(LITERATURE). MOORE, George. Avowals.

Value in Revision

(LITERATURE). MOORE, George. Avowals. (London: Privately printed for subscribers only by Cumann Sean-eolais na h-Eireann [in Gaelic characters], 1919) [x], 310, [2] pp. (230 x 150 mm.) First Edition. No. 20 of 1000 copies, signed by the author. Publisher's gray textured paper boards backed in cream paper, printed label on spine, edges untrimmed and partially unopened. Several pages with ink corrections in the author's hand. Binding with a couple gentle bumps to edges, corners worn to boards, contents fine.

Moore’s collection of critical essays and autobiographical reflections with numerous manuscript corrections in the author's hand, demonstrating a key facet of his writing process.

In this handsomely printed work, Moore presents a series of candid, personal "avowals" about his life, career, and literary experiences. He reflects on his interactions with prominent literary figures, including W.B. Yeats and Edmund Gosse, and discusses his thoughts on art, writing, and culture with a critical eye. Charles Morgan, in his Epitaph for Moore, calls Avowals "a landmark in the history of criticism, even what we may consider its errors having a vitality and an independence more valuable than the safer compromises of other men."

One of Moore's most unique traits as a writer was the way in which he constantly revised and re-wrote his own work—even after it was published. "Few authors of modern times revised to the extent that Moore did, as he habitually recast material seeking a more perfect form, which frequently resulted in some later editions being completely rewritten" (DNB). This copy contains numerous such revisions, clearly made by the author's own hand, and offering invaluable insight into Moore's creative process. In many cases he added a mark of punctuation or changed a single word; in several cases the editing is more extreme, with changes to entire pages or paragraphs. The emendations made in the present copy are reflected in the second edition of this work, published by Heinemann in 1924.

The significance of the present item is perhaps best encapsulated by Moore's own words: "Just as I believe the worst of all sins is bad writing, so I believe the highest virtue is found in corrections, in an author's revisions. If you wish to estimate the true value of an author's art, study his revisions" (Phelps, "Autobiography with Letters," p. 820).

George Moore (1852-1933) was an influential Irish novelist often regarded as a pioneer of naturalism in English literature. Born into a wealthy Catholic family, he initially aspired to be a painter and moved to Paris in the 1870s. There, he became immersed in the artistic and literary movements of the time, befriending writers like Émile Zola and gaining exposure to French realism and naturalism. Though many of his works were considered controversial due to their candid treatment of "amoral" themes such as same-sex relationships and prostitution, Moore became known as a daring and innovative writer offering a fresh, modern voice and influencing a wave of up-and-coming authors, including James Joyce. (1001)

Gilcher A38-a. See also: Morgan, "Epitaph on George Moore."