Search Results: eleven poems by seamus heaney

Belfast, Festival Publications, 1965. . First edition, second 'issue' (with the ten-point sun symbol); single octavo quire; internally clean; publisher's stapled self wrappers printed in black & light purple. A very nice copy. First edition of Heaney's rare first published work, with the notice for his 'first book of poems, Death of a Naturalist' to be published in Spring 1966. There are three apparent 'issues' of Heaney's first publication, the first two are in white self wrappers, with the Festival Publications' roundel in light purple then, as here, dark purple. The third manifestation was issued in green wrappers with printing details on the lower wrapper in two distinct states. These are not issues; they are distinct printings. No less appealing and bibliographically important for that, but the persistent notion that the later issues are somehow part of the original printing is false. Rare thus in such condition.From the collection of J. Kenneth Jamison (1931-2016), Director of the the Arts… Read More

Belfast: Festival Publications, Queen's University, 1965. First edition, SIGNED BY SEAMUS HEANEY, the "second issue" with the sun illustration on the upper cover being ten-pointed and printed in near-black purple. 8vo, in the publisher's original printed cream paper wrappers, staple bound as issued, now handsomely presented in a fine fold-over box enlarged in thickness for greater shelf-presence and morocco backed with raised bands and gilt tooling. 16. A perfect copy, flawless, beautifully preserved and presented. A SIGNED COPY OF THE POET'S FIRST BOOK, EXTREMELY SCARCE IN ANY STATE THIS IS A FLAWLESS AND PERFECT COPY. There were only three issues of the work, and all were in very small print runs. The first has a nine pointed star printed in light purple on the white wrapper, the second is nearly identical but the star is ten pointed and printed in a much darker purple that is essentially black, the final issue was quite different, being wrapped in green paper with an entirely… Read More

Belfast: Festival Publications. 1965. First edition, first issue with the purple nine-pointed sun figure to the front panel. First edition, first issue with the purple nine-pointed sun figure to the front panel. This copy belonged to Rosemary Goad (1921-1998), a director at Faber and Faber who would later become a close friend of the poet. Goad's name is written in pencil to the upper left corner of the front panel in what appears to be Heaney's hand. Original stapled wrappers lettered in black to front and rear panels. A very near fine copy, the binding strong, the pages flat, with no traces of spotting. The lightly toned wraps are a little darker near the spine fold. Housed in a bespoke quarter black morocco solander case. The rear panel explains that this pamphlet "is one in a series to be published monthly and to include [list of nine poets including, Heaney, Michael Longley, and Derek Mahon]", each volume priced "Two shillings and sixpence [...]; subscription for series… Read More

Belfast: Festival Publications, 1965. First Edition 1st Printing. Soft cover. Fine. First Edition/First Printing. Soft cover original. Fine copy with a small shallow crease on the front flap in a half morocco slipcase. Original printed self wrappers, stapled as issued. First printing with the nine-point sun symbol in purple on the front wrapper. Debut collection from the Poet, rarely found in this condition.

Belfast: Festival Publications,, [November 1965]. A rare inscribed first issue of Heaney's first separately published work First edition, first issue (with the nine-point sun symbol), of Heaney's rare first published work, presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the reverse of the front wrapper, "For Brendan & Pat: with every good wish, Seamus". The recipients, Brendan and Pat McCrystal, first met Heaney at their engagement party. The party was hosted by the principal of St Colmcille's Secondary School, Crossgar, Co. Down, and one of the English teachers, Marie Devlin, brought her then boyfriend (and later husband), Seamus Heaney. Both Brendan McCrystal and Heaney had links with St Joseph's Teacher Training College in Belfast, and the McCrystals and Heaneys maintained a friendship throughout the 1960s. Heaney's first published work includes a printed notice regarding his "first book of poems, 'Death of a Naturalist', due from Faber, Spring 1966". Several popular Heaney pieces first appeared in… Read More