Robert Louis Stevenson 'Poems Hitherto Unpublished',
The first printed edition,
The Bibliophile Society.
 
A SUMMER NIGHT
About us lies the summer night;
⁠The darkling earth is dusk below;
But high above, the sky is bright
⁠Between the eve and morning glow.

Clear white of dawn and apple green,
⁠Sole lingering of the evening's hue,
Behind the clustered trees are seen,
⁠Across dark meadows drencht in dew.

So glow above the dusk of sin,
⁠Remembrance of Redemption vast,
And future hope of joy therein
⁠That shall be shed on us at last.

Each haloed in its husk of light,
⁠Atoms and worlds about us lie;
Though here we grope awhile in night,
⁠'Tis always daylight up on high.
R.L.S.

At the time when the great mass of manuscripts, books, and other personal belongings of Robert Louis Stevenson were dispersed through a New York auction room in November 1914 and January 1915, the whole of civilization was being shaken to its very foundations. The exigencies of the times were such that people were concerned with more important matters than the acquisition of manuscripts and relics. Therefore, the sale, which in ordinary times would have attracted widespread attention among editors, critics, publishers, and collectors, went comparatively unnoticed amid the general clamor and apprehension of the time. There was, however, one vigilant Stevenson collector, Mr. Francis S. Peabody, who bought a large part of the unpublished manuscripts at the sale and has since acquired most of the remainder, which went chiefly to various dealers. Mr. Peabody has generously offered to share the enjoyment of his Stevenson treasures with his fellow bibliophiles, and we are indebted to him for the privilege of issuing the first printed edition of many precious items, without which no collection of Stevensoniana can ever be regarded as being complete.

The Bibliophile Society, 1921. The first edition of these poems, the earliest of which is dated 1866. One of 450 copies printed for members of the Bibliophile Society. Introduction and Notes by George S. Hellman and William P. Trent.
Frontispiece portrait, nine facsimiles. Three-quarter vellum over rust cloth sides. The book and the double slipcase are in excellent vintage condition. The facsimiles are of Stevenson's manuscripts. Includes an index of titles and first lines.
Measures: 9.25 x 7.25 x 1
Binding: Rust linen boards w/off-white spinal column, gilt lettering
 
Please refer to the photos; more are available upon request.
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