A27 THE LESS FAMILIAR NURSERY RHYMES [1927]

First edition:

[rectangular heavy rule box enclosing all:] | [rectangular light rule box enclosing all:] | [rectangular broad decorative rule box enclosing all:] | [rectangular light rule box enclosing all:] | THE AUGUSTAN BOOKS OF | ENGLISH POETRY | SECOND SERIES NUMBER FOURTEEN | [rule] | THE LESS FAMILIAR | NURSERY | RHYMES | [rule] | LONDON: ERNEST BENN LTD. | BOUVERIE HOUSE, FLEET STREET

Collation: 16 leaves, unsigned, stapled twice at centre.

p.[i] title-page; p.[ii] publisher’s advertisements; pp.iii–iv FOREWORD; pp.v–vi INDEX; pp.7–31 text; p.[32] publisher’s advertisements.

22.1 × 13.9 cm. Bulk: 0.3 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed. Pp. [i]–[ii] and 31–[ 32] serve as covers.

Price: 6d. Number of copies unknown. Published in November 1927.

Notes: Graves wrote the foreword (pp.iii–iv) and selected the poems. There was a second impression in February 1931. Second impression notice is on p. [2]. Here the binding is sewn twice at centre.

Second impression, second state: The front and outer back covers have been pasted over with a new unprinted wine red cloth-effect paper cover with a cutout on the front which reveals only the following text from the original cover: THE LESS FAMILIAR | NURSERY | RHYMES. All of the other text on the original front and outer back covers is obscured. When Ernest Benn went out of business, Benn’s stock was purchased by Eyre & Spottiswoode (E & S). Eyre & Spottiswoode had new covers pasted over the original Benn covers. E & S used this wine red cloth-effect paper to create later states of A17, A25, A27 and for their edition of A56.

A copy of the second impression, second state examined had been cut down to 21.0 × 13.5 cm.