LOVE RESPELT

First editions, first printings. 'Love Respelt' inscribed by Robert Graves to his editor at Cassell, Kenneth Parker. One of 18 copies lettered A - R reserved for the author, the artist and the publishers. Together with the two limited, privately printed appendices to the collection, both out of series copies, the copy of 'Colophon to Love Respelt' signed by Graves. 1. Love Respelt: Original quarter black over grey cloth lettered in gilt to the spine. In the dustwrapper illustrated by Aemilia Laraçuen and lettered by Robert Graves. A very good or better copy, the binding square and firm, the contents clean throughout. The front board is a touch bowed with some spotting and offsetting to endpapers. The wrapper is toned with light wear to edges and extremities and three closed tears (c. 1 – 3 cm) to upper and lower edges of the front panel 2. 'Seventeen Poems Missing from Love Respelt' and 'Colophon to Love Respelt', the former one of 330 copies, 300 of which were for sale; the latter one of 386 copies, 350 of which were for sale. Both copies are out of series, unnumbered copies. Both are bound in stiff white card wraps with dustwrappers lettered in black and red. Both are very good or better copies, the bindings square and firm, the contents clean throughout. The dustwrapper for 'Colophon' is rubbed to edges and extremities with two closed tears to the spine panel. The 'Seventeen Poems' wrapper is a touch faded to the spine. A very nice association set of the three 'Love Respelt' volumes.

'Love Respelt' contains thirty-three new poems in a facsimile of the author's manuscript and limited to 250 signed and numbered copies. It was published in celebration of his seventieth birthday on 24th July, 1965. As well as being illustrated by Aemilia Laraçuen, the poems of Love Respelt are addressed to and preoccupied with her. Laraçuen was Graves' muse figure at the time and the "Firm-lipped, high-breasted, slender Queen of Bean-stalk Land" of the poem 'Batxoca', "Who are more to me than any woman upon this earth". (Poor Beryl, his long-suffering wife, tolerated the poet's many muses.) This copy of 'Love Respelt' comes with the two limited, privately printed appendices to the collection, both out of series copies from the library of Kenneth Parker (one of them signed by Graves). In the foreword to the second of these slim volumes, Graves writes "When I sent 'Love Respelt' and 'Seventeen Poems Missing from Love Respelt' to the printers I twice deceived myself into thinking that this particular poetic battle had ended; in each case, another charge was needed." (Higginson A113a, A115, A118).