An intriguing association copy of Richard Le Gallienne’s Painted Shadows, published in October 1904, containing a striking Barry Humphries bookplate to the front.

The bookplate is boldly headed BARRY HUMPHRIES beneath an illustration of a shelf of books and decorative objects.

Also present is an earlier ownership bookplate reading “Jane Scott Gerber – Her Book”, giving the volume an additional layer of provenance.

The copyright page confirms publication in October 1904, with Little, Brown and Company among the copyright holders and printing by The University Press, Cambridge, U.S.A.

There are also pencilled bookseller/cataloguing annotations above the Barry Humphries bookplate, including “#015 Painted Shadows”.

An unusual item combining an attractive early-20th-century literary volume with Barry Humphries provenance. Humphries was a noted bibliophile and collector as well as the creator of Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson, making books from his library particularly appealing association copies.

Please study the photographs carefully for edition, bookplates, inscriptions/annotations and condition. The Barry Humphries bookplate is shown clearly in the photographs.

A distinctive addition to a collection of Barry Humphries, theatrical memorabilia, bookplates, literary association copies or private-library provenance.