First editions. 8vo. Original cloth and dust jackets. London, Hutchinson, and Jonathan Cape, 1960.
The Country Girls, a presentation copy, inscribed by the author to the title page: "To Tony and Jackie Partis, with good wishes Edna O'Brien". When The Country Girls was first published it caused public outrage and was banned by the Irish censor. "the moral hysteria that greeted the book's first appearance has since ensured that both it, and O'Brien, have become era-defining symbols of the struggle for Irish women's voices to be heard above the clamour of an ultra-conservative, ultra-religious and institutionally misogynistic society." (Eimear McBride). Very good copies. The Country Girls; edges of jacket worn, head and tale of spine caps chipped, book label pasted in at front free endpaper. The Lonely Girl; jacket spine panel lightly faded, and a little edge-worn, area of soiling to rear panel, some very subtle tape repairs to head and tail of spine panel, bookplate to front paste-down. Girls in their Married Bliss; light wear to extremities of jacket, and a few short tears, and spine a little faded, with some tape reinforcements.
