Ballad and lyrical poems. The ordinary edition.

Component identifier:

Item 23-24

Content Summary:

This edition is bound in striped boards similar to the preceding copy. It has paper label on front cover and paper label upon the spine. It is, however, a smaller format, the size approximately 6 3/4" × 4 1/4". Two copies, as follows.

(a) Signed on end paper "Ethel Curlewis" [Ethel Turner] with her bookplate by Adrian Feint, tipped on inside cover. Tipped in is typescript of poem "Shaw Neilson" by Mary Gilmore, which appears at page 51 of Under the Wilgas. She has added an autograph note: "When I first published verse by Shaw Neilson on my page, two other verse writers for the Worker (not Lawson) said how could I publish 'that stuff, it wasn't poetry' and that it's lines were not all the same length. I replied that poetry was not like firewood to be cut at even lengths. Mary Gilmore, 6.6.61."

(b) Tipped in is typescript of the poem "Ride Him Away" which appears at page 108 of the book. Annotation thereon by A.G.S. suggesting an alteration to one line: "This does not run very well". Neilson subsequently altered the line, which originally read: "Yea, I have said but now 'tis Nay", now reads: "When Love has fallen, oh, who would stay?"

Both of these copies are rather soiled but the book is not easily found and must be taken as offered. Note: After this book was published A.G.S. wrote to Neilson: "...Trying to get Kate Baker, Furphy's old backer in Melbourne, to go on with idea of subscription edition; we should be sold out of this one soon. Mrs Dyer guaranteed £100, for which she gets 50 large at 21/- and 50 small at 6/-. Books have been delivered to her in Melbourne and printer's bill will about cut out the cheque. But I have squeezed out 25 more large and 100 more small copies - total 75 large and 250 small. At the cost we can't afford to sell to booksellers at usual discount of one third off price. A.G.S." This letter is not dated.

At the time of her departure for England, Mrs Dyer left all her unsold copies with a Melbourne bookseller, with the strict injunction that no copies were to be sold until her return. This is reported by Kate Baker in a letter, 20 November 1942, to James Devaney. How many there were, and whether or not they were ever sold may not be known. The answer might help to account in some measure for the scarcity of the book.

Names:

John Shaw Neilson

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