Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog Dylan Thomas 1940 First American Edition Hardcover

✒️ **Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog** — Dylan Thomas, 1940 First American Edition

*Ten autobiographical stories from the Welsh poet at the height of his fame*

**HISTORICAL CONTEXT**

Dylan Thomas (1914–1953) was one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century, known for “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night,” “Fern Hill,” and the radio drama *Under Milk Wood*. By 1940, already famous for his poetry collections *18 Poems* and *Twenty-Five Poems*, Thomas turned to prose with this collection of semi-autobiographical short stories. The British first edition appeared from Dent on April 4, 1940; this New Directions printing is the first American edition.

**THE BOOK**

All ten stories are set in Thomas’s native Swansea, South Wales, tracing his life from early childhood through his teens as a young reporter for the *South Wales Daily Post*. The title is a deliberate parody of James Joyce’s *A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man* — though Thomas claimed otherwise, the influence of Joyce’s *Dubliners* on the structure and tone is unmistakable. The stories include “The Peaches,” “A Visit to Grandpa’s,” “Extraordinary Little Cough,” “Old Garbo,” and “One Warm Saturday.” Critics noted that the book traces “the child’s emergence from his domain of imagination and secret pleasures into an adult world where he observes suffering, pathos, and dignity.”

**COVER ART & DESIGN**

The original dust jacket features a striking mid-century modern design: a muted teal background with an organic tan wash shape containing the handwritten title in two shades of red and pink. “DYLAN THOMAS” appears in clean sans-serif capitals at the bottom left. The maroon cloth boards carry the title in gold-stamped lettering on the spine. The title page is decorated with small red five-pointed stars and a line-drawn figure illustration. Inside, the front endpaper bears a 1945 inscription: “William Kelly Simpson 1945.” The jacket flap includes critical endorsements from Desmond Hawkins (The New Statesman) and Conrad Aiken (The Atlantic Monthly), both praising Thomas as a poet of “major importance.”

**WHY IT MATTERS**

– First American edition, published by New Directions in Norfolk, Connecticut — only 1,000 copies printed in this printing
– The book is “probably the most famous Dylan Thomas book published during his lifetime” and “certainly the most loved by Dylan enthusiasts”
– Watermarked paper, octavo format, 186 pages on quality stock
– Dust jacket not price-clipped, showing original $2.50 — a rarity for a 1940 jacket

**FOR COLLECTORS**

A first American edition of Dylan Thomas’s most beloved prose work, from the publisher that defined the modernist book in America. New Directions was the U.S. home of Joyce, Kafka, Pound, and Miller — and this Thomas volume belongs on the shelf of any serious collector of mid-century literary first editions.

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**Condition:** This is a “very good – ” vintage book with a solid spine and sturdy cover hinges. The paste downs have the remains of the tape used to affix the dust jacket to the book, with the front end paper having the original owner’s name neatly penned. Front and back board surfaces are relatively even overall, not spotted or stained. Some edge wear to bottom board edges. The board corners are mildly bumped with a hint of wear at very tips. Titling on the spine is fairly rubbed. Book has a hint of spine cock (when laying flat, as you look at the top or bottom edge, the front cover over hangs the back cover by a tiny bit – see accompanying images).

The original vintage dust jacket is not price clipped, showing original publisher’s price of $2.50. Remains of tape runs along outer edges of both front and back flaps. The spine is well tanned, with small losses at top and bottom. Wear and small losses at the corners of all flap folds. Not a perfect jacket, but still pleasant. Now carefully encased in a removable archival sleeve for protection and presentation.

See accompanying images for full condition details.

Will ship to you carefully packaged and fully insured.

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