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HUGHES, Ted. Moortown.

London. Faber and Faber, 1979. First edition.
8vo. 171pp. Original publisher's green card wraps, lettered red, illustrated by Leonard Baskin. Some smoke damage to wraps, some rubbing, tearing, and tape marks. Toned throughout.

From the estate of Olwyn Hughes, recently dispersed, without any markings by her; the smoke damage is the result of an errant cigarette dropped by Olwyn down the back of her settee, which caused a serious fire.
First edition paperback, issued simultaneously with the hardback and limited issue editions. Sometimes referred to as Moortown Diary, this collection of poetry was inspired by Hughes' working farm, owned jointly with his second father-in-law Jack Orchard.

Olwyn Hughes (1928-2016) was a translator, agent and literary executor who had worked in Paris for NATO, Martonplay, and King Peter II of Yugoslavia, among others. After the death of her sister-in-law Sylvia Plath, she returned to England to assist her brother, Ted Hughes, raise his young children, though also took over the management of both his career and Plath's literary estate. While she did have some other clients as a literary agent, including Jean Rhys, much of the rest of her life was dedicated to preserving - and defending - both Plath and Hughes.
£ 50.00 Antiquates Ref: 29577