Tropic of Cancer. [First UK Edition.] FIRST UK EDITION IN FULL MOROCCO
by MILLER Henry
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Thakeham, West Sussex, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
John Calder,, [1963]. 8vo., First Edition thus; handsomely bound in full dark red crushed morocco, sides with gilt frame border, back with raised bands, second and fourth compartments lettered and ruled in gilt, all other compartments tooled in gilt, gilt top, hand-made endpapers, ribbon marker, custom-made slip-case, an elegant copy ideal as a gift or for presentation. Elegant copy of the first UK edition of Miller's infamous if pioneering novel. It was first published by Obelisk Press in Paris in 1934, and in the US in 1961 where it became the subject of a series of obscenity trials.
Synopsis
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.
Read More: Identifying first editions of Tropic of Cancer. [First UK Edition.] FIRST UK EDITION IN FULL MOROCCO
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Details
- Bookseller
- Island Books
(GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 46631
- Title
- Tropic of Cancer. [First UK Edition.] FIRST UK EDITION IN FULL MOROCCO
- Author
- MILLER Henry
- Book Condition
- Used
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- John Calder,
- Date Published
- [1963]
- Keywords
- modern first editions, modern firsts, miller, henry miller, tropic of cancer
Terms of Sale
Island Books
Returns within 10 days (please advise first)
About the Seller
Island Books
Biblio member since 2004
Thakeham, West Sussex
About Island Books
Fine and Rare Books at the foot of the South Downs
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Morocco
- Morocco is a style of leather book binding that is usually made with goatskin, as it is durable and easy to dye. (see also...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Raised Band(s)
- Raised bands refer to the ridges that protrude slightly from the spine on leather bound books. The bands are created in the...
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