WOOLF, Virginia (1882-1941).   The Waves. London: Hogarth Press, 1931.

8vo. Half-title. Original purple cloth, spine gilt-lettered (a few tiny spots to sheet edges); unrestored dust jacket printed in lime green and brown designed by Vanessa Bell (spine and edges darkened, a few pale spots, minor chipping, chip to front panel with tiny loss).
 
FIRST EDITION of Woolf's most experimental work, generally considered to be her masterpiece.   The novel traces six narrators from childhood through adulthood. Woolf considers the individual consciousness of each character and the ways in which those consciousnesses intersect; the soliloquies spoken by each character explore the concepts of individuality, self, and community.   A seventh character is present, but readers never hear him speak in his own voice.   Kirkpatrick A16a.