Songs and Poems with an introductory essay on Poetry in Australia Signed with gift-inscription by Brian Fitzpatrick and with a verse of poetry in Fitzpatrick’s hand No. 4 of 400 copies

Very Scarce Signed 1st Edition of Brian Fitzpatrick’s first and only collection of poems, being No. 4 of 400 copies – front endpaper shows a gift-inscription from Fitzpatrick ‘To Claude Clements on the day of publication 15.iv.1931’ followed by Fitzpatrick’s signature, this followed by a four-line verse of poetry also in Fitzpatrick’s hand (the poetry itself by Hillaire Belloc ‘From quiet homes and first beginning….’); Fitzpatrick was an important Australian historian, left-leaning in politics, but expelled from the ALP – he was a founding member of The Australian Council for Civil Liberties; his works include “British Imperialism and Australia 1788-1833′; once possessed of purely literary ambitions, he soon came to regard ‘Songs and Poems’ as “an embarrassment” (Australian Dictionary of Biography); red buckram over illustrated stiff card wraps, the wraps with illustrations front and rear by artist/cartoonist Alex McCrae; some foxing to endpapers, text block tanned, occasional mild foxing in text, minor knock top text block with mild creases to corners of some pages.