Worms and Epitaphs is a book written by H.W. (Heathcote William) Garrod, published in 1919, Let’s Talk of Graves, of Worms and Epitaphs by Robert Player, instead was published in 1975.
The book is a collection of poems that explore the themes of war, mortality, and the human condition. The title of the book is depicted on the wrapper artwork, which features tombstones in a graveyard with prominent minister names and a worm underneath the title. The book has been reviewed and praised for its unique perspective on war and its complexities. Garrod’s poem was included in a collection entitled “Worms and Epitaphs” (1919), which showcases his nuanced attitude towards war. The book is considered a rare find, especially in its first edition. The first UK edition was published by B.H. Blackwell, Oxford, in 1919, and it is in very good condition.
Rarity of the First Edition
The first edition of “Worms and Epitaphs” is considered very rare. The book is highly sought after by collectors and scholars due to its historical significance and literary value. The first edition is a valuable find, especially in its original condition, making it a prized possession for those who appreciate rare and unique literary works.
At the moment, when this post is published, only two good copies are available, the one in the screenshot is owned by Blackwell’s Rare Books, a real pearl.
If you want something less expensive and that always deals with worms and epitaphs, maybe you won’t find something similar, but at least you’ll find something captivating, without a doubt, and this something is…Let’s Talk of Graves, of Worms and Epitaphs by Robert Player.
Published under the pen name Robert Furneaux Jordan, first published in 1975, the book is a historical mystery novel set in Victorian England, featuring an Englishman who becomes Pope. Player went on to write four more standalone mystery novels over the next 32 years. The novel opens with the line “It is not every man whose father was both a pope and a murderer.”
The story follows the narrator, Augustine Xavier, who is the son of Barnabas Barbellion, a distinguished Anglican clergyman who converted to Catholicism and later became Pope Paschal the Fourth. Years earlier, Barbellion had an affair with Philippa, the wife of his neighbor Harold Gatsby. When Gatsby is poisoned at a croquet party, Philippa is accused of murder, but no one dares to connect the case to the sudden death of Barbellion’s ailing wife. Reviews praise the book as “great fun” with “literate and ingenious” writing that is “wickedly funny satire, chock-full of intricate details and tricky plotting and character development that culminates in a twist ending.” However, the density of the writing can be a bit slow at times.
The book is considered a rare find, especially in its first edition published in published in 1975 by the publisher Gollancz. It has been republished in paperback by Penguin in 1977. The first edition in good conditions is not so rare for now but soon it will, and a a copy of It could increase its own value considerably for a number of unspecified reasons, which could lead us to be remembered as eaten by worms and inscribed in epitaphs, after all it’s their battle…
