THE SECOND SEX (First UK edition, second impression)

Second impression of the true first UK edition, published in 1954. The printer's page states: 'First published in Great Britain October 1953, second impression 1954. The book was originally published in English translation in the USA, by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York in 1953. Edited by and translated from the French by H. M. Parshley, Professor Emeritus of Zoology at Smith College. ***Very good in grey duotone cloth-covered boards, over a dark blue cloth covered spine, with gilt titles to the spine. Head and tail of spine slightly creased. Corners sharp. Boards clean and bright. No reading lean to the binding. Spine tight. Internally also very good with no foxing. With neat original ownership details on the back of the front free endpaper. Pages clean and uncreased. Very light tape off-setting to the rear free endpaper. No creases or tears. ***In a very good colour printed dustwrapper, which has been neatly corner price-clipped. Edges of dustwrapper creased and rubbed, especially at the head and tail of the spine. Small area of loss at the head of the spine of dustwrapper, not affecting the titles. Small closed tears, creasing and rubbing to the edges of the dustwrapper. No serious chips or tears. Spine of dustwrapper slightly darkened but remarkably unfaded. Back panel of dustwrapper has some darkening at the top edge. Front panel bright and clean. ***225mm x 155mm. 702 pages including a detailed 12pp Index at the back of the book. ***'The subject is Woman in all her aspects, and out of it Mlle de Beauvoir has produced a book which may well become a classic of its kind --- "The Second Sex" is notable for its analytical detachment, its avoidance of a rigid "line" or the slightly hysterical propaganda of the early feminists. But Mlle de Beauvoir is a feminist of the sort produced by women's mature realization that they really have the power to be a man's equal. She believes that women are inferior to men only because they are made so --- The second half of this remarkably exciting and readable book deals with woman's life today, her childhood, sexual initiation, and marriage. Each paragraph is packed with wisdom and information.' Manchester Guardian ***'In her appraisal of childhood and adolescence, and of the special problems of the married woman, the mother, the Lesbian, the prostitute, the "hetaira", the woman in middle age, and the woman in old age, she shows herself uniformly responsible and balanced. She is not only a careful and scholarly writer: she is a novelist, and the value of her work owes a great deal to the penetrating power of her imagination --- There is no doubt that this is an important and serious study which will demand consideration for a very long time to come.' Times Literary Supplement (Review quotes from inside front flap of dustwrapper). ***Named by Modern Library as one of top 100 books of non- fiction of the twentieth century. Also named by The Times Literary Supplement as one of the most hundred influential books since World War II. ***A second impression of the first UK edition, published in 1954, the book being originally published in the UK in October 1953, and reprinted once more in 1956. All three of these original Cape printings are rare to find now, especially in the dustwrapper. ***Of interest to collectors of landmark and revolutionary twentieth century first edition titles. ***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.…