Ulysses

Translation by Georg Goyert. Complete 3-volume set. 8vo. Quarter calf with raised bands and gilt spine lettering and marbled paper over boards. 458pp, 465pp, 662pp. Top edges gilt; sewn-in brown cloth page markers. Near fine. Tight and bright, with just faint sunning to the spines. Handsome set of the first foreign language edition of Joyce's magnum to appear: the first German-language edition. Goyert (1888-1966) won the contest held by Joyce's German publisher and even met with Joyce several times about the translation, but Joyce was critical of the finished product as were many others. The Hans Wollschläger translation of the 1970s has become the favored German text, more nuanced and accurate. But Goyert pioneered the challenging task as the first. "Privatdruck" (Private Printing) appears on each title page, apparently to forestall censorship attempts, and the limitation statement (Volume I) notes the limitation to 1,000 numbered copies (this #839) on laid paper. Half of the print run was issued in this half-leather form, the other half in green wrappers. A superb example.…