A Catholic Poet.

Article in The Dublin Review, pp 327-344 Vol. 142. 4to., original printed wrappers. London, Burns and Oates, (October

An important copy of an important source on Johnson and other Rhymers' Club members. Johnson's friend the poet Katharine Tynan wrote this hagiographical account of his life, hinting only very slightly at his "lifestyle issues". As such it wouldn't be a particularly noteworthy essay, but she sexed up the dossier no end by including the entire text of a remarkable piece of criticism by Johnson. This was a sort of crib on the state of contemporary poetry, written to help her with a journalistic assignment: in it he delivered candid and exceptionally insightful opinions on his coevals William Watson, John Davidson, Richard le Gallienne, Arthur Symons, Francis Thompson and Michael Field. Its inclusion was either a bold or careless piece of journalism, but it doesn't seem to have caused much fuss at the time, until it was reprinted in full by Ezra Pound in his preface to his edition of Johnson's Poetical Works. It did cause a great fuss then, and resulted in its suppression in all but a few early copies. 

This appears to be Tynan's own copy, then lent to Pound. The upper wrapper is identified with a bold upper case manuscript title "LIONEL JOHNSON" with an additional reference to Victor Plarr's essay published in Poetry and Drama at the head - it's always difficult to be certain with such a small and self-conscious sample of handwriting but we're confident that this is Tynan's hand. What is more certain is Ezra Pound's notes on the essay, where he characteristically marks, in red crayon, where the extract is to begin and ends.  

Stock Code: 237379