HEANEY, Seamus. North (Signed by Heaney)

London: Faber and Faber, 1975. Octavo. pp. [8], 73. Original publisher’s blue pictorial wrappers, lettered in black to upper cover and spine. A near fine copy, the binding clean and unfaded, with only the slightest handling wear to extremities; internally fresh and bright throughout. First paperback edition, issued in the year of first publication. Signed by Seamus Heaney in a clear hand to the half-title. A very good copy.

A landmark collection in modern Irish poetry, North represents a decisive moment in Heaney’s development, engaging directly with the political and psychological tensions of the Troubles while drawing deeply on myth, archaeology, and Northern European history. Poems such as Punishment, The Grauballe Man, and Whatever You Say Say Nothing exemplify his fusion of lyric intensity with moral inquiry.

The collection was awarded the Duff Cooper Prize and is widely regarded as one of Heaney’s most important works, marking the transition from the rural lyricism of his earlier volumes to a more public and historically resonant voice. Signed copies of early Faber printings—particularly in such well-preserved condition—are increasingly sought after.

A superb signed example of a cornerstone work in 20th-century Irish literature.

[L3 8E]