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Tropic of Cancer (Harperperennial Classics)
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Tropic of Cancer (Harperperennial Classics) Paperback - 1993

by Henry Miller


About this book

Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer is one of the most notoriously and frequently censored books in the history of American literature. In a combination of autobiography and fiction, the novel centers of Miller’s own life as a struggling writer in Paris in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Tropic of Cancer is written in the first person and lacks linear organization, two of Miller’s most favored techniques. Some chapters are narratives about Miller’s friends and workplaces, and others are stream-of-consciousness-style reflections, but all of the chapters touch on the sexual exploits and general low-life ruthlessness in which the author had engaged at the time.

Tropic of Cancer was first published by Obelisk Press, a French publisher of soft pornography, in Paris in 1934. Shortly thereafter, the novel was banned in the US and later tried for charges of obscenity, a trial that challenged American pornography laws at the time. In 1961, the ban of Tropic of Cancer was lifted, and later that year, Grove Press published the first US edition of the novel, but only after the firm’s Barney Rosset offered Miller a sizeable advance and promised to defend the author in any future legal battles regarding the publication. Grove Press’s edition of Tropic of Cancer sold over 1 million copies by the end of 1961… and was the subject of about 60 lawsuits as well, one of which involved the American Civil Liberties Union.

All of this hullabaloo makes one wonder what the reactions might have been if Miller had decided to go with the novel’s working title, Crazy Cock — which was, ironically, far more modest than the published version. Regardless, the novel’s 1970 film adaptation, directed by Joseph Strick, received an X rating (meaning no one 17 and under admitted). Today, Tropic of Cancer finds itself ranked 50th on Modern Library’s “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century and 59th on The Guardian’s list of the 100 best novels.

First line

I am living at the Villa Borghese.

First Edition Identification

Obelisk Press first published Tropic of Cancer in Paris in 1934. True first editions states “First Published September 1934” on the copyright page. Maurice Girodias, who would later become famous as the leading French publisher of erotic literature, designed the artwork of the novel’s soft cover, featuring a giant crab holding a naked woman in its pinchers. With an original print run of 1,000 copies, first editions of Tropic of Caner are rare. Signed copies have sold for upwards of $10,000.

Details

  • Title Tropic of Cancer (Harperperennial Classics)
  • Author Henry Miller
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 320
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Flamingo, London
  • Date July 12, 1993
  • ISBN 9780006545835
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Tropic of Cancer

Tropic of Cancer

by Henry Miller

  • Used
  • very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Edition
Reprint
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780006545835
ISBN 10
0006545831
Quantity Available
1
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Pateley Bridge, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom
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Flamingo Modern Classic, 1993 Book. Very Good. Soft cover. Reprint. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. Fictionalised account of Miller's adventures and sexual exploits in Bohemian Paris in the 1930s, which was banned in the UK and USA for 30 years. Black and white photograph of author to frontis. 318pp. Some surface and edge wear to cover and sunning to edges, otherwise very good copy with no inscriptions..
Item Price
NZ$11.70NZ$9.36
Save NZ$2.34 !
NZ$37.23 shipping to USA
Tropic of Cancer

Tropic of Cancer

by Miller, Henry

  • Used
  • very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780006545835
ISBN 10
0006545831
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2
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GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, United Kingdom
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Paperback. Very Good.
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Tropic of Cancer

Tropic of Cancer

by Miller, Henry

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780006545835
ISBN 10
0006545831
Quantity Available
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GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 2 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
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NZ$18.23 shipping to USA

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Paperback. Acceptable.
Item Price
NZ$22.34
NZ$18.23 shipping to USA
Tropic of Cancer

Tropic of Cancer

by Miller, Henry

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780006545835
ISBN 10
0006545831
Quantity Available
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Harpercollins Pub Ltd, 2005. Paperback. Acceptable. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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Tropic of Cancer

Tropic of Cancer

by Miller, Henry

  • Used
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  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780006545835
ISBN 10
0006545831
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Harpercollins Pub Ltd, 2005. Paperback. Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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NZ$18.19
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Tropic of Cancer
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Tropic of Cancer

by Henry Miller

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780006545835
ISBN 10
0006545831
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Morangis, France
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
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NZ$26.28
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Flamingo, 1993. Paperback. Good. Former library book. Traces of creases on the cover. Ammareal gives back up to 15% of this item's net price to charity organizations.
Item Price
NZ$26.28
NZ$20.19 shipping to USA