Poems by Iris Tree
Tree, Iris. Poems by Iris Tree. First American Edition. 1920. Book is in good plus condition—mild staining to covers, discoloration to the flyleaf and endpapers, and all that remains of the dust jacket is a blurb that has been tipped in to the flyleaf. There is a cryptic third-party gift inscription but the connection to the author, if any, is unclear (she died in 1968): “For the Frog Prince’s beloved mother. Christmas 1973. And who would have guessed that it would all end with a kitchen floor covered with burnt toast?” Decorations by Curtis Moffat.
This is an early collection of poems by a young Iris Tree (who had not yet appeared in The Miracle with Diana Cooper). Her inspiration includes the world war that had just ended and her experiences among the Bohemians. Lovely.
“How deeply nurtured is your foolishness/Calling destruction great and slaughter brave/Making large triumph of a little grave.”
--Iris Tree