MACARTNEY, Frederick T.

£675 · Offered by Peter Harrington · No longer available

Collection of ten works. A remarkable collection of scarce works by influential Australian poet and critic Frederick T. Macartney (1887-1980), four of which signed, all in notably bright condition.Macartney was a noted critic across the early 20th century. He "valued his poetry far above his other literary endeavours and was a craftsman, ranging diversely from philosophy to light satire, with wit and irony; friendly critics admired his 'vigorous imagery' and 'intellectual subtlety'" (Australian Dictionary of Biography). As a young man he was identified as rationalist and an anti-conscriptionist, was a Fabian member of the Victorian Socialist Party, and in 1916 was a founder of the Melbourne Literary Club.Collection consisting of:i) Dewed Petals. Melbourne: privately printed, 1912. Octavo. Original green paper wrappers, titles to front cover in black. Paper and spine disintegrated. First edition, sole printing, of the authors first collection of poetry, signed and dated by the author on the colophon. The print run is unclear but believed to be between 150 and 270 copies.ii) Poems. Melbourne: Sydney J. Endacott, [1920]. Octavo. Original brown boards, titles in black to front cover. First edition, first impression.iii) A Sweep of Lute-strings, being the title excusing a very few love-rhymes. Melbourne: printed at the Galleon Press for private circulation by the author, 1929. Small quarto. Original cloth bound boards, titles on blue paper label to front board. First edition, one

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