Plays in Prose and Verse; Written for An Irish Theatre, and Generally With the Help of a Friend

New York: The Macmillan Company, 1924. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Near fine. No. 44 of 250 copies, octavo size, 464 pp., signed by Yeats, with original slipcase. William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) is acknowledged by many as "supreme among modern Irish poets". He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923 (the first Irish to be so recognized), at which time he was "one of Dublin's great established figures, both in his own right and as the representative of the cultural renaissance which...had set in motion the Irish revolution and war of independence." Throughout his life, and throughout his poetry - which is still read and loved today - Yeats is recognized as supremely Irish, with his life and poetry reflective of his Irish identity.

This work, "Plays in Prose and Verse", according to Yeats' Preface, includes "all Plays of mine played at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, except 'The Land of Heart's Desire' and 'The Countess Cathleen' ". The "Friend" referred to in the title is Lady Gregory (Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory (1852-1932)) who, with Yeats and Edward Martyn, co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre. In the Preface Yeats credits Lady Gregory, stating "I have explained at the end of this book how often Lady Gregory has collaborated with me..."

___DESCRIPTION: Teal cloth shelfback with brown laid paper boards, mounted paper label with black lettering and decorative border inset onto the front board, similar label on the spine, top edge rough-cut, fore- and bottom edges uncut, Yeats' signature on the limitation page tipped in before the half-title, this no. 44 of 250 copies, March publication date on the copyright page, includes the plays "Cathleen Ni Houlihan", "The Pot of Broth", "The Hour-Glass (in Prose)", "The King's Threshold", "On Baile's Strand", "The Shadowy Waters (Stage Version)", "Deirdre", "The Unicorn From the Stars (in collaboration with Lady Gregory)", "The Green Helmet", "The Hour-Glass (in Verse)", and "The Player Queen"; octavo size (8" by 5.5"), pagination: [limitation statement] [i-iv] [v-vii] [viii, blank] [1-2] 3-455. In the original slipcase of cardboard covered with smooth white paper, paper label in style similar to that on the front board on one side, limitation no. 44 hand-written, with a small notation at the top of the label "500[?]" - presumably a vintage price.

___CONDITION: Near fine and could almost be deemed fine, with clean boards, perfectly straight corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; some miniscule rubbing to the head and tail of the spine and light dustiness to the text block edges, else fine. The slipcase a bit better than good, entire, with some cracks beginning at the "spine" and light overall soiling to the white paper, but still sturdy.

___CITATION: Wade, listed with the US trade edition in no. 137 (trade edition published on April 8, 1924; this limited edition published September 16, 1924).

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