YEATS, Jack B. Sligo. (Signed & dated first edition)

London: Wishart & Company, 1930. Crown octavo. First edition. pp. 158. Green buckram, titled in gilt. Minor spotting and browning. A very good copy in dust-jacket. Signed by the author on front endpaper "Jack B. Yeats / June 23, 1930.The first of the author's novels, a pseudo-autobiographical narrative set in his boyhood home in the north-west of Ireland.

“Sligo” by Jack B. Yeats is a visually rich and evocative book that captures the deep connection between the artist and his birthplace. Known primarily as one of Ireland’s greatest painters, Yeats also made significant contributions to Irish literature and book illustration. In Sligo, Yeats returns to the west of Ireland not just with nostalgic affection, but with a painter’s eye and a poet’s sensibility. The book offers a deeply personal glimpse into the town and landscapes that shaped his early imagination.

Accompanied by his own illustrations—often hand-coloured or executed with expressive flair—Sligo is both a love letter and a visual journal. Through a mixture of anecdote, memory, and keen observation, Yeats evokes the rhythm of small-town life, the spirit of its people, and the drama of its coastal and rural beauty. The book stands out for its ability to fuse text and image, capturing the cultural soul of early 20th-century Ireland.

Rare editions of Sligo—particularly those signed by Yeats or featuring hand-coloured illustrations—are highly prized by collectors of Irish art and literature. They reflect not just the legacy of a great Irish artist, but also an intimate portrayal of a formative place in Ireland’s cultural landscape.

[L4 8C]