£200
FIRST EDITION, 8vo, pp. x, 372, [2]. Original orange cloth, spine lettered in gilt, white dustjacket designed by Vanessa Bell printed in black and orange. Dustjacket lightly soiled, edges slightly worn, spine panel toned, splits to spine panel folds (one neatly repaired internally with clear tape). Ownership inscription dated 4th November, 1953 to front flyleaf.
The first printing of Virginia Woolf's diaries, carefully selected by her husband Leonard Woolf after her death, with a dustjacket designed by her sister, Vanessa Bell. While he admits in the preface that it is 'nearly always a mistake to publish extracts from diaries or letters', he has proceeded in this project which gives attention to 'practically everything which referred to her own writing' as well as passages of her writing practice, her artistics impressions of daily life, and her thoughts on books. There were 9000 copies printed in this edition for publication on 2 November, 1953, with a second impression of 5250 copies following in December of 1953.
