lettered and ornamented in gilt as
follows: _Sons and Lovers_ / (three dots) _D. H. Lawrence_ (three dots).
Backbone ornamented and lettered across in gilt: (two lines at top) /
_Sons_ / _and_ / _Lovers_ / _D. H._ / _Lawrence_ / _Duckworth_ / (two
lines at bottom). Back cover has in lower left corner blind stamp of
publishers’ device, but is otherwise blank. All edges cut. End-papers
white.
_Sons and Lovers_, now universally acclaimed one of the great novels of
recent years, appeals strongly to many collectors who go in for modern
first editions. The significance of the book was realized soon after
its publication, and copies of the initial printing were evidently
read, passed around, and reread. As a result, copies of this edition
in excellent state are now seldom seen. Most show signs of hard use.
Nevertheless, all Lawrence collectors entertain the hope of having some
fine day an _editio princeps_ of _Sons and Lovers_ in what they can
superciliously call “pristine condition.” The incorrigibly optimistic
want even the original dust-cover.
While waiting for this perfect copy, some collectors may do well to
make sure that their present copies are of the first issue; for _Sons
and Lovers_ is rather a tricky item. A later issue in lighter blue
cloth, without date on title-page, must not be confused with the real
first issue described above, the cloth of which is an unusual dark
blue—somewhat lighter than navy blue.
The first American edition of _Sons and Lovers_ was published, from new
plates, by Mitchell Kennerley, New York, 1913.
(5)
THE WIDOWING OF MRS. HOLROYD
Published April 1, 1914
THE WIDOWING OF / MRS. HOLROYD / A Drama in Three Acts / By / D. H.
Lawrence / (_publisher’s device_) / New York / Mitchell Kennerley / MCMXIV
COLLATION:—pp. x + 94 (preceded and followed by two blank
leaves), consisting of fly-leaf, with series-title, _The
Modern Drama Series_ / _Edited by Edwin Björkman_ at head,
and _The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd_ / _D. H. Lawrence_ at foot
of recto (verso blank), pp. (i, ii); title-page, as above
(with _Copyright 1914 by_ / _Mitchell Kennerley_ / _The_
(dot) _Plimpton_ (dot) _Press_ / _Norwood_ (dot) _Mass_ (dot)
_U_ (dot) _S_ (dot) _A_ on verso), pp. (iii, iv); table of
_Contents_ (verso blank), pp. (v, vi); _Introduction_, by
Edwin Björkman, pp. (vii)-x; divisional half-title (with list
of _Persons_ on verso), pp. (1, 2); text, pp. (3)-93; p. (94)
blank.
Crown 8vo, 7⅜ × 5; issued in red cloth; front cover has one-line border
in blind, and is lettered in blind as follows: _The Modern Drama Series_
/ _Edited by Edwin Björkman_ Backbone lettered across in gilt: _D. H._
/ _Law-_ / _rence_ / (small ornament) / _The_ / _Widow-_ / _ing_ / _of
Mrs._ / _Hol-_ / _royd_ / _Mitchell_ / _Kennerley_ (The hyphens in
lettering on backbone slant upward.) Back cover blank. All edges cut.
End-papers white.
The first of Mr. Lawrence’s two published plays. It is not generally
realized that the American issue of _The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd_
preceded the English, which was, as a matter of fact, made from the
Kennerley sheets. A not overly close examination of a Duckworth copy
of this book will show that the fly-leaf with the series-title, etc.
on recto, was cut out after the sheets had been sewed together. This
accounts for the slight difference in the pagination of the two editions.
Then, also, the matter on the reverse side of the Duckworth title-page
clearly indicates that all of the sheets were American.
The first edition of _The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd_ was one thousand
copies. Five hundred of these were sent to Duckworth and Company, and
were by this house bound in the dark blue “case” described below. There
is no certain way of telling which of the two books is the scarcer; but
I should not be surprised to find that copies of the American issue are
the harder to come by—at least, in good state. The English book still
performs the trick of turning up over here in quite new condition.
(5A)
THE WIDOWING OF MRS. HOLROYD
Published April 1914
THE WIDOWING OF / MRS. HOLROYD / A Drama in Three Acts / By / D. H.
Lawrence / London / Duckworth & Co. / 3, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden,
W. C. / 1914
COLLATION:—pp. x + 94 (preceded by one blank leaf not reckoned
in pagination, followed by two), consisting of blank leaf,
pp. (i, ii); title-page, as above (with _Copyright 1914 by_ /
_Mitchell Kennerley_ / _The_ (dot) _Plimpton_ (dot) _Press_ /
_Norwood_ (dot) _Mass_ (dot) _U_ (dot) _S_ (dot) _A_ on verso),
pp. (iii, iv); table of _Contents_ (verso blank), pp. (v, vi);
_Introduction_, by Edwin Björkman, pp. (vii)-x; divisional
half-title (with list of _Persons_ on verso), pp. (1, 2);
text, pp. (3)-93; p. (94) blank. At end of volume there is
20-page, numbered but undated, catalogue of _A Selection from_
/ _Duckworth & Co.’s_ / _List of Publications_
Crown 8vo, 7⅜ × 5; issued in dark blue cloth; front cover has two-line
border in blind, and is lettered and ornamented in gilt as follows: _The
Widowing_ / _of Mrs. Holroyd_ / (two dots) _D. H. Lawrence_ (two dots).
Lettered up the backbone in gilt: _The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd_ Back
cover has in lower left corner blind stamp of publishers’ device, but is
otherwise blank. All edges cut. End-papers white.
(6)
THE PRUSSIAN OFFICER AND OTHER STORIES
Published December 1914
THE / PRUSSIAN OFFICER / AND OTHER STORIES / By / D. H. Lawrence /
(_publishers’ device_) / London / Duckworth & Co. / 3 Henrietta Street,
Covent Garden
COLLATION:—pp. viii + 312, consisting of blank leaf, pp. (i,
ii); half-title (with list of four books _By the Same Author_,
enclosed in one-line box, in center of verso), pp. (iii, iv);
title-page, as above (with _Published December 1914_ in center
of verso), pp. (v, vi); table of _Contents_ (verso blank), pp.
(vii, viii); text, pp. (1)-310. Printers’ imprint at foot of p.
310 as follows: _William Brendon and Son, Ltd._ / _Printers,
Plymouth_ Pp. (311, 312) are occupied by advertisements of four
books _By D. H. Lawrence_. At end of volume there is 16-page,
numbered but undated, catalogue of _A List of the Libraries_ /
_and Series of Copyright_ / _Books Published by_ / _Duckworth &
Co._
CONTENTS: The Prussian Officer; The Thorn in the Flesh; Daughters of the
Vicar; A Fragment of Stained Glass; The Shades of Spring; Second Best;
The Shadow in the Rose Garden; Goose Fair; The White Stocking; A Sick
Collier; The Christening; Odour of Chrysanthemums.
Crown 8vo, 7⁵⁄₁₆ × 4⅞; issued in dark blue cloth; front cover has
two-line border in blind, and is lettered and ornamented in gilt as
follows: _The Prussian Officer_ / (three dots) _D. H. Lawrence_ (three
dots). Backbone ornamented and lettered across in gilt: (two lines
at top) / _The_ / _Prussian_ / _Officer_ / _D. H._ / _Lawrence_ /
_Duckworth_ / (two lines at bottom). Back cover has in lower left corner
blind stamp of publishers’ device, but is otherwise blank. All edges cut.
End-papers white.
_The Prussian Officer_ was Mr. Lawrence’s first volume of short
stories. The first edition of this book exists in two several issues.
The difference between them is marked, not by the binding, but by
the catalogues at the end of the volumes. One of these catalogues is
described above; the other, twenty instead of sixteen pages, is: _A
Selection from_ / _Duckworth & Co’s._ / _List of Publications_
The publishers were unable to say which catalogue was in the first issue,
and showed what amounted to alarm that anyone should be interested in the
matter. They evidently regarded their correspondent as mildly insane.
Publishers are of two varieties: the sort who understand the collector
not at all, and the sort who understand him too, too well.
I have examined five copies of the book. All but one had the catalogue
mentioned in this note. What deduction may safely be made from this?
Perhaps, that copies of the issue which I have collated are the scarcer.
But are they also necessarily the earlier? One may well have doubts about
that.
A somewhat detailed study of the two types of catalogues in Duckworth
books between 1913 and 1916 is unfruitful, except to show that the
catalogue mentioned in this discussion occurs in _Sons and Lovers_
(1913), and that in the collation above appears in _Amores_ (1916). But
since the latter list seems to contain no book published after 1914, it
might properly occupy space in a volume brought out in December of that
year. The question of the real first issue of _The Prussian Officer_
must, therefore, remain unsettled. One thing is certain: both books here
discussed are of the first edition. A later issue, in somewhat lighter
blue cloth, lettered in black, must not be confused with either.
The first American edition of _The Prussian Officer_ was published, from
the Duckworth sheets, by B. W. Huebsch, New York, 1916.
(7)
THE RAINBOW
Published September 30, 1915
THE RAINBOW / By / D. H. Lawrence / Author of “Sons and Lovers” / Methuen
& Co. Ltd. / 36 Essex Street W. C. / London
COLLATION:—pp. viii + 468, consisting of half-title (verso
blank), pp. (i, ii); title-page, as above (with _First
Published in 1915_ in center of verso), pp. (iii, iv);
dedication, _To Else_ (verso blank), pp. v, (vi); table of
_Contents_ (verso blank), pp. vii, (viii); text, pp. (1)-463.
Printers’ imprint in center of p. (464) as follows: _Printed in
Great Britain_ / _by Hazell, Watson and Viney, Ld.,_ / _London
and Aylesbury._ P. (465) is occupied by list, dated _Autumn,
1915_, of _Methuen’s Popular Novels_ Pp. (466-468) are occupied
by publishers’ brief résumés of the novels listed on p. (465).
Crown 8vo, 7½ × 5; issued in bluish dark green cloth; front cover has
one-line border in blind, and is lettered across top in blind as follows:
_The Rainbow_ / _D. H. Lawrence_ Backbone ornamented and lettered across
in gilt: (flower and leaf design) / _The_ / _Rainbow_ / (single flower
design) / _D. H._ / _Lawrence_ / (same design as at top, augmented by
leaf) / _Methuen_ Back cover blank. Top and fore edges cut; bottom edges
untrimmed. End-papers white.
_The Rainbow_, universally considered by dealers and collectors alike
Mr. Lawrence’s scarcest book, was published, according to _The English
Catalogue_, in October, 1915. The publishers, however, said that the
exact date of issue was September 30, 1915. And with that they stopped,
for they seemed unwilling to give me any more information about the book.
Altogether wry was the letter they wrote. But from other sources it is
evident that _The Rainbow_ was in circulation just six weeks before
action for its suppression was successfully carried on November 13,
1915. The curious may consult a communication by G. W. de Tunzelmann,
published in the _Athenæum_, November 20, 1915, which, if accurate, fixes
the date of suppression.
Regarding the circumstances attending the action against the publishers,
a letter by Mr. Gilbert Cannan, New York _Tribune_, January 10, 1920, is
worth reading. Mr. Cannan asserts that after proceedings were brought
“the publishers, taking alarm and not understanding what had happened,
did not defend.” This is substantially what Mr. Lawrence says in his
preface to the present volume. The upshot of it was the publishers were
fined and ordered to destroy their stock of the book, after which, one
may suppose, all went “on with the War.” Whether such copies as the
publishers had on hand were committed to the tender mercies of the public
hangman, I do not know. At any rate, it may be safely assumed that
Methuen & Co., Ltd., complied fully with every mandate of the court, and
that they distributed no copies of _The Rainbow_ after November 13, 1915.
In his preface above Mr. Lawrence mentions the protests of Mr. Arnold
Bennett and Miss May Sinclair against the suppression of _The Rainbow_.
I regret my inability to give specific references to the time and place
of these protests. But all indices failed me, and both Mr. Bennett and
Miss Sinclair wrote that they could not now tell me where to look for
their parts in the controversy. Both wrote against the suppression, but
apparently in letters—not in special articles. In her reply to my inquiry
Miss Sinclair gave this indication of her position: “I said that the
suppression of this book was a crime, the murder of a beautiful thing.”
The first American edition of _The Rainbow_ was published, from new
plates, by B. W. Huebsch, New York, 1916. Subsequently Mr. Huebsch
brought the book out in a more expensive form, but the text remained the
same as that of the first American edition. These are the expurgated
forms to which Mr. Lawrence refers. _The Rainbow_, with the Huebsch text,
was published by Thomas Seltzer, New York, 1924.
It will be seen from all this that the complete text of the novel which
lies so close to the affections of its author is to be found only in
copies like the one collated above. The Methuen _Rainbow_ is, I need
hardly say, a very scarce book. Whether or not it is scarcer than the
Heinemann _White Peacock_ must remain a matter of opinion.
(8)
TWILIGHT IN ITALY
Published June 1916
TWILIGHT IN ITALY / By / D. H. Lawrence / (_publishers’ device_) / London
/ Duckworth and Co. / 3 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, W. C.
COLLATION:—pp. viii + 312, consisting of half-title (with
list of six _Works by D. H. Lawrence_ at head of verso), pp.
(i, ii); title-page, as above (with _First published 1916_ in
center of verso), pp. (iii, iv); acknowledgement—three lines
(verso blank), pp. v, (vi); table of _Contents_ (verso blank),
pp. vii, (viii); divisional fly-leaf, with _The Crucifix across
the_ / _Mountains_ on recto (verso blank), pp. 1, (2); text,
pp. 3-(311). Printers imprint at foot of p. (311) as follows:
_Printed by R. & R. Clark, Limited, Edinburgh._ P. (312)
blank. At end of volume are two separate 16-page catalogues:
the first contains _Messrs. Duckworth & Co.’s_ / _Spring_ /
_Announcements_ / _1916_ The second, _A List of the Libraries_
/ _and Series of Copyright_ / _Books Published by_ / _Duckworth
& Co._ There are divisional fly-titles before the major
divisions of the work at pp. 1, 27, (223), (263). Pp. (2),
(28), (222), (224), (262), (264) blank.
CONTENTS: The Crucifix across the Mountains; On the Lago di Garda—I. The
Spinner and the Monks, II. The Lemon Gardens, III. The Theatre, IV. San
Gaudenzio, V. The Dance, VI. Il Duro, VII. John; Italians in Exile; The
Return Journey.
Crown 8vo, 7⁵⁄₁₆ × 4¾; issued in dark blue cloth; front cover has
two-line border in blind, and is lettered and ornamented in gilt as
follows: _Twilight in Italy_ / (three dots) _D. H. Lawrence_ (three
dots). Backbone ornamented and lettered across in gilt: (two lines at
top) / _Twilight_ / _in_ / _Italy_ / _D. H._ / _Lawrence_ / _Duckworth_
/ (two lines at bottom). Back cover has in lower left corner blind stamp
of publishers’ device, but is otherwise blank. All edges cut. End-papers
white.
_Twilight in Italy_ was Mr. Lawrence’s first book of non-fictional
prose. Copies of the first edition of this book are scarce, and they are
exceedingly hard to get in fine condition. The cloth is usually faded
and the gilt dull. I have seen at various times perhaps a half-dozen
copies. They were all very much the same: that is to say, none was in
fine state. I suspect the book never looked quite new, and that it is one
of the many illustrations of how the War affected adversely workmanship
in the bookmaking industry. Be that as it may, _Twilight in Italy_ is
worth having in any condition. It should be more widely read. Like _Sea
and Sardinia_, it is too often merely a name, even to admirers of Mr.
Lawrence’s other work.
The first American edition of _Twilight in Italy_ was published, from the
Duckworth sheets, by B. W. Huebsch, New York, 1916.
(9)
AMORES
Published July 1916
AMORES / Poems / By / D. H. Lawrence / (_publishers’ device_) / London /
Duckworth and Company / 3 Henrietta Street, W. C.
COLLATION:—pp. viii + 140, consisting of title-page, as above
(verso blank), pp. (i, ii); dedication, _To_ / _Ottoline
Morrell_ (verso blank), pp. (iii, iv); table of _Contents_, pp.
v-vii; p. (viii) blank; text, pp. 1-(138). Printers’ imprint,
beneath thin line, at foot of p. (138) as follows: _Printed
by T. and A. Constable, Printers to His Majesty_ / _at the
Edinburgh University Press_ Pp. (139, 140) blank. At end of
volume there is 16-page, numbered but undated, catalogue of _A
List of the Libraries_ / _and Series of Copyright_ / _Books
Published by_ / _Duckworth & Co._
Crown 8vo, 7¼ × 4⅞; issued in dark blue cloth; front cover blank;
backbone ornamented and lettered across in gilt: (two lines at top) /
_Amores_ / _Poems_ / _D. H._ / _Lawrence_ / _Duckworth_ / (two lines at
bottom). Back cover has in lower left corner blind stamp of publishers’
device. Top and fore edges cut; bottom edges untrimmed. End-papers white.
_Amores_, Mr. Lawrence’s second volume of poems, is a troublesome item.
The first edition exists in two states. The first has the 16-page
catalogue; the second does not. At no place in either issue is there a
date. Copies with the catalogue would seem to be rare. At least I have so
concluded after a sustained investigation. Copies without the catalogue
are “easy,” and these are commonly sold—perhaps naturally enough—as of
the first issue, which they are not.
The first American edition of _Amores_ was published, from new plates,
by B. W. Huebsch, New York, 1916. At least two differences between
it and the above ought to be noted. First, in the American edition
the dedication is extended, and reads: _To_ / _Ottoline Morrell_ /
_in tribute_ / _to her noble_ / _and independent sympathy_ / _and her
generous understanding_ / _these poems_ / _are gratefully dedicated_ / .
Second, the poem called “Disagreeable Advice” in the above, appears in
the American edition under the happier title “Irony.”
(10)
LOOK! WE HAVE COME THROUGH!
Published December 1917
LOOK! WE HAVE / COME THROUGH! / By / D. H. Lawrence / Published by Chatto
& Windus / London MCMXVII