George William Russell (as "A.E.") | Gods of War, 1915, first edition, one of 100 copies, signed by the author

George William Russell (as "A.E.")

Gods of War. Privately printed, 1915

FIRST EDITION, ONE OF 100 COPIES, INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR, 4to, manuscript corrections on p. 27 (with accompanying manuscript note on half-title: "[author's correction p27"]), numerous items pasted in to endleaves, "Oliver Gogarty" written on front pastedown, rebound in green cloth, original wrappers bound in

The items pasted into endleaves comprise: 

i. autograph letter signed from George Russell to Shane Leslie, dated 14 June 1933, "enclos[ing] a copy of the rules of the Irish Academy of Letters", of which Leslie had been elected a member, and listing the then-current members of the organisation, 1p, 4to, folded; ii. manuscript copy of Russell's 1916 poem "Salutation", in Leonie Leslie's hand, on mourning stationery, 3pp, 8vo, folded; iii. autograph letter signed from Russell to Mrs Justine [?], addressed from 17 Rathgar Avenue, Dublin (the author's Dublin Address), no date, apologising that "your letter marked 'Friday' only came to me today" since it was erroneously "addressed to 17 Rathgar Road", and apologising as he "would have been glad to see Lady Leslie again", 1p, 8vo, folded; iv. typescript of a letter written by Russell on his deathbed to his childhood friend, Judge Richard Campbell, 1p, 8vo, folded; v. autograph letter signed from Russell's biographer Alan Denson to unnamed recipient, dated 22 March 1954, concerning the forthcoming publication of Denson's writings on Russell, and asking the addressee to "show me the AE letters you have", 3pp, 4to, folded; vi. autograph letter signed, no date, from Russell to "Oliver" [St John Gogarty?], concerning Shane Leslie's nomination as a "'member' rather than an 'associate'" of the Irish Academy of Letters and asking for a "list of works" to support Leslie's nomination, 2pp, 8vo, folded; vii. autograph letter signed from Russell to Leslie, dated 28 November 1916, on paper headed "Irish Homestead | Dublin" (i.e. the weekly publication of the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society), declaring that "there is nothing happening in Ireland except the resolving gradually of the old political parties to their atomic elements", 1p, 4to, folded; viii. signed note in Oliver St John Gogarty's hand, no date, probably exerpted from longer letter, stating that "Miss AS, Violet Russell died yesterday", on small slip of paper, loosely inserted

Inscribed by the author: "To Shane Leslie, with kind regards from A.E. 21.1.16". Sir John Randolph ("Shane") Leslie, 3rd Baronet (1885-1971) was a first cousin of Winston Churchill and a prominent advocate of Irish Home Rule. On the verso of the half-title is a manuscript note, in Leslie's hand, explaining that this copy was "given to me in Jan of 1916 by George Russell the Irish mystic and reread amazingly in 1941". A number of items have been tipped into this copy by Leslie, including autograph letters signed, and a manuscript copy of Russell's 1916 poem "Salutation".

PROVENANCE

Presented by the author to Shane Leslie: ownership inscription, ex libris, and engraved armorial bookplate; ownership inscription of Oliver Gogarty (perhaps a relative of Oliver St John Gogarty, who was friends with Leslie, but died in 1957, some fifteen years before Leslie passed away)