Our First Edition of Coleman Dowell’s The Silver Swanne, published by The Grenfell Press in 1983, is No. 73 of 115 copies signed by the author on the colophon. Written in the author’s signature complex prose style, the novella-length work is a ghost story spanning three centuries as well as a look into the nature of creativity. Dowell (1925- 1985), who was a gay man and a protégée of author--photographer Carl Van Vechten, lived and worked within the charmed circle of 1950s-60s literary and theatrical New York City. There he published several well received novels such as Island People, One of the Children Is Crying, White on Black on White, Too Much Flesh, and Jabez. The Silver Swanne was his first special edition; it is hand-printed in four colors and hand-bound on Fabriano Roma paper over boards with a gold stamped vellum spine. The original prospectus is laid in. The Grenfell Press, founded in 1979, is known for superior printings of artists’ books; its publications are included in such collections as The Getty Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, and The New York Public Library. Condition: Overall fine with minor abrasion to cover and with original clear dust jacket, as published. Dimensions: 8.5” x 12.5”.