Books and Manuscripts

Lisbon: Monteiro & Co., 1918. First edition. 8vo. Unpaginated (20 pp.). Original stiff printed cream wrappers; wrappers and text leaves lightly toned and soiled.

A very rare and very well preserved copy of Pessoa's early poetry chapbook, his second published work. This is one of only four books by the great Portuguese author published in his lifetime, the others being Antonius (1918), English Poems (1921), and Mensagem (1934).

Known for writing under dozens of heteronyms, Pessoa's published output in his lifetime was small, and mostly confined to short-lived periodicals and in self-published editions like the above volume. Following his death in 1935 most of his work was unpublished and untranslated for decades. He has since come to be regarded as one of Portugal's greatest poets and one of the most important writers of the 20th century.