Jack B. Yeats, An Appreciation and an Interpretation. Dublin: Waddington, 1945. Pp 39, with 20 plates bound-in at the end. Gray paper boards, lettered in red, in publisher’s matching dust jacket. A fine bright copy.

Presentation copy, Inscribed by the Author on title page.

Written at Jack Yeats’ own request, this was an important production in terms of raising Yeats’ reputation overseas. Whilst the idea for the book first arose in 1931, it failed to take root owing to the reluctance of London publishers to take on what seemed an expensive and risky venture.

In 1942 Yeats had a joint show with William Nicholson and consequently became better known in Britain, but by then wartime economies precluded the publishing of art books, thus it did not appear until 1945.