Rhys Davies

[Cardiff]: University of Wales Press on behalf of the Welsh Arts Council/ Writers of Wales, 1975. Paperback. Good. FIRST, LIMITED EDITION, No. 23 OF 1000, INSCRIBED BY AUTHOR. (24.7 x 12.5cm), pp. [iv], 74 + b/w portrait frontis. Yellow, white and green front wrapper, lettered in black. Toned and soiled, numerous splodges, 3cm closed tear to heel of spine, reading creases. Inscribed in black biro to first page: "Jeff Towns [proprietor of Dylan's Bookshop, Swansea]/ Best wishes/ David Rees/ 29 iv 1997", frontis and title page faintly foxed, pencil score to p.57. Brief 1-page TLS laid in from David Rees to Jeff Towns referring to two enclosed books, presumably for sale. Else, clean. A nice association copy of the first monograph about Rhys Davies, inscribed by his friend and early champion. Good. Unusual. Dubbed 'the Welsh Chekhov', Rhys Davies (1901-1978; OBE) was a prolific and prize-winning author, who chronicled working class life, especially of industrial Wales and who was known predominantly for his short stories. David Rees (1928-2004) was a Welsh journalist, critic and, disparately, a scholar of both Welsh history and letters and international relations. He played an important role in situating Davies in the C20th Welsh literary landscape: in 1959 he published a "laudatory article" in the periodical Wales, 'Rhys Davies: Professional Author,' and would go on to write, this, the first monograph on Davies for the Writers of Wales series.