Caniadau

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In quarter grey buckram spine, over red speckled boards, title in gilt, edges beveled, corners rubbed. Spine, titles in gilt. Internally, half title, title in red & black inks, [5], (vi-vii), 101 pp, [1], [1] limitation, 4 B&W wood engravings & shadow initial letter by Hughes-Stanton, top edge cut, remainder not. 41 poetry pieces all in Welsh.(This was the title where there were some copies printed before the proofs were returned from the author, causing a problem with the paper supply!) The colophon in Welsh states 400 copies printed whilst Harrop 21, states 275 copies! Title page & Welsh text printed in Perpetua type in black & Tyrian red on grey handmade paper. Some parts of the text were to be printed in italic; but at the time of printing, Eric Gill had not finally approved the italic version of Perpetua, & red roman was substituted for italic. A wonderful example. (Harrop 21) (257*186 mm). Gruffydd, scholar, poet, critic and editor, whose poetry varies greatly in style and quality. The early works are often luscious, with echoes of Heine (and some translations) and of the English Romantic poets. There are also early examples, as in ' Cerdd yr Hen Chwarelwr ', of his unaffected style. There are instances of steriotyped social comment, as in ' Y Pharisead ' and ' Sionyn '. Later Gruffydd developed a more direct idiom and a more truly criticial attitude, as in ' Gwladys Rhys ' and ' Thomas Morgan '. It is somewhat surprising that in his final selection for the Gregynog volume in 1932 he included examples both of cloying nostalgia and bitter onslaughts. His best poems are a valuable contribution to Welsh poetry, and the long poem ' Ynys yr Hud ' is one of the outstanding products of the twentieth-century revival. See NLW WBO.