MacNeice (Louis) Blind Fireworks, light spotting, slight browning to endpapers, original black cloth, dust-jacket, spine browned, slight toning and surface soiling spine tips and corners a little chipped, 1929 § Gray (John) Poems (1931), initialed gift inscription to Michael Roberts from Janet Adams Smith to front free endpaper, original wrappers, a little toned and soiled, glacine dust-jacket, chipped, browned and worn, 1931 § Lewis (C. Day) A Time to Dance, original cloth, light toning, dust-jacket, spine browned, spine ends and corners chipped, 1935 § Graves (Robert) Poems, initialed presentation inscription to Janet Adams Smith from Michael Roberts to front free endpaper, original cloth-backed boards, a little browned, 1933, first editions; and c.20 others by the same and similar, 8vo (c.25)

⁂ Provenance:

Janet Adam Smith (1905-99) Scottish writer, literary editor and journalist. From 1930 to 1935 she was assistant editor at The Listener, where she did much to promote the work of new poets, in particular W.H. Auden, Stephen Spender, Herbert Read and Louis MacNeice. In 1936 she succeeded Michael Roberts as chief reviewer in Eliot’s quarterly The Criterion. She married Michael Roberts in 1935.

Michael Roberts (1902-48) English poet, writer, mathematician, critic and broadcaster. He taught at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle and while there began publishing both his own poetry as well as editing anthologies, the most celebrated of which was the Faber Book of Modern Verse.