First edition. A single stapled quire. Original pale blue printed moire wrappers. A very good copy, a little wear to the spine fold with a small loss to the head of the spine and staples rusted. Early ink inscription to the upper cover and end of the poem identifying the author as 'Rupert Brooke'.

The first appearance of The Bastille, Brooke's second work, which appears with Greek Iambics by A.S.F.Gow. The pamphlet, the product of winning the Prize Poem at Rugby School for that year, was produced for the recitation on June 24 1905. A separate issue containing only The Bastille was also issued by the school, presumably for distribution amongst family and friends. Although Keynes lists the separate issue before this one, it was almost certainly issued later (or conceivably, simultaneously). John Schroder, whose collection contained both issues, states,
"Evidence for this being the first printing is substantial, see Muir Points and Hayward English Poetry... In addition Dr A.N.L. Munby and Messrs George Over of Rugby support this view."
Hayward in his catalogue note for the separate edition notes that, "The Bastille was first printed in a collection of Rugby prize poems by Lawrence at Rugby in the same year."
The survival of this ephemeral production is naturally uncommon. Only three copies recorded at auction in the last forty years, all of which were disbound. Keynes records four copies of the separate issue held institutionally, but only two such copies of the present example.

PROVENANCE: John Schroder (noted Brooke collector whose Brooke papers were sold to King's College Cambridge in 2015), this copy is item 2 in the catalogue of his collection; by descent.

Keynes 3; Schroder 2; Muir Points II p.99; cf. Hayward English Poetry 320.

Stock ID: 40130