1954 Early Edition: A Book of Wales Hardcover [Beautiful 1959 Welsh Poetry Inscription to Stanley Dutton Willis] 1954年早期版《威爾斯之書》精裝本｜附 1959 年威爾斯傳統古詩手寫贈言

This is a beautiful 1954 early printing of A Book of Wales, edited by D. M. and E. M. Lloyd and published by Collins. It is an evocative anthology celebrating the rich history, folklore, poetry, and breathtaking landscape of Wales, complete with historic monochrome photographic plates.

This particular copy is a touching and deeply personal association copy:

 The Return to the Homeland: Inscribed on the front free endpaper in June 1959 by Gladys to Stanley Dutton Willis: "For Stanley as he approaches his homeland, June 1959, Gladys."

 Welsh Folk Verse Inscription: Gladys lovingly penned a famous traditional Welsh stanza ("Cleddwch fi, pan fyddwyf farw..."), a poetic wish to be buried under the oak trees where a young lad plays the harp.

 National Library of Wales Inserts: Slipped inside are two gorgeous vintage educational cards printed by Oxford University Press for the National Library of Wales. One features a XII-century poem from the famed Black Book of Carmarthen, and the other showcases Three Historical Versions of the Lord’s Prayer in Welsh (from 1546, 1555, and modern Welsh).

Condition Report:

 Overall Condition: Very Good.

 Binding: Bound in publisher’s original forest-green cloth. The spine and cover edges show a lovely, natural vintage sun-fading, but the hinges and binding remain tight, firm, and structurally sound.

 Interior: Pages are clean, bright, and free of annotations. The handwritten poetic inscription is crisp and dark. Both vintage library inserts are in pristine, collectable condition.

本品為 1954 年由 Collins 出版的經典文學與地理選集《威爾斯之書》（A Book of Wales）。書中收錄了大量描繪威爾斯壯麗風光、歷史傳奇及浪漫詩歌的佳作，並配有數十幅精美的單色歷史寫真插圖（包括 Snowdon 雪山等經典地標）。

本冊為情感真摯、故事性極強的家族與歷史關聯本（Association Copy）：

 感人歸鄉寄語： 1959 年 6 月，Stanley Dutton Willis 在即將啟程踏上威爾斯尋根之旅前，收到了友人 Gladys 送上的這份溫馨禮物。扉頁上手寫了祝願他「親近祖土」的溫馨寄語。

 手抄威爾斯民謠： Gladys 特意在書前抄寫了一段優美的威爾斯傳統民謠《Cleddwch fi...》（意為「將我葬於橡樹林下，看少年在墓前彈奏豎琴」），字裡行間洋溢著古老塞爾特民族的浪漫與哀愁。

 珍貴文獻插卡： 書內完好夾存兩張由威爾斯國家圖書館與牛津大學出版社印製的骨董文獻卡，分別印有 12 世紀《卡馬森黑皮書》的古詩手稿及三種歷史版本的威爾斯語《主禱文》。

【品相說明 (Condition)】

 整體狀況： 很好（Very Good）。

 書體： 1954 年精裝版（無書衣）。經典綠色布面封面，書脊與邊緣因歲月有些微自然褪色，但整體結構依舊結實、裝訂穩固。

 內頁： 乾淨完整，紙張因年代自然微黃。扉頁手寫墨水字跡極其清晰，隨書附贈的兩張原版國家圖書館插卡品相完美。