WODWO

First edition, first printing. Original quarter red over grey cloth lettered gilt to the spine, in dustwrapper. A near fine copy, the binding square and firm, bright, the contents clean throughout. A little rubbing and fading to the egdes of the red cloth around the spine, a few light spots to text block edges. In the dustwrapper, rubbed to spine tips, lightly toned to the spine, with a short closed tear (c. 1 cm), with associated crease and rubbing, to the upper edge of the front panel. Not price-clipped (25s net to the front flap).

'Wodwo' was Hughes' first book for adults since 'Lupercal' seven years earlier. In addition to poems, the volume contains five stories and a radio play, "the stories and the play", Hughes explains in a prefatory note, "may be read as notes, appendix and unversified episodes of the events behind the poems, or as chapters of a single adventure to which the poems are commentary and amplification. Either way, the verse and the prose are intended to be read together, as parts of a single work". Published 18 May, 1967. 3,000 copies were printed (Sagar and Tabor A12 a.1.).