John B. Keane
John B. Keane (1928–2002) was one of Ireland’s most beloved playwrights, novelists and public commentators, whose work captured the voice of rural Kerry with humour, poignancy, and unflinching honesty.
Born in Listowel, County Kerry, he ran a pub there for most of his life, turning the bar into a lively forum where stories, gossip and characters provided rich material for his writing.
Keane’s plays, including Sive (1959), The Field (1965), and Big Maggie (1969), are landmarks of twentieth-century Irish theatre. They blend sharp comedy with tragedy, often exposing themes of greed, land, family conflict, and social hypocrisy. His writing is marked by its authenticity—dialogue that rings true to the cadence of Irish speech and characters who embody both the flaws and strengths of ordinary people.
Keane was also a prolific novelist, short-story writer and columnist, with works such as The Bodhrán Makers and Letters of a Successful T.D. contributing to his reputation as a chronicler of Irish life. Fiercely independent, he never shied away from controversial topics, yet he remained deeply rooted in community life.
Beyond the stage and page, Keane became a cultural icon: genial, witty, and outspoken, he stands today as a towering figure in modern Irish literature.
OUR BOOKS ARE SORTED IN THESE CATEGORIES:
 | KEANE, John B. Big Maggie (Signed first edition) Cork: The Mercier Press, 1969. First edition. pp. 94. Small 8vo. Original red publisher’s cloth, title in gilt to spine, in the original pictorial dust jacket. A very good copy in a worn but complete dust jacket; light rubbing and marking to the jacket, some browning and foxing to the page edges, internally clean. Inscribed […] €250.00 |
 | Keane, John B. Fifty Years Young. A tribute to John B. Keane. Edited by John M. Feehan. (Signed limited edition) Cork & Dublin: The Mercier Press, 1979. First edition, limited issue of 500 copies. Small 8vo. pp. 101. Original publisher’s tan cloth, spine and upper cover lettered in burgundy with portrait device to centre. A very good copy. Presentation inscription on the front free endpaper: “To Des — With thanks & appreciation. John B. Keane.” […] €185.00 |
 | KEANE, John B. More Irish Short Stories. (Signed by the Author) Cork: The Mercier Press, 1992. 8vo. pp. 123. Publisher’s pictorial wrappers, lightly rubbed at extremities; some spotting to edges and preliminaries, otherwise a very good copy. Signed by John B. Keane on the half-title: “Every good wish / John B. Keane”. With the original Danny Hannon Bookshop, Listowel, “Signed by the Author” label to upper […] €125.00 |
 | KEANE, John B. Portrait photograph by Fergus Bourke. Signed by Keane and Bourke. Original black-and-white photographic portrait, signed in ink by both sitter and photographer. Measuring 540 x 450 mm (including mount). A striking and evocative large-format portrait of the celebrated Kerry playwright John B. Keane (1928–2002), taken by the distinguished Irish photographer Fergus Bourke (1934–2004) and signed by both. Bourke, best remembered for his vivid documentation of […] €875.00 |
 | KEANE, John B. Sharon’s Grave. A Folk Play (Rare first edition) With a foreword by James M. Healy. Dublin: Progress House, 1960. First edition. pp. 77. Green printed wrappers. A fine copy. Scarce. First edition of John B. Keane’s third play, published just one year after the sensational debut of Sive (1959). Sharon’s Grave confirms Keane’s gift for fusing folk idiom with tragic form, set against […] €375.00 |
 | KEANE, John B. Sive. A Play in Three Acts. (Signed first edition) With a foreword by Micheál Ó hAodha. Dublin: Progress House, 1959. First edition. pp. 112. Original printed wrappers in the “Popular Plays Series” (priced 4/6 net). A very good copy. Inscribed by the author on the half-title: “To Paulinus with affection / from / John B. Keane.” The rare first edition of John B. Keane’s […] €475.00 |
 | KEANE, John B. Sive. A Play in Two Acts. Illustrated. Dublin: Progress House, 1959. Crown octavo. First edition, second printing. pp. 112. Grey wrappers, printed in blue. Spine evenly tanned. A very good copy. €175.00 |
 | KEANE, John B. Sive. A Play in Two Acts. (Signed limited edition) Dublin: Progress House, 1986. Special signed limited edition. pp. 56. Quarter cloth, titled in gilt. Yellow printed dust jacket. A fine copy. Rare. Of this edition there were only 275 copies printed on fine Senator Matt cartridge by Speedyprint, Dublin, and bound by William Anderson Ltd. This is copy number 93, signed by John B. […] €450.00 |
 | Keane, John B. Strong Tea. (Signed edition) Cork: The Mercier Press, [1960s]. Early Mercier paperback edition. Small 8vo. pp. 126. Original illustrated publisher’s pictorial wrappers printed in black and orange. This copy bears a signed presentation inscription by the author on the front endpaper: “With every good wish from your oul’ segocia — J. B. Keane.” A very good copy in the […] €125.00 |
 | KEANE, John B. The Contractors (Signed by the Author) Cork: The Mercier Press, 1993. First edition, hardback issue. Octavo. pp. 319. Fine copy in original black cloth, titled in gilt on spine, in fine illustrated dust jacket. Signed by the author on the front free endpaper. A late novel by the celebrated Kerry playwright and novelist John B. Keane (1928–2002), whose acute observation of […] €175.00 |
 | KEANE, John B. The Field. A play in three acts. (First edition) Cork: Mercier Press, 1966. First edition. pp. 76. Pictorial wrappers. In excellent condition. John B. Keane’s searing rural tragedy, centred on “The Bull” McCabe, a domineering farmer determined to secure the field he has worked for years, is one of the most important plays of modern Irish theatre. Premiered at Dublin’s Olympia Theatre in 1965, […] €150.00 |
 | KEANE, John B. The Field. Revised text edition Cork: Mercier Press, 1991. pp. 81. Pictorial wrappers. A fine copy of one of the most celebrated Irish plays of the twentieth century. This edition, issued by Mercier Press in 1991, contains the revised text prepared by Ben Barnes, then Artistic Director of the Abbey Theatre. The Field, first performed at the Olympia Theatre, Dublin […] €45.00 |
 | KEANE, John B. The Highest House on the Mountain. A Play in Three Acts. (Rare first edition) With an introduction by Barry Cassin. Dublin: Progress House, 1961. First edition. pp. 69. Original green printed wrappers in the Popular Plays Series (priced 4/6 net). Some minor wear and light toning to covers, otherwise a very good copy. Ownership inscription on the half-title, noting: “Bought at J.B.’s pub. 3/8/67, Listowel, Co. Kerry on 1st […] €325.00 |
 | KEANE, John B. The Highest House on the Mountain. A Play in Three Acts. (Rare first edition) With an introduction by Barry Cassin. Dublin: Progress House, 1961. First edition. pp. 69. Original green printed wrappers in the Popular Plays Series (priced 4/6 net). Some minor wear and light toning to covers, otherwise a very good copy. John B. Keane’s third play, following the success of Sive (1959) and Sharon’s Grave (1960). The […] €325.00 |
 | KEANE, John, B. Self-Portrait (First edition) Cork: The Mercier Press, 1964. Illustrated. First edition. pp. 106. Brown cloth, title in gilt on spine. In original pictorial dust jacket. A little edge-worn, but overall very good. Keane’s frank and witty autobiography, issued only two years after the triumph of Sive, offers a colourful account of his Kerry upbringing, struggles, and literary rise. […] €75.00 |
 | KEANE, John, B. Self-Portrait (Inscribed copy of John B Keane’s autobiography) Cork: The Mercier Press, 1964. Illustrated. First edition. pp. 106. Brown cloth, title in gilt on spine. In original pictorial dust jacket. A little edge-worn, but overall very good. A fine association copy, inscribed on the front free endpaper: “To David & Una, / Thanks for raising my price. Every good wish to the two […] €325.00 |
 | KEANE, John. B. Letters of an Irish Publican. ROBERT HOWICK’S COPY. Signed by Keane & Howick. Dublin & Cork: Mercier Press, 1974. Octavo. pp. 95. First Edition in a striking publisher’s presentation binding. Full dark brown morocco by Antiquarian Bookcrafts, Dublin. The upper cover is blocked in blind with a bold portrait medallion of Robert Howick, beneath his name “Robert Howick” in gilt. The spine is attractively tooled in gilt with […] €475.00 |
 | KEANE, John. B. The Man from Clare. A Play in Three Acts (First edition) Cork: The Mercier Press, 1965. Pictorial wrappers. pp. 77. In fine condition. [L3 8D] €50.00 |
 | KEANE, John. B. The Man from Clare. A Play in Three Acts (Signed by John B. Keane) Cork: The Mercier Press, 1965. Pictorial wrappers. pp. 77. In fine condition. Signed and dated by John B. Keane 18/6/96. [L3 8D] €195.00 |
 | SMITH, Gus & HICKEY, Des. John B: The Real Keane (Signed by the Author) Cork: The Mercier Press, 1992. First edition. Octavo. pp. 271. Fine copy in original black cloth, titled in gilt on spine, in fine dust jacket. Presentation copy, inscribed by Gus Smith on the half-title: “George, Since this was the first biography of John B. I was rather proud of it. It was a true labour […] €65.00 |
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