All What Jazz – A Record Diary 1961-1971 Larkin, Philip

Revised edition, first thus. 312 pages. Inscribed to the front endpaper: "To Eddie to commemorate his ten years' hard, and with deep gratitude for his support during them – Philip Larkin". The recipient was Edwin Dawes (1925-2023), a biochemist and magician who founded the biochemistry department at the University of Hull. The two became friends while Dawes was Chairman of the Library Committee, a roll he occupied from 1974-1987, the "ten years' hard" presumably making reference to this. Dawes was also Chair of the Philip Larkin Society from its foundation in 1995. The book is firmly bound in russet brown cloth, lettered in bright gilt to the spine, the extremities are a little bumped and rubbed. The text block is slightly age toned with some minor dusty marks. The dust jacket is the original and not price clipped, it is a little toned, with some very minor marks, also light rubbing to the edges. Larkin's celebrated collection of essays upon one of his favourite subjects, which originally appeared in the Daily Telegraph. This edition includes material not featured in earlier versions and a new footnote to the original Introduction. It was published in June 1985 with a print run of 2052 copies, and, as Larkin was diagnosed with terminal cancer that month and died on 2nd December 1985, he probably did not devote much of his remaining time to inscribing more than a small proportion of them. This is likely to have been one of Larkin's complimentary copies received prior to publication, and the inscription almost certainly pre-dates his unsuccessful surgery on June 11th, giving it an added poignancy.