ELEVEN POEMS

First edition, first issue with the purple nine-pointed sun figure to the front panel. This copy belonged to Rosemary Goad (1921-1998), a director at Faber and Faber who would later become a close friend of the poet. Goad's name is written in pencil to the upper left corner of the front panel in what appears to be Heaney's hand. Original stapled wrappers lettered in black to front and rear panels. A very near fine copy, the binding strong, the pages flat, with no traces of spotting. The lightly toned wraps are a little darker near the spine fold. Housed in a bespoke quarter black morocco solander case. The rear panel explains that this pamphlet "is one in a series to be published monthly and to include [list of nine poets including, Heaney, Michael Longley, and Derek Mahon]", each volume priced "Two shillings and sixpence [...]; subscription for series one pound (including postage)". A lovely association copy of the poet's scarce first individual publication.

Published in November 1965, 'Eleven Poems' preceded 'Death of a Naturalist' (1966), Heaney's first full collection for Faber and Faber by seven months. All except one of the poems ('Peter Street at Bankside') printed in the pamphlet would later appear in the larger volume, and the publisher's statement at the end of 'Eleven Poems' acknowledges Faber, with whom Heaney was already under contract, "for permission to print these poems from 'Death of a Naturalist'." Heaney was at the time on the committee of the Belfast Festival and "In 1965", he later recalled, "there was still a touch of the ad hoc and the improvisatory about proceedings, so when I suggested a pamphlet series to Michael [Emmerson, who ran the Festival], it was a done deal in a minute and the booklets were brought out with very little fuss. The first three [Mahon's, Heaney's and Longley's] are collectors' items now, of course [...]. They look as if they were just xeroxed and stapled; but they were the start of something." Heaney's contribution was warmly praised by John Carey in the New Statesman ("assured [...] masterly"). This copy of 'Eleven Poems' belonged to Rosemary Goad, who joined Faber and Faber in 1953 as a secretary, assisting the editor Charles Monteith (and initially sharing a room in the office with Valerie Fletcher, who would soon become Valerie Eliot). Goad became the first female Faber director in 1970, retiring in 1988. Seamus Heaney would become a friend, inscribing copies of each of his books to Goad and even writing a poem for her when she retired. This copy of Heaney's early pamphlet has the name 'Miss Goad' written in pencil to the upper corner of the front panel. The handwriting appears to be that of the author. Monteith had written to Heaney in June 1965 (five months before 'Eleven Poems' was issued) to accept 'Death of a Naturalist' for publication, so he was still a new face in London. (Dennis O'Driscoll, 'Stepping Stones: Interviews with Seamus Heaney' [London, 2008]; Toby Faber, 'Faber & Faber: The Untold Story of a Great Publishing House' [London 2019]; Brandes and Durkan A1a.)