Ulysses

Joyce, James

Published by Egoist Press October 1922, London / Paris, 1922

Limited edition #555/2000. First UK edition (printed in France). Octavo (22.6 cm), pp. [viii], [2], 3 - 732, [2]. Light blue wraps, all edges deckled. Handmade paper. Though this is the first edition of Joyce's masterpiece by an English publisher, it was published in Paris by John Rodker for the Egoist Press, as the book was still outlawed in the UK and US. Rodker used the original plates from the Shakespeare & Company first edition of February of the same year. This copy is lacking the eight pages of errata that would have been laid-in, and we are lucky that this copy survives at all: the Slocum and Cahoon bibliography quotes a February 25, 1947 letter from Harriet Shaw Weaver stating, "A good number of copies sent by ordinary book post to the U.S.A. got through to their various destinations, but some time between October 1922 (when the Egoist edition was published) and December, the U.S.A. censorship authorities evidently became suspicious; copies were held up and accumulated at the U.S.A. post offices until finally 400-500 copies were confiscated and burnt" (27). James F. Spoerri [as reported on the same page] believes that the confiscated books included numbers 500 to 1000, making this, #555, one of the escapees of the censors. It was purchased by the previous owner from a NYC bookdealer in 1982.Lacking the front wrap and blank leaves at front. Chipping to spine and minor edge wear and creasing to the first few pages, as well as small, light smudges to half-title and title pages. However, the solidity and overall cleanliness of the text block make this copy a good candidate for rebinding. Seller Inventory # 39208

Bibliographic Details

Title: Ulysses
Publisher: Egoist Press October 1922, London / Paris
Publication Date: 1922
Binding: Paperback
Condition: Good