THE WHITSUN WEDDINGS

First edition, first printing. Publisher's original purple cloth with gilt titles to the spine, in dustwrapper. A near fine copy, the binding square and firm, the extremities lightly rubbed. The contents, with an area of discolouration to the centre of the rear pastedown are otherwise clean throughout and without inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the lightly creased dustwrapper, which is toned to the spine and centre of the rear panel, with a small 1cm tear to the lower front flap fold. Not price-clipped (12s 6d net to the front flap).

One of the great works of post-war British poetry and the first volume of Larkin's poetry to be published by Faber and Faber (his second novel, 'A Girl in Winter', had been published by the firm in 1947). A year later, the author was awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry and an Arts Council prize for "the best book of original English verse by a living poet published from July 1962 to June 1965". Published on 28 February 1964, in an edition of 3,910 copies. (Bloomfield A7).