A VIOLENT COUNTRY

First edition, first printing. Original brown cloth lettered in gilt to the spine, in the dustwrapper with Roy T. Palmer's photograph of the author to the front panel. A near fine copy, the binding square and firm, the contents, except for a previous owner's name neatly in ink to the front free endpaper, clean throughout. Mild spotting to fore- and upper page block edges, spreading a little to prelims and final pages. In the bright, near fine dustwrapper, with a small pen mark (c. 1 cm) visible to the lower corner of the front panel, and a touch of rubbing and spotting to extremities. Not price-clipped, the original price overlaid with the publisher's re-price label (£1.25 net). A nice copy of the poet's debut volume.

Following 'Tonight's Lover' (1968), a pamphlet issued by Ian Hamilton's legendary 'Review', and inclusion in the first Faber 'Poetry: Introduction' volume, 'A Violent Country', Harsent's first full collection, already displays the poet's distinctive fascination for extreme states, obsession and violence.