First Edition. Octavo. Original mustard-yellow paper wrappers lettered in red. Complete with the rare, fragile glassine dust wrapper and an early bookseller receipt.
Author: KAIN, Saul [Siegfried Sassoon]
Binding: Original softcover mustard wrappers
Year: 1913
Edition: First Edition
Condition
Cover: Good condition. Mustard paper wrappers are clean with no tears or creases.
Glassine Jacket: Fragmented but present. The front panel and spine are fully intact. The rear panel is fragile, with approximately two-thirds missing.
Interior: Pages appear little used with square edges. Moderate to heavy foxing present across all internal pages.
Ephemera: Includes an original, loose 1947 receipt showing a previous purchase price of £3.
Additional Details: Photographs of the cover, glassine jacket, internal foxing, and the 1947 receipt are provided in the listing gallery.
Synopsis and Historical Importance
Published under the pseudonym Saul Kain (a playful nod to the protagonist of John Masefield's The Everlasting Mercy), The Daffodil Murderer (1913) holds immense historical importance as Siegfried Sassoon's very first commercially published trade edition. Prior to this, Sassoon had only printed his verse in obscure, privately circulated pamphlets. The book was conceived as a biting, satirical parody of Masefield's smash-hit narrative poems, which Sassoon felt were overly dramatic and full of manufactured gritty realism. The book itself mocks the literary establishment; it features a fake preface by an imaginary "William Butler" and a wry front cover blurb shouting "Brilliant Beyond Belief" for a fictional award called the "Chantrey Prize". Crucially, writing this piece changed the trajectory of Sassoon's career. He later admitted in his autobiography, The Weald of Youth, that while burlesquing Masefield, he suddenly discovered his own authentic poetic voice, learning how to imbue real-world, commonplace details with raw emotional warmth. Furthermore, this specific piece caught the attention of Edward Marsh, the influential editor of Georgian Poetry. Marsh quickly became Sassoon's literary mentor, launching him into the forefront of the Edwardian and wartime poetry scenes.
