G. K. CHESTERTON FIRST EDITIONS AT
ASH RARE BOOKS
43 HURON ROAD
LONDON SW17 8RE
UNITED KINGDOM

London : Sheed & Ward, (1926). First edition : in Sullivan’s “A” variant binding. A collection of twenty-five poems, including “The White Witch”, “The Ballad of King Arthur”, “St. George of England”, etc.
Crown 8vo (20cm). (50),[ii]pp. Original quarter orange cloth, light violet boards; pale orange title label on upper cover, printed in black; boards just a little sunned; mild spotting of edges; endpapers lightly tanned, but still overall a very good copy. Gift inscription dated 1926 on front free endpaper. Sullivan 65.

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London : Cassell & Co., (1926). First edition. The third of the Father Brown volumes – eight short stories, including “The Oracle of the Dog”, “The Miracle of Moon Crescent” and “The Doom of the Darnaways” – “That nice old cleric, strange compost of guile and guilessness, has already endeared himself to the public beyond the need of any new commendation. Here he is in excellent form, has never been in better; and one is delighted to observe that age cannot wither him, nor custom stale his infinite variety. Not only can it not wither him, it cannot kill him; characteristically the book opens with the murder of Father Brown, followed by his instant resurrection” (The Sketch, 7th July 1926).
Crown 8vo (189 x 120mm). [viii],296pp. Bound in a smart recent half black morocco, banded and gilt; top edge gilt; original cloth backstrip and upper cover preserved at rear; a few slight marks and spots, but overall a very good copy. Sullivan 63.

£250

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London : Cassell & Co., (1927). First edition. The fourth of the Father Brown volumes – ten short stories and pieces, including “The Song of the Flying Fish” and “The Red Moon of Meru”. Dedicated to Father John O’Connor of Bradford – reputed to be the original of ‘Father Brown’ – and certainly the priest who guided Chesterton to catholicism.
Crown 8vo (188 x 119mm). [viii],(310),[ii]pp. Bound in an elegant recent half black morocco, banded and gilt; top edge gilt; original cloth backstrip preserved at rear; a few very faint spots, but a very good copy.

£250

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London : Cassell & Co., (1930). First edition. Four inter-related novellas – murder, fraud, treason and theft – the moderate murderer, the honest quack, the ecstatic thief, and the loyal traitor.
Crown 8vo (20cm). [2],vi,(310),[ii]pp. Original black cloth, ruled and lettered in gilt; some minor rubbing to extremities; some spotting to edges and outer leaves; a few faint marks, but a very good and sound copy.

£75

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London : Cassell & Co., (1935). First edition. The fifth and last of the Father Brown volumes – eight short stories, including “The Pursuit of Mr. Blue”, “The Crime of the Communist” and “The Insoluble Problem” – “The chief distinction between Mr. Chesterton’s Father Brown and all other detectives is that Father Brown sees and deals with sinners while other detectives commonly deal with criminals” (Daily News, 22nd April 1935).
Crown 8vo (181 x 114mm). [vi],248pp. Bound in a smart recent half black morocco, banded and gilt; top edge gilt; a few slight marks and small flaws, but overall a very good copy. Sullivan 96.

£250

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London : Sheed & Ward, 1950. First edition. Forty-four lively essays previously unpublished in book form – Chesterton on reading, novelists, the pantomime, from Meredith to Rupert Brooke, A Tale of Two Cities, necromancy, Dr Johnson, Henry James, Tolstoi, Pierpont Morgan, books for boys, nudism – and much else.
Post 8vo (21cm). vi,(280),[ii]pp. Original blue cloth, lettered in gilt; mild tanning of endpapers; slight spotting of top edge, but a very good copy in the dust-jacket – also very good. Contemporary ownership inscription.

SOLD