A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN (Jonathan Cape new edition in wartime dustwrapper)

James Joyce

Published by Jonathan Cape, Thirty Bedford Square, London, 1942

About this Item

A first impression of the Jonathan Cape new edition of "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" by James Joyce, published in 1942. The book was originally published in Britain in 1917 by The Egoist Press. Jonathan Cape first re-published the book in 1924, and the book was reprinted throughout the 1920s and 30s with this new edition appearing in 1942. This edition is produced in a small format, first used for the 1930 Travellers' Library edition. ***Near fine in bright green cloth-covered boards with black titles to the spine. The boards are clean and largely unmarked, having been protected by the dustwrapper - with just some light foxing marks to the spine. The top and tail of the spine are only slightly creased. Corners sharp. Edges of text-block also very clean, but the top edge is darkened. No foxing. No reading lean to the binding. Spine tight. Internally also near fine with a neat contemporary owner's details in pencil to the top corner of the front free endpaper. There is some foxing to the preliminary pages, including the title page and printer's page, but the interior pages are clean. Although produced under wartime economy conditions, using thin paper, there are no creases or tears. ***In a very good printed dustwrapper, which has not been corner price-clipped, retaining the original publisher's printed price of 5s. net on the front flap. The dustwrapper is largely complete, except for small areas of loss at the top and bottom of the spine, not affecting the lettering. There is also a small closed tear at the bottom edge of the front panel, and a larger closed tear with some associated creasing to the bottom edge of the back panel. There is some light edge-wear and creasing commensurate with age and handling. Although the dustwrapper is a light cream colour, there are hardly any marks - just some light browning at the edges. The spine of the dustwrapper is slightly darkened. ***175mm x 125mm. 288 pages. ***'"A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" is the first novel of Irish writer James Joyce. A Künstlerroman written in a modernist style, it traces the religious and intellectual awakening of young Stephen Dedalus, Joyce's fictional alter ego, whose surname alludes to Daedalus, Greek mythology's consummate craftsman. Stephen questions and rebels against the Catholic and Irish conventions under which he has grown, culminating in his self-exile from Ireland to Europe. The work uses techniques that Joyce developed more fully in Ulysses (1922) and Finnegans Wake (1939). A Portrait began life in 1904 as Stephen Hero?a projected 63-chapter autobiographical novel in a realistic style. After 25 chapters, Joyce abandoned Stephen Hero in 1907 and set to reworking its themes and protagonist into a condensed five-chapter novel, dispensing with strict realism and making extensive use of free indirect speech that allows the reader to peer into Stephen's developing consciousness. American modernist poet Ezra Pound had the novel serialised in the English literary magazine The Egoist in 1914 and 1915, and published as a book in 1916 by B. W. Huebsch of New York. The publication of A Portrait and the short story collection Dubliners (1914) earned Joyce a place at the forefront of literary modernism.' [Wiki] ***A wartime New Edition of the Jonathan Cape edition of James Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man", in very nice clean and tight solid condition, with the original dustwrapper. Copies from this period in original dustwrappers in such complete and presentable condition are now very hard to find. ***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 # 8888

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN (Jonathan Cape new edition in wartime dustwrapper)
• Publisher: Jonathan Cape, Thirty Bedford Square, London
• Publication Date: 1942
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • First Editions
  • Literature