It Isn't This Time of Year by Oliver St. John Gogarty

Published in 1954, this first edition offers an autobiographical account of the Irish physician, poet, author and politcal figure Oliver St. John Gogarty. It provides Gogarty's personal recollections of his life and experiences and details his encounters within Irish literary, cultural and social circles. A particularly interesting figure in twentieth-century Irish letters, Gogarty was associated with prominent contemporaries including W. B. Yeats and James Joyce. He is also widely remembered as the inspiration for the character Buck Mulligan in Joyce's Ulysses.

The volume is distinguished by its unusual decorative binding. It is fully bound in a blue leather a contrasting tan leather spine. The front board displays a decorative typographic arrangement, with the author's name and title in a combination of gilt and black impressed lettering. Alongside gilt floral motifs on the front board, this is a fine example of Arts and Crafts binding. The spine carries complementary ornamentation, maintaining the coordinated appearance of the binding.

The volume is accompanied by a fitted blue solander box, offering both protection and an attractive presentation. The combination of contrasting colours, unconventional lettering and restrained gilt ornament gives the book a distinctly modern decorative character.

Both book and solander box remain in an excellent condition: the blue colouring, lettered impressions and gilt tooling has been well preserved. The binding remains tight and secure and the pages inside are bright and clean.

The volume offers an engaging autobiographical account of one of Ireland's more colourful literary personalities. Gogarty's recollections provide an insight into the intellectual, artistic and social milieu of early twentieth-century Ireland, making the work of interest to collectors of Irish literature, literary biography and the cultural history of Dublin.

An appealing example of twentieth-century literary book production, combining an interesting Irish autobiographical text with an unusually decorative two-tone binding and complementary slipcase. Particularly suited to collections of Irish literary history, decorative bookbinding and distinctive mid-century book design.

It is being sold for £85.

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