Samhain: An Occasional Review

Dublin: Sealy, Bryers & Walker and T. Fisher Unwin, 1901 - 1908 7 volumes. Volumes 3 - 7 illustrated with frontispieces. Publisher's brown wrappers, printed in black. Near fine set, with some small closed tears and creasing to edges of wrappers, light chipping to spine ends of Vol. 1, "The City College" bookplate to insides of front wrappers, and uncut pages. Overall, a clean and complete set of the influential periodical. Housed in a custom blue folding chemise. In 1899, W. B. Yeats, Lady Gregory, and Edward Martyn - with a shared vision of establishing a national theater for Ireland - founded the Irish Literary Theatre. The theater closed in 1901, but from its ashes rose the Abbey Theatre in 1904. As part of their theatrical mission, Yeats and his friends created the short-lived periodical Beltaine (1899 - 1900), followed by Samhain, which ran from 1901 - 1908. In the first issue of Samhain, Yeats writes, "I have called this little collection of writings Samhain, the old name for the beginning of winter, because our plays this year are in October, and because our Theatre is coming to an end in its present shape." Samhain included reviews, essays on Irish theater, and excerpts from Irish language plays, with contributions by Yeats, Lady Gregory, Martyn, Douglas Hyde, and J. M. Synge. . First Edition. Original Wraps. Very Good. (Inventory #: WBY028)