Ariel or The Life of Shelly (Percy Bysshe)

By Maurois, André
Signed and Inscribed by André Maurois on the half-title page

Paris: Bernard Grasset 1923 First Edition — Printed 22 May 1923, Number 141 of total of 3440 copies. 8vo. — 18.7 cm, pp. (9), 354, [6]. Publisher’s original wrappers — text in French. Some wear to spine extremities and normal toning to paper throughout. A clean copy with untrimmed and uncut pages.A clean copy with untrimmed and uncut pages. Rare.

A biography of Percy Bysshe Shelley, whose life was singularly interesting and diverse. His friends unanimously testify that his character was one of gentleness, purity, generosity and strong affection. As a poet, he stands in the front rank and in some of his shorter poems he is unsurpassed. During his short life of 30 years, he was not the object of much severe judgment and his poetic power was recognized by only a few. Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. A radical in his poetry as well as his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition for his poetry grew steadily following his death.

The book’s title comes from the intended name of the boat that Shelley designed and was lost off the coast of Italy, leading to his death. Given that he died at sea as a result of a storm, there is clearly an additional reference to Shakespeare’s The Tempest, lines from which are inscribed on Shelley’s grave in the Protestant Cemetery in Rome.

$175.00 -