Sunday 26 April 2015

The Kiltartan poetry book [by Lady Gregory] (1919)

The Kiltartan Poetry Book by Lady Gregory contains prose translations from the Irish into English. In translating these poems Lady Gregory stated in the introduction to the volume "I have chosen to do so in the speech of the thatched houses where I have heard and gathered them".

Thursday 23 April 2015

The four winds of Eirinn [by Ethna Carbery] (1902)

Ethna Carbery (born Anna Johnston) was an Irish journalist, writer and poet. She is best known for the ballad Roddy McCorley.  In 1901 she married poet and folklorist Séamus MacManus and moved with him to Revlin House in County Donegal. It was then that she began writing under the pen name of Ethna Carbery because once she took the last name of MacManus she didn't want to be confused with her husband (also a writer). She died in Revlin House of gastritis the following year, aged 35. Her husband, who was three years her junior, outlived her by 58 years Although MacManus and Johnston were only married for one year her impact on his life ran deep. Her poetry was published by her husband after her death in the The Four Winds of Erin, which was phenomenally successful over the next few years.

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The four winds of Eirinn [by Ethna Carbery] (1902)

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Tuesday 21 April 2015

The Children of Odin [by Padraic Colum]

Master storyteller Padraic Colum's rich, musical voice captures all the magic and majesty of the Norse sagas in his retellings of the adventures of the gods and goddesses who lived in the Northern paradise of Asgard before the dawn of history. Here are the matchless tales of All-Father Odin, who crosses the Rainbow Bridge to walk among men in Midgard and sacrifices his right eye to drink from the Well of Wisdom; of Thor, whose mighty hammer defends Asgard; of Loki, whose mischievous cunning leads him to treachery against the gods; of giants, dragons, dwarfs and Valkyries; and of the terrible last battle that destroyed their world.

Read by Elizabeth Klett.

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The Children of Odin [by Padraic Colum]

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Sunday 19 April 2015

Kensington rhymes [by Compton Mackenzie] (1912)

Compton Mackenzie was a prolific writer of fiction, biography, histories and memoir, as well as a cultural commentator, raconteur and lifelong Scottish nationalist. He was one of the co-founders in 1928 of the Scottish National Party along with Hugh MacDiarmid, RB Cunninghame Graham and John MacCormick. He only produced one book of poetry, which was aimed at children and was delightfully illustrated by J.R Monsell.





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Kensington rhymes [by Compton Mackenzie] (1912)

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The Irish Fairy Book [by Alfred Perceval Graves] [1909]

Welcome to a world of wild banshees, leprechauns, mermaids, battle-tested kings, churchyard demons, and treasure-guarding cats. This is the world of the Irish fairy tale, a magical realm kept alive by generations of storytellers and their avid listeners. As Alfred Perceval Graves, author of the ballad „Father O'Flynn” and a former president of the Irish Literary Society, wrote in the introduction, The truth is that the Gaelic peasant, Scotch and Irish, is a mystic, and believes not only in this world, and the world to come, but in that other world which is the world of Faery, and which exercises an extraordinary influence upon many actions of his life.” This volume comes beautifully illustrated by George Denham,

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The Irish Fairy Book [by Alfred Perceval Graves] [1909]

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A story of Carn Brea, essays, and poems [by John Harris] (1863)

John Harris at age twelve, was sent to work at Dolcoath mine where he combined a life of painful labour with the production of poetry celebrating his native landscape around Carn Brea and the scenic splendours of Land's End and the Lizard. He could not afford pen and paper, so he improvised and used blackberry juice for ink and grocery bags for paper. During this period he produced his most important work, the loco-descriptive poem A Story of Carn Brea (1863).

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A story of Carn Brea, essays, and poems [by John Harris] (1863)

Thursday 16 April 2015

The Soul's Destroyer [by W.H Davies]

W.H Davies self-published his first book of poetry, The Soul's Destroyer, in 1905, by means of his own savings. It proved to be the beginning of success and a growing reputation. In order to even get the slim volume published, Davies had to forgo his allowance and live the life of a tramp for six months (with the first draft of the book hidden in his pocket). This is a fine 1910 reprint of The Soul's Destroyer.