Sitwell, Edith (1887-1964) Two Signed First Editions.
Gardeners and Astronomers: New Poems. New York: The Vanguard Press, [1953]. First American edition, first issue, octavo, one of 2,500 copies printed; signed by Sitwell in pencil on the front free fly leaf; illustrated with frontispiece and six full-page plates of constellations and plants; bound in publisher's lime green cloth-backed violet boards, spine lettered in silver, front board decorated with silver and blind stamped butterflies and stars; in publisher's unclipped jacket; 9 1/4 x 6 in.
The Collected Poems of Edith Sitwell. New York: The Vanguard Press, [1954]. First edition, octavo, inscribed by Sitwell, "For Miss Alice Hackett signed with good wishes," in ink on front free flyleaf; black publisher's cloth gilt stamped, with dust jacket, price preserved; 9 1/4 x 6 1/4 in.
Edith Sitwell's eccentric legacy is not only defined by her striking appearance, once described by Elizabeth Bowen as, "a high altar on the move," but also by her commitment to the modernist literary movement. Her meticulously crafted poems actively defied earlier approaches to verse, and negative reception in the popular press did not dissuade her. Rather, Sitwell's persistence ensured her legacy as a powerful instigator of cultural change.
Property from the Estate of Michael Feingold (1945-2022).
