"Land of Allen And Other Verse" by Walter John Coates.

{I was pleased to acquire this item - one of my rare purchases on ebay. I usually lose!!}


Rare Recluse Press
"Land of Allen And Other Verse" by Walter John Coates. Published by W. Paul Cook. The Recluse Press MCMXXVIII (1928). W. Paul Cook (1880-1948) is best known as a friend and publisher of H. P. Lovecraft.Cook was an important member of the Lovecraft Inner Circle. In 1928 W.Paul Cook printed approximately 250 unbound sets of Lovecrafts "The Shunned House" for The Recluse Press.However, the sheets were not bound at that time. Approximately 150 sets of unbound sheets eventually found their way into the possession of Arkham House in 1959 where they were offered for sale in an unbound state. About 50 copies were sold in that state. The remaining 100 copies were bound by Arkham House and offered for sale in 1961. Cook also printed Donald Wandrei "Ecstasy & Other Poems" (The Recluse Press, 1928 Ltd to 322 copies.) The Recluse Press only lasted from 1925-1929.




Walter John Coates was born near Lowville, NY, on November 9, 1880. He died of a heart attack on July 29, 1941, aged sixty. Coates was a Universalist minister, storekeeper, poet, printer and bibliographer. W. Paul Cook was a close family friend. The Vermont Historical Society published his Bibliography of Vermont Poetry and has a Coates collection.
Book is in very good condition, nice tight bindings.