Paris: P.p., 1938

Small 8vo, pp. 22. Original yellow stiff paper wrappers, lettered in black to both panels. A little faded and lightly marked, but a very well preserved copy.

First edition.

In 1937, and for reasons best known to himself, the head of the American Country Club of France entrusted its house journal to the editorial control of Alfred Perlès, encouraging him to bring in his literary friends and turn it into 'something really good'. Perlès took him at his word. Henry Miller, William Saroyan and Lawrence Durrell were installed as Literary Editors, which was a solid start. But alarm bells nust have started to ring when Michael Fraenkel opened the Department of Metaphysics and Metempsychosis, and Walter Lowenfels was appointed to the key position of Head of Butter News. The newly conceived organ was relaunched in September 1937 and followed a less than predictable orbit before crashing to earth seven issues later in April, 1939. It was lucky to get to seven: when Durrell published a piece about an old man being fucked to death by Eskimo Nell, the name of the magazine was changed to Delta at the insistence of a management fearing legal action.

This is the fifth issue, and the first to be published under the new name. A more sober affair than usual, and a poetry special, it features work by Dylan Thomas, Kay Boyle, David Gascoigne and Antonia White, as well as regulars Durrell and Perlès.

A scarce survivor.