Graves (Robert) & William Nicholson, editors. The Owl [&] The Winter Owl. A Miscellany, 3 vol. [all published], illustrations, library bookplate to inner wrapper no.1 and the odd very small library stamp on plates verso, original wrappers or boards, no.1 with light chipping to spine ends but excellent overall, no.2 & 3 spine worn with some loss, Martin Secker & Cecil Palmer, large 4to, 1919-23; and 3 duplicates of no.2 (6)

⁂ A scarce literary periodical, edited by the twenty-three-year old Robert Graves. Originally the brainchild of Graves’s father-in-law, William Nicholson, it was agreed that Graves would take on the role of literary editor, while Nicholson would select the illustrators and, more importantly, fund the publication. At this early stage of his career, Graves’s literary preferences were strongly influenced by his connection to the Georgian poetic movement, which shaped his selection of contributors. He chose to exclude the more radical literary voices of the time (Eliot and Pound - avid critics of the Georgian conservative ventures), and instead favoured the well-established writers such as Thomas Hardy, J. C. Squire, John Galsworthy, and Walter De la Mare - though to the magazine's peril. The first issue was released in May 1919, and it continued only for one more number. It was briefly revived as The Winter Owl for a single edition in November 1923.