COURTYARDS IN DELFT

First edition, first printing. Hardcover issue. Publisher's original black cloth with titles in gilt to the spine, in the Michael Kane designed dustwrapper. A fine copy, the binding square and firm, the cloth bright and fresh. The contents are clean throughout, and without previous owners' marks. Complete with the lightly rubbed dustwrapper that has a single short closed tear and a few light marks to the underside. Not price-clipped (publisher's paper price label to the lower front flap).

Issued simultaneously in paperback and hardcover, this example is one of 325 hardcover copies. Widely regarded as one of the most talented and innovative Irish poets of the late 20th century, Derek Mahon was best known for illuminating the ordinary aspects of daily life through his skillfully crafted verse. A recipient of numerous literary and poetry prizes in his lifetime, Mahon's poetry has been critically compared to that of Auden, MacNeice, and Beckett. He passed away peacefully at age 78 in County Cork, Ireland in 2020 (Poetry Foundation, 2025).