A9 THE FEATHER BED 1923

First edition:

THE FEATHER BED | BY ROBERT GRAVES | With a cover design by WILLIAM NICHOLSON | PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY | LEONARD & VIRGINIA WOOLF | AT THE HOGARTH PRESS | HOGARTH HOUSE RICHMOND | 1923

Collation: [1] – [4]4, 16 leaves.

p.[1] title-page; p.[2] blank; p.[3] INTRODUCTORY LETTER; p.[4] blank; pp.5–8 text; p.[9] THE FEATHER BED; pp.[10] blank; pp.11–13 text; p.[14] blank; pp.15–28 text; pp. [29] – [30] blank; pp.[31] – [32] blank, pasted to back cover.

21.9 × 17.0 cm. Bulk: 0.4/0.7 cm. White laid paper; top edges unopened; fore- and bottom edges untrimmed; watermarked HAND MADE C C & CO and a circle with a cross. Front endpaper white laid; free recto blank; free verso has label: This edition of THE FEATHER | BED is limited to 250 signed copies | of which this is Number [number written in] | [signature]. Bound in pink boards printed in black, showing black paper spine and on front a repeated pattern (6 × 4) of feathers, at centre a rectangular pink label with rounded corners, printed in black containing: The | Feather Bed | Robert Graves

Price: 5s. Number of copies: 254. Published 20 July 1923. Woolmer/Hogarth #33.

Contents: Introductory letter (to John Crowe Ransom) – The Feather Bed: Prologue – The Feather Bed – Epilogue.

Notes: Woolmer reports that the Sussex ledger shows 88 private sales, 162 trade sales and one leather-bound copy sold by 10 July 1923. Christie’s, New York, Sale No. 1098, 11 October 2002, Item 125 offered at auction an unnumbered, out-of-series copy inscribed by Graves to T. E. Lawrence.

The Hogarth Press prospectus for A9 says ‘Ten copies hand bound in red niger leather by Joan Harvey are available at two pounds and ten shillings apiece.’