THE SLEEPING LORD: And Other Fragments.

First edition, first printing. Publisher's original light brown cloth with gilt titles to the spine, in dustwrapper. A near fine copy, the binding square and firm with a little bowing to the board ends, the cloth bright and fresh, with just a touch of rubbing to the spine tips and extremities. The contents, with light offsetting and the ink ownership inscription of the distinguished conservation architect Martin Stancliffe to the front free endpaper, are otherwise clean throughout. Complete with the lightly rubbed dustwrapper that is without fading, loss or tears. Not price-clipped (£2.95 net to the front flap).

Modestly described by Jones as a collection of 'fragments', 'The Sleeping Lord', published a few months before the poet's death, in many ways picks up the threads of his book-length masterpieces, 'In Parenthesis' (1937) and 'The Anathemata' (1952), its seven central poems slowly emerging in the intervening years. "Set mainly in different parts of the Roman Empire, either in the Holy Land or on the Celtic fringes, animated by his Catholic faith and by his own experiences as a soldier [...], the book springs from a lifetime's concern with questions of history, culture and religion" (from the publisher). Published on 25th March, 1974, 2500 copies of the first impression were printed (Thomas Dilworth, 'David Jones: Engraver, Painter, Poet' [London: Jonathan Cape, 2017]).