Eliot, T.S.

8vo (222 x 144mm.), FIRST EDITION, PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR ("Inscribed for | W.J. Crawley | by T.S. Eliot") on title page, original purple cloth, dust-jacket, few tiny nicks to jacket

Gallup A29b ("first complete edition", following on from the first acting edition for the performance of the play in Canterbury Cathedral)

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

INSCRIBED PRESENTAITON COPY TO A FRIEND AND FELLOW FABER DIRECTOR.

The recipient W.J. Crawley was the head of Faber's sales department from the early days, and a friend of Eliot's from the early 1930s until the poet's death in 1965. His judgement about whether a book would sell was considered infallible and he famously argued, during a heated discussion at the legendary Faber Book Committee in the autumn of 1953, against publishing William Golding's Lord of the Flies. Eventually the chairman overruled him, and the young editor Charles Monteith, who was championing the book, was allowed to go ahead with publication, after some agreed revisions by Golding.