Night flight and sunrise (the author’s copy with manuscript corrections)

Melbourne and Adelaide : Reed and Harris, 1944. Octavo, original pink papered boards with printed title to spine, in Sidney Nolan illustrated dust jacket (lightly rubbed, somewhat chipped at corners and along spine), pink endpapers, frontispiece portrait of the author, pp 40; a few toning spots, a fine, crisp copy.

The first published volume of poetry by this important Australian writer, based largely on Dutton’s wartime experiences. Printed in an edition of only 300 copies, the book features a very early Nolan illustrated dust jacket. (COWLEY, Des, A checklist of Reed & Harris Publications, in The La Trobe Journal No 64, Spring 1999, p. 47).

The author’s copy, inscribed on the front free endpaper ‘Corrected copy G.D.’ with manuscript corrections, including the changing of ‘dead trees’ to ‘dead branches’ on the inner flap of the dustjacket, ‘crew’ to ‘crow’ to p. 14, ‘Toute’ to ‘tout’ on p. 15, and other minor corrections.

Provenance:

Geoffrey Dutton AO (1922 – 1998), Australian author and historian;

by inheritance to Robin Lucas, formerly Robin Dutton, wife of Geoffrey Dutton from 1985;

acquired from the above in 2021.