This is Author T.S. Matthews terrific literary criticism/biographical work- GREAT TOM: Notes Towards the Definition of T. S. Eliot ( Harper & Row 1974 Hardcover)

It is the superb, collectible Hardcover 1st Edition/1st Printing copy!

Very Good in a Very Good dust jacket. Stated First Edition.

In sum, this an expressly stated "First Edition" that is in superb overall condition w/out any significant flaws! In fact, remarkably, this copy is "like" new despite being over 40 years old! To that end, especially for fans of Eliot, this book would be a great copy for collectors, a terrific gift, and/or simply be a wonderful read.

Please recognize that similar copies are remarkably scarce. While any hardcover this book, which apparently had a low print run, are hard to find, copies of this 44 year old book in top collectible quality (as opposed to a library copy or a copies that have been read and show resulting normal "wear and tear") are especially hard to find. Indeed, at the time of this posting, I could find only a couple copies for sale anywhere.

CONDITION

This book appears to be in “Like” New or at least Very Good condition with no significant flaws. It clearly appears to unread, handled gently and stored appropriately at all times. It has no markings, nor does it show much shelf wear. To the extent there are blemishes, they are few, extremely minor and barely noticeable.

In all respects, the inside of the book is consistent w/ an unread, new book— the book’s binding is remarkably “tight and square”, like a new, rarely opened book and the pages are clean and crisp w/ no creases, stains, soiling fingerprints, smudges or other overt signs of use.

In other words, the inside of the book is pristine! It has no names, inscriptions, penciled prices, nor any other writing, highlighting, stamps, stickers, imprints, or anything else added to the book by a previous owner or seller. Similarly, there are no page flaws or blemishes; rather, the pages are 100% clean w/ no stains, moisture damage, soiling, wrinkles, rips, or any other marks.

The DJ also is in terrific overall condition, with minimal to no overt blemishes from any storage or occasional handling.

-The face of the Dj is remarkably "clean and bright", especially for a 44 year old book, with no writing, stains, soiling, wrinkling, moisture damage or any other significant marks or problems. There is even minimal to no scratches or rubbing, although there are various barely noticeable rubbing scuffs (i.e., light marks that do not penetrate the surface or otherwise significant enough to constitute a scratch), which generally are unavoidable w/out a plastic cover.

- The DJ's edges/corners remain mostly sharp and overall are at least in very good condition, especially for a 44 year old book. Of course, there is some barely noticeable, light wear (minor bruising/bumping) at a few spots along the edges, mostly at and around the top and bottom edges of the spine. See photos.

- The corners of the DJ are in unusually fine shape for any book, but especially one that has endured well over 40!years of normal shelf storage and occasional handling. The bottom corners opposite the spine are especially in fine condition. The top corners opposite the spine show a small amount of bruising.

- The DJ’s flaps are in excellent overall condition—the only notable blemish being a slight, inadvertent crease on the bottom right corner of the front flap.

The boards, hinges, spine and end pages are all in fine condition w/ no significant flaws.

There is no spotting, page discoloration, or any other signs of aging or storage problems. There may be some barely noticeable, extremely light discoloration to the DJ due to the natural aging process.

As you can see for yourself from the listing’s photos, the condition of the book overall is excellent and any wear is in fact quite minimal.

Other relevant specifics:

This book was published by Harper&Row Publishers in 1974. Sections were previously published in the Atlantic Monthly and Vogue;

The copyright page expressly states that this is the “FIRST EDITION”. There is no number line nor any reference to previous or subsequent printings, thereby establishing that this is the collectible First Printing of the First Edition, pursuant to the publisher's guidelines in effect at that time;

The book has 219 enumerated pages, including a 9 page index, a 5 page Bubliography, 9 pages of Notes, and a 5 page Appendix, as well as un-numbered Pages of photos, a Forward and Acknowledgements;

There are 8 pages of Black & White photos;

This is neither a library copy nor a book club edition;

There are no remainder marks nor is it price-clipped (the DJ front flap has the $8.95 list price in the upper right corner);

There are no names, inscriptions, stickers, or other markings or anything else added to the book by a previous owner or seller;

Please review the photos to also consider the condition of the book yourself, but please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions about the book or the listing.

Thank you for looking!

General issues and policies

I do combine shipping- buyers will not pay any duplicative shipping costs when purchasing multiple products from me.

I do not use “stock” photos- the photos included in the listing are of the actual product

I try to include as many photos + otherwise provide as much info as appropriate to allow the buyer to properly evaluate the condition of the product

Condition of books is generally a subjective process as opposed to an objective science for various reasons (one person’s “very fine” may be another’s “fine”). Similarly, people define the descriptive terms of art, such as “very fine” differently. Moreover, different collectors/sellers prioritize characteristics of books quite differently- e.g., to some, a previous owner’s name inside a book is a significant flaw while to others, it is not that relevant. Consequently, I try it minimize use of terms of art and instead simply try to describe the book as thoroughly as possible and leave the significance to the buyer.

Please understand that descriptions of books is very time-consuming. So while I do try to be as informative as possible in the description, the effort must be balanced against the need to minimize the time input. Believe it or not, it’s very time consuming to list each product, especially when including informative descriptions and numerous photos. The cost of such time input is likely why most other sellers use stock photos and/or have limited product descriptions. While I refuse to take such shortcuts, I still have to balance my desire yo be as informative as possible w/ the other demands on my time —primarily the demands arising out of raising my kids. In short, please try to be understanding if my listing is lacking info/photo you desire or if I occasionally miss something in my review. I sincerely do my best to thoroughly and accurately describe my products. I do so not only b/c it is the right thing to do morally l, but also because it is time consuming, costly, and bad business in general to mislead customers and trigger returns.

I accept all returns based on an inaccurate or incomplete description— simply contact me and let me know the problem,I will agree to the return w/out a conflict and per eBay policy, will refund your account once I receive the product back from you. Indeed, I prioritize customer satisfaction and if you are unsatisfied in any way please let me know, and I will do my very best to address your concerns. I sincerely try to follow the golden rule that I will treat you as I like to be treated. I simply ask that you be honest, reasonable and fair.

Please understand I am not a store, do not have employees, and do not do this as a business to maximize profits. I do this because I love books, like to read and collect them, and selling some of them helps offset my own collecting costs while reducing overwhelming inventory.

If you have a particular need or requirement, please let me know and I will do my best to help you out. For example, I will expedite shipping if necessary for a gift that must be delivered by a certain date and help ensure that it gets there on time in any way I can including personally delivering the shipment to post office. Also, I have 1000’s of books, many of which eventually will be listed— in the meantime, if you r looking for a particular book, I may have it and would likely be willing to work something out with you.

I try to be flexible and generally am open to any reasonable offer. If you are interested in a book, but believe that it is overpriced or simply cannot afford it, please let me know- I’ll try to work something out w/you.

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