Signed Books & their inscriptions

[Dust Jacket Collector]

Nice one, Andy. Imagine having to sign all 600 copies!

It reminds me of what used to be said about the late PM Edward Heath - the rarities were the books of his he hadn't signed!

[Grandpacarr]

Hello, another one of mine,Not sure about the rarity, but try to buy a Hardbacked version of both Volumes 1 & 2,  on this occasion this book is no 350 out of 700.The author Ralph Whitehead has signed adhesive labels to be stuck onto the title page probably at the printing stage. 

[Dust Jacket Collector]

Excellent. It's always so much more satisfying to find a signed copy. It's nice to think the author's hand has actually rested on the book although in this particular case it probably hasn't!

[other ranker]

I thought you might like to see this  in a 1929 7th imp of 'undertones of War' I found. Blunden seems to have signed lots of his later works, but I can't find one in this book anywhere.

[Grandpacarr]

Hello I have around 7 more are they of interest. cheers Andy.

[Dust Jacket Collector]

41 minutes ago, andymack said:

Hello I have around 7 more are they of interest. cheers Andy.

The more the merrier. There's so little on the site for we book collectors.

I like your Blunden, Other Ranker. I have a couple of his books signed so I recognise his distinctive script.

[Grandpacarr]

This book is I believe quite rare. Called "The Somme Then & now" by John Giles published 1977. When I bought this book I discovered quite a few letters tucked inside from the author on Western Front Association headed paper to the buyer of the book. Also there was quite a number of Newspaper clippings regarding visits to the battlefields by the      author. John Giles has written inside the front board "This is a Collector`s Copy" and signed it.

[Grandpacarr]

Anothe Book signed called "Tommy at Gommecourt" by Thomas James Higgins.

[Grandpacarr]

Laurie Milners excellent book "Leeds Pals".I am lucky enough to know Laurie as he is a member of one of my local WFA.

[Grandpacarr]

The new book relased last month called " Kitcheners Mob". The new army to the Somme br Peter Doyle and Chris Foster

[Dust Jacket Collector]

Well done, Andy. You clearly know all the right people.

[Grandpacarr]

I guess I have just been lucky. I make it my business to attend functions that are concerning my main interests, which are the Leeds & Bradford Pals.

[Dust Jacket Collector]

I've just taken delivery of the 2-volume set of Rudyard Kipling's history of The Irish Guards in the Great War, 1st editions in their near perfect dust jackets. A bargain I thought at £35. I'm still in shock after opening them to find that both volumes are signed by the great man!

[Black Maria]

2 hours ago, Dust Jacket Collector said:

I've just taken delivery of the 2-volume set of Rudyard Kipling's history of The Irish Guards in the Great War, 1st editions in their near perfect dust jackets. A bargain I thought at £35. I'm still in shock after opening them to find that both volumes are signed by the great man!

Well done, excellent purchase !

[David Filsell]

I like Blunden's 'respects' tag. Very classy.

Sad to tell you, the Giles book is far from rare signed or unsigned - it may even still be in print.

[Dust Jacket Collector]

I'm not usually a collector of Unit Histories but when this came along I couldn't resist!

'A History of the Lancashire Regiment in the Great War 1914-1918' by Maj.Gen. Sir Lothian Nicholson & Maj. H.T.MacMullen, published in 1936. A super copy in its jacket, but inside it's inscribed to Nicholson's daughter, he having died before the book's completion, by MacMullen who completed the work.

[Black Maria]

A poignant inscription DJC, makes a nice book even more special.

[4thGordons]

I just got one by accident. Bought the book for a song as a reader and opened it to find this when it came in the post today.

 

Chris

.

[Derek Black]

1 hour ago, 4thGordons said:

I just got one by accident. Bought the book for a song as a reader and opened it to find this when it came in the post today.

 

Chris

.

Jealousy rating 4/5

[Black Maria]

Nice one ! , well done.

 

(Just to add that it's also nice to see a photograph of the author, which is not in the British edition.)

Edited 18 October , 2016 by Black Maria

[Dust Jacket Collector]

In response to an earlier post Re: Edmund Blunden, here's a book of his I've had for a while. Not strictly Great War but with enough connections to make it acceptable, I think. 'The Bonadventure' , published in 1922, tells of an Atlantic voyage he'd made. The 'E.M.' is Edward Marsh, Churchill's secretary & sponsor of many of the War poets. A couple of months earlier he had presented Blunden with the Hawthornden Prize for poetry. I think I paid £8 for it, the dealer not having noticed that it was inscribed. More worrying is the fact that someone in the Dorset County library service didn't consider this book worth keeping & was prepared to let it go for 25p!

(I'm sure it's unnecessary for me to tell members of this learned forum where the quote comes from, so just to confirm  it's from Lucretius' 2nd book, 'De Rerum Natura', something about being better to be on shore watching a boat on a rough sea).  

[Black Maria]

Rather a stupid place to stamp it as well.

[barkalotloudly]

one i had forgotten i had " The Battle of the Somme " Masefield 1919 limited edition with this inscription  

" we fight aKKa  akka  akka  forever  forever  and forever" 

The Anzac on the Somme

signed John Masefield   

 

{a mint copy presented to a library in 1940...another reason never to leave your books to a library!!!} 

[Dust Jacket Collector]

I suppose today's library is just a place to read a newspaper, have a cup of tea & surf the net. We don't need any of those smelly old books!

[other ranker]

For those who may be interested I dragged this one up again to show a copy of 'A Passionate Prodigality' I found this week with an inscription and letter from Guy Chapman to his fellow author Col C.S Collison on the publication of his own book not mentioned but could be 'The 11th Royal Warwicks In France 1915-16, that I can see for sale on ABE to this name.