The Centenary of "a Shropshire Lad"the Life and Writings of A. E. Housman #232622

A century ago, at the close of February 1896, A Shropshire Lad appeared. The volume was published at the author's expense; it was received by critics with courtesy, and on occasion with enthusiasm; but it was not regarded as a work especially significant in English poetry. The edition numbered about 500 copies, of which perhaps 154 were distributed in the United States; the book was priced two shillings six pence; it required more than two years for the edition to sell out.