A Picked Company Hilaire Belloc 1915 First Edition Essays Anthology
 
Bibliographic Details
Title: A Picked Company
Author: Hilaire Belloc
Selected by: E. V. Lucas
Publisher: Methuen & Co. Ltd.
Place of Publication: 36 Essex Street, London
Printer: The Riverside Press Ltd., Edinburgh
Date: 1915
Edition: First Published (First Edition)
Binding: Original blue cloth with gilt lettering and decoration to the spine.
 
Historical & Bibliographic Context
Published during the First World War, A Picked Company presents an anthology of Hilaire Belloc's writings selected by the distinguished essayist and editor E. V. Lucas. Drawing upon seventeen of Belloc's earlier works, it showcases the remarkable breadth of one of the most influential English Catholic writers, historians and essayists of the early twentieth century.
The collection includes Belloc's observations on travel, history, politics, literature and everyday life, reflecting the wit, humour and distinctive prose style for which he became renowned. The editor's preface explains that selections were drawn from Belloc's extensive body of work, creating an accessible introduction to his literary achievement.
Today the volume remains an appealing first edition for collectors of Edwardian literature, essays and Belloc's works.
 
About the Author
Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953) was a prolific Anglo-French writer, historian, essayist, poet and Member of Parliament. Closely associated with G. K. Chesterton, he became one of the most influential literary figures of the Edwardian period, producing celebrated works of history, travel writing, political commentary and children's verse.
 
Binding & Exterior
Bound in the publisher's original blue cloth with attractive gilt lettering and decorative spine ornamentation.
The binding remains robust and structurally sound. Cosmetic wear includes light rubbing, soft bumping to the corners, a few small edge dents, light rubbing to the extremities and very small splits at the tail of the spine. Overall the volume retains an attractive shelf presence.
 
Interior Condition
The pages are lightly toned with age, accompanied by foxing to the page edges, pastedowns and endpapers, as commonly encountered.
The text pages themselves remain generally clean and well preserved with only occasional light creases or small marks. A very small edge tear is present to page 57 and its conjugate leaf, together with a few minor inner-margin tears within the publisher's catalogue at the rear; none affect the printed text.
There are no ownership inscriptions or annotations.
The binding remains secure throughout with only a very light, partial gutter opening between a small number of leaves.
All pages have been carefully checked and are complete.
 
Physical Details
Publisher's catalogue: 2 pages at front 
Main text: 209 pages 
Publisher's catalogue: complete at rear 
Dimensions: Approx. 17.3 × 11.2 × 2.2 cm 
Weight: Approx. 185 g 
 
Collector Notes
This is a genuine 1915 first edition issued by Methuen.
While not among Belloc's rarest publications, first editions are increasingly sought after by collectors of Edwardian literature and Belloc's extensive bibliography. Copies appear only intermittently on the market, with original dust jackets being considerably scarcer than cloth-bound examples.
This example offers a pleasing balance of originality, completeness and condition, making it an attractive collectible copy suitable for both Belloc