Fighting Terms; Poems by Thom Gunn, Fantasy Press, 1954

Fighting Terms (1954) is the first book by Thom Gunn and a striking debut that announced his arrival as a poet of unusual discipline and intensity. Written while Gunn was still in his early twenties, the poems are marked by formal control, taut rhythms, and a preoccupation with power, violence, and emotional restraint, reflecting both post-war unease and the influence of poets such as Yeats. Though later work would move toward greater openness and personal exposure, Fighting Terms establishes the intellectual rigor and stylistic assurance that would underpin Gunn's entire career. The collection has come to be seen as an important starting point in the development of one of the most distinctive Anglo-American poetic voices of the post-war period.

Fighting Terms; Poems by Thom Gunn.

Published by the Fantasy Press at Swinford, Eynsham, Oxford. 1954. First edition. First impression - identified by the typo 'though' in line 1 of the poem which should have read 'thought' which was corrected in the second printing.

A very good yellow cloth hardback with red printed title to front. Cover with light soiling and slight bumping.

Text pages are bright and clean throughout with light age-toning. All soundly bound.

Text in English.

44pp.

Dimensions: Approximately 200mm high x 133mm wide x 10mm deep.

Weight: Approximately 151g.