At Swim Two Birds. London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1939. First Edition, Second Issue. Pp, 315. Publisher’s pale grey cloth, title stamped in black on spine. Light fading to cloth boards, lacks front free endpaper, light brown staining to front pastedown, contents pages in nice bright condition. Housed in custom-made slipcase.

Signed by the Author on second endpaper: ‘Brian O’Nolan’

This copy belonged to the author’s sister for many years. The front free endpaper has been removed, with loosely inserted typed letter by the author’s brother, Michael O’Nolan, explaining in very interesting details as to why this page was removed.

On publication a quantity of the first issue sheets were bound in black cloth and issued in a black & green printed dust jacket. 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. 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).

His 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.’ A very rare presentation copy of O’Nolan’s masterpiece.