{"product_id":"gautama-the-enlightened-other-verse-john-masefield-1st-edition","title":"Gautama The Enlightened \u0026 Other Verse, John Masefield — 1st Edition","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublication:\u003c\/b\u003e London, William Heinemann Ltd, 1941\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormatting:\u003c\/b\u003e 8vo, pp. [vi], 58.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Report:\u003c\/b\u003e Very Good. The original blue cloth binding remains remarkably tight and square, featuring sharp corners and unoxidised, bright gilt tooling to the spine that shows virtually no shelf-wear. Internally, the text block is bright, clean, and free of foxing, with a sturdy hinge and crisp leaves. The original dust jacket is present and unclipped (retaining the 5s. net price on the front flap), though it exhibits noticeable browning and sun-toning to the spine and edges, alongside some light rubbing and minor edge-wear typical of wartime paper stock; nonetheless, it remains entirely intact and highly presentable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCatalogue Note:\u003c\/b\u003e First Edition, first printing. A uniquely appealing presentation copy of the Poet Laureate's wartime verse, featuring a significant and charmingly contextual autograph inscription by John Masefield on the front free endpaper. Dated 26 January 1945, Masefield's ink inscription reads: \u003ci\u003e\"With grateful thanks to one who has added much to the pleasure of my shopping in Oxford. '... in Basil Blackwell's shop. There in the Broad.'\"\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe quotation used in his inscription is pulled directly from \"Shopping in Oxford,\" one of the four long poems included within this very volume. Presenting the book to an associate of the legendary Blackwell's bookshop while playfully quoting his own printed tribute to their establishment elevates this copy from a standard signed volume to a splendid piece of associative literary history. While unsigned first editions of this title are quite common on the open market, personalized presentation copies boasting such distinct, site-specific literary provenance are decidedly scarce.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePublished in the midst of the Second World War, this slim collection contains four long poems by John Masefield, who was serving as the British Poet Laureate at the time. The verses range from classical legend and spiritual myth in \"Gautama the Enlightened\" and \"Mahdama's Quest,\" to keen, affectionate observations of contemporary English life and commerce in \"An Art Worker\" and \"Shopping in Oxford.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broadhursts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54482672648531,"sku":"4016","price":125.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/1469\/6787\/files\/20260729_153906.jpg?v=1785841617","url":"https:\/\/broadhurstsbooks.com\/products\/gautama-the-enlightened-other-verse-john-masefield-1st-edition","provider":"Broadhursts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}