ORLANDO: A Biography (First edition - first impression)

Virginia Woolf

Published by Leonard and Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press, 52 Tavistock Square, London, W.C., 1928

First impression of the true first edition, published in October 1928 in an edition of 5,080 copies. Illustrated with eight black and white photographs of "Orlando", including a frontispiece of "Orlando as a Boy". ***Very good in orange cloth-covered boards with gilt titles to the spine. The gilt is still quite bright but the spine is somewhat darkened and slightly marked. Whilst the boards show some marks and discolouration commensurate with age and handling, there is no damage to the cloth. There are a couple of very slight creases to the board edges, and a couple of small stains to the back board. There is also a small area of fading to the bottom corner of the back board. The corners are sharp and not bumped. There is no reading lean to the binding. Spine tight. Page block edges clean with none of the usual foxing. Internally the book is also very good, with a contemporary ownership name and date (Oct 1928) at the top of the front free endpaper. There is a small 1cm split to the paper at the front gutter, but the hinges are fine. There is none of the usual foxing - just some offsetting to the endpapers. There are no creases or tears and the pages are beautifully clean. The paper stock is very lightly tanned. No dustwrapper. ***224mm x 148mm. 299 pages including 'fictional' Index at the back of the book. ***'"Orlando: A Biography" is a novel disguised as a biography, first published on 11th October 1928. The book was inspired by the tumultuous family history of Virginia Woolf's lover and close friend, the aristocratic poet and novelist Vita Sackville-West. The book describes the adventures of a poet who changes sex from man to woman, and lives for centuries, meeting the key figures of English literary history. Considered a feminist classic, the book has been written about extensively by scholars of women's writing, gender and trans-gender studies. ***First impression of the true first edition, in its original cloth-covered boards, in very good condition for its age (now approaching 100 years old!). The book is notoriously prone to fading of the boards, and tears to the fragile cloth at the spine, but this copy is very robust and only moderately marked on the boards, with very little fading. The interior is exceptionally clean (please see scans). Of interest to collectors of the literary outputs of the Bloomsbury Group, The Hogarth Press and the work of Virginia Woolf. ***For all our books, postage is charged at cost, allowing for packaging: any shipping rates indicated on ABE are an average only: we will reduce the P & P charge where appropriate - please contact us for postal rates for heavier books and sets etc. Seller Inventory # 8818x

Bibliographic Details

Title: ORLANDO: A Biography (First edition - first ...
Publisher: Leonard and Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press, 52 Tavistock Square, London, W.C.
Publication Date: 1928
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
Edition: First Edition