A Class Apart : The Private Pictures of Montague Glover [Inscribed by Joe Brainard to Kenward Elmslie]

London/New York: Serpent’s Tail, 1992. 144pp. Oblong 8vo. Signature-bound in glossy photo-illustrated wraps. Black-and-white photo reproductions throughout. Light bump to bottom leading corner; soft diagonal crease to half-title, echoing out over the next dozen or so leaves; light textblock toning. Very good or better. Inscribed on the title page by Joe Brainard, with a drawing of a heart: "For Kenward, "Happy V-Day!" & lots of love, Joe 1993." From the library of New York School poet, librettist, and publisher Kenward Elmslie (1929-2022).

A collection of previously unpublished photographs by English architect and military officer Montague Glover (1898-1983), offering a rare window into gay history in the early decades of the 20th century. Selected and with commentary by James Gardiner. This copy with touching association, being a Valentine's Day gift from Elmslie's partner of three decades, the artist and poet Joe Brainard, who would die of AIDS-related pneumonia just over a year later, in May 1994.