Rare first edition of poet T.S. Eliot book going under hammer

A rare first edition of one of the most influential poems of the last century is now for sale.

T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land was published by Virginia Woolf’s Hogarth Press.

The poem reflects the spiritual and cultural crisis that followed World War One and is widely regarded as one of the most important English-language poems of the 20th century.

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Rich in symbolism, it makes frequent references to classical literature and mythology.

And it established Eliot’s reputation as a central figure in the world of modernist poetry.

Virginia Woolf and husband Leonard set up Hogarth Press to champion new and innovative writing.

Virginia typeset the poem herself and the couple were the first to publish it in book form in the UK, as reported by What’s The Jam.

Auctioneer Liz Poole, of The Cotswold Auction Company, said: “This is a historic first edition – published by Virginia Woolf and her husband in 1923.

“It was the first book publication of ‘The Waste Land’ in the UK, though the poem had already appeared in book form in the US in 1922.”

The auction is taking place at The Cotswold Auction Company’s Chapel Walk salesroom in Cheltenham, Glous, on 3 June.

It is estimated to sell for up to £2,500.

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