ARTIST TREVOR BELL’S COPY: WATT

First hardcover edition of Beckett's second novel, written while he was in France during the Occupation. The book was published in the Traveller's Companion Series from Olympia Press in Paris, which was known for publishing avant-garde writers and controversial works of literature.

The novel comes from the personal library of Yorkshire art collector Ronnie Duncan who through great vision and creative curiosity has developed a significant art collection and fostered friendships with some of Britain’s greatest artists along the way. Ronnie met the artist Trevor Bell during his time in Leeds both as a student at Leeds College of Art and subsequently at the University of Leeds as a Gregory Fellow. Bell’s distinctive ownership inscription appears on the front pastedown of this important work by Beckett.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:

Original dust jacket in fair condition. Shelf worn to all edges with small loss to top front panel. Spine ends chipped. Small 1 cm clean tear to bottom front panel. Colours remain vibrant. Publisher's pale green flecked cloth boards with black, gold rimmed title labels to spine and front board in very good condition. Red endpapers clean and bright. ‘Trevor Bell’ inscribed to front pastedown. Distributed in the United Kingdom by Zwemmer. 279 pp. clean and unmarked throughout. A nice sound copy.