London: Constable, 1964

Small 8vo, pp. 53. Original green boards, lettered in gilt on spine. A near fine copy in a very good dustwrapper with a little loss to spine ends, and with one short closed tear to head of spine.

First edition, INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR TO TONY AND JUNE TILLINGHAST: 'for Tony and June, in friendship, Bryan 19/2/64'.

Tony Tillinghast was Johnson's close friend and literary sounding board. He died of cancer the year after this book was presented, at the age of twenty-nine.

Poems was Johnson's second book to be published, after his novel Travelling People, issued the previous year, and one of the very few Tillinghast survived to see in print. A wonderful and poignant association.

Keywords: B.S. JOHNSON"