At Swim Two Birds. London; Longmans, Green & Co., 1939. First Edition, First Issue. Pp, 315. Publisher’s black cloth, title blocked in gilt to upper spine, green hue to top-edge. Light shelf-wear to boards, age-toning to fore-edge, scattered spotting throughout the text; clear tape repair to inner hinge of pages 18/19.

The rare first issue of Brian O’Nolan’s most famous work, ‘At Swim’ has been described one of the most amusing, wildly funny works of genius in contemporary Irish literature. Described by Graham Greene as in the ‘line of Tristram Shandy and Ulysses.’

Most of the bound stock (first issues) was destroyed when Longmans premises were bombed in 1940 and when only a small number had been distributed. One source states that only 82 copies came to Dublin, the centre from which one might reasonably expect the heaviest sales, and most of these would have been destined for the general fiction sections of libraries. Sheet stock however remained at the printers and this was bound up in grey-green cloth and reissued in 1941 or 1942 (known as the second issue) at a new price of 3/6 (much reduced due to poor sales of the first issue).

Edmund Crispin’s copy with his ownership signature of his real name “Bruce Montgomery, 1944” on half-title. Edmund Crispin (1921-1978) was an English crime writer and composer known for his Gervase Fen novels and for his musical scores for the early films in the Carry On series.