1918 Dies Heroica : War Poems : Crommelin Brown : SIGNED First Edition : VGC

Dies Heroica;  War Poems 1914-1918

By John Lewis Crommelin-Brown

Published by Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1918. First Edition. Small 8vo hardback, grey boards, white paper label to spine, with scarce original dust jacket. 93pp. 

This volume is made all the more remarkable by its provenance; it was owned by either Crommelin-Brown himself or a relative (see images provided).

This collection offers a poignant and surreal glimpse into the emotional landscape of the Great War, with tributes to fallen comrades, including a moving opening poem dedicated to Rupert Brooke, Crommelin-Brown’s contemporary at Cambridge.

CONDITION
The book is in very good condition, with the author's, or a relative's name on front free endpaper, possibly reading C. Crommelin-Brown -   age toned end papers, lighter age tone to rest of pages but very clean.  Some light foxing to some of the pages, but generally very clean. Binding is firm and square. Overall, a very good copy of this scarce first edition.

John Lewis Crommelin-Brown was a man of striking versatility—a poet, soldier, educator, and cricketer whose life reflected the intellectual and emotional currents of early 20th-century Britain. Educated at Winchester and Cambridge, he emerged as a gifted writer, contributing witty parodies to Wykehamian Poems and penning lyrics for the Cambridge Footlights. His literary voice matured during World War I, where he served as a lieutenant in the Royal Garrison Artillery. The war left a profound mark on his poetry, culminating in Dies Heroica (1918), a collection of war poems that mourns the fallen and wrestles with the surreal brutality of trench warfare. The opening poem, a tribute to Rupert Brooke, reveals Crommelin-Brown’s deep personal and artistic connection to the generation lost in the Great War.

(Desk, Top Shelf)