ILEX TREE, The

First Edition of Les Murray’s first published book. SCARCE. Prev. ownership on front blank, chips and edgewear to dustjacket (see image), minimal edgewear to cloth. NOT ex-library.

Born Leslie Allan Murray in 1938, poet Les Murray is widely recognized as Australia’s finest poet and one of the best contemporary poets writing in English. Known for poetry that celebrates and investigates Australian identity and pioneer history as well as the natural phenomenon of the Australian outback, Murray has been described as the unofficial “Australian laureate” or “Bush-bard.”

Murray’s first book, The Ilex Tree (1965) was a collaborative effort with Geoffrey Lehmann; he has since written prolifically, employing an unusually wide range of subject-matter and treatment.