The Sword of Excellency Midgley 1971 First Edition With Dust Jacket
 
Bibliographic Details
Title: The Sword of Excellency and Other Poems 
Author: Midgley Russell 
Illustrator: Not applicable 
Publisher: The Mitre Press 
Place: London 
Printer: Fudge & Co. Ltd., London 
Date: 1971 
Edition: First Edition 
ISBN: 0 7051 0116 9 
 
Historical & Bibliographical Context
Published by the Mitre Press in 1971, The Sword of Excellency and Other Poems is a distinctive collection combining political, historical and Christian themes. The title poem, drawn from Deuteronomy 33:29, considers peace and war and includes commentary on America, Germany and the League of Nations, while other poems address Rudolph Hess, Winston Churchill, Christianity and contemporary social concerns.
The collection is particularly interesting for its historical perspective. The poem concerning Hess reflects on his 1941 flight to Britain and the wartime political atmosphere, while Man of Power presents a tribute to Churchill. The dust jacket also provides valuable contemporary biographical information about Russell, including his varied career as a teacher, actor and political agent and his experiences in Russia and Czechoslovakia.
This is an appealing book for collectors of twentieth-century poetry, political poetry and works reflecting the intellectual and religious concerns of their period.
 
About the Author
Midgley Russell was a British writer whose varied career included teaching, acting and political work. He spent several years in Russia, leaving after the Revolution, later lived in Czechoslovakia, and eventually returned to Britain. His unusual life experiences inform the historical, political and Christian themes of this collection.
 
Binding & Exterior
Original royal blue cloth over boards, with gilt lettering to the spine. The binding remains intact and robust, with only light cosmetic wear, including a very light scratch to the front board and small areas of rubbing at the corners. There is also very light bubbling to the front board.
The original dust jacket is intact and unclipped, retaining the original price on the inner flap. It has light wear, principally rubbing at the edges, light or small marks and a couple of very small edge tears.
 
Interior Condition
The pages are bright for their age and generally very neat and clean, with only a few very small marks which do not affect the text. The pages are predominantly uncreased, with no page tears.
There are no ownership inscriptions or annotations. The pages remain secure and tightly bound. All 96 pages are present and checked.
 
Physical Details
Pages: 96
Dimensions: Approximately 18.7 × 13 × 1.3 cm
Weight: Approximately 223 grams