POEMS. Among Shapes and Shadows.

First edition, first printing. Inscribed by the author to W. H. Auden. Publisher's original brown cloth with black titles to the spine. Without dustwrapper. Photographic frontispiece portrait, with tissue guard. An excellent better than very good copy, the binding square and firm with only light rubbing and bumping to the spine tips and corners. The spine is a touch darkened. The contents, with a little offsetting to the endpapers and the odd isolated foxing spot to the margins are otherwise clean throughout.

Inscribed by Shotaro Oshima in black ink on the front endpaper "Mr W.H. Auden / With every good wish / From the author / October 25th 1939". Published in a limited edition of 350 copies, this example numbered 197 to a small paper limitation label.