O LOVELY ENGLAND

First edition, first printing. From the library of James Booth, former Professor of English at the University of Hull and the biographer, editor and former colleague of Philip Larkin, this volume previously belonged to Monica Jones, a lecturer at the University of Leicester, and Larkin's long-term lover, companion and confidante, with a loosely laid in letter addressed to her from a colleague at Leicester. Original green cloth with gilt titles to the spine, in dustwrapper. A very good copy, the binding square and firm, the contents with very light spotting at the closed text block edge, light offsetting at the endpapers and James Booth's name in pencil on the half title, are otherwise clean. Complete with the lightly rubbed, nicked and creased original dustwrapper which is toned to the spine and lightly at the edges and has a few tiny closed tears at the edges. Not price-clipped (10s 6d on the front flap).

Loosely laid in to this copy of Walter De La Mare's final volume of poetry is a letter addressed to Monica Jones, a lecturer at the University of Leicester, and most well-known for being Larkin's long-term lover, companion and confidante (a selection of letters between Larkin and Monica, edited by Anthony Thwaite was published by Faber in 2010). The letter, dated 18 December 1953, from someone who calls themself 'Tup' (a partner is referred to as 'Nup') was sent from Wendy's Cottage, Bardy, Lewes. Tup, who we have been unable to identify, appears to be a colleague, or former colleague, of Jones' at Leicester, referring to a recently or about to be published volume of literary criticism. De La Mare's 'O Lovely England' was a gift sent with the letter: "Nup and I", writes Tup, "hope this will please you as a token of our affections. Title is good, the man is good, and so far as I have dipped seems good, though a trifle sad." There are a handful of letters from (and mentioning) Tup and Nup among Monica Jones' papers held at the Hull History Centre, but they too have been unable to identify their names.