ULYSSES
by Joyce, James; Matisse, Henri
- Used
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- Very good plus in a very good slipcase.
- Seller
-
Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
In the early days of the project, believing that the artist "[knew] the French translation very well" and only wanted for an idea of the Irish context, Joyce proposed to send him an illustrated Dublin weekly of 1904 for visual reference. But Matisse had no interest in the specificities of Ireland, and, though his drawings were organized around the Odyssey itself, barely more interest in the specificities of Greece (the two struggling women of his "Calypso," Hillary Spurling suggests, were "an image that had more to do with the artist's own home life that summer than with either Joyce or Homer.") Seeing the sample drawings, George Macy began to plea for some connection, any connection between image and text: "While we understand, and admire, the idea by which the plates are to be illustrative of Homer's Odyssey, it is essential that the incidents of the Odyssey which are illustrated must also make reference to incidents in Joyce's book." This was no way to speak to a great artist. Matisse responded by matching his drawings to individual chapters without explanation, saying only that they represented "reactions of my mind before Joyce's work" and, by the way, "Mr. James Joyce, who knows about the way I am illustrating his book, quite agrees with me on it." This would perhaps have been news to Mr. James Joyce, whose best-known comment on the finished product was: "If they had been signed L.J. [Lucia Joyce] instead of H.M. people would have had a different tale to tell. I am only too painfully aware that Lucia has no future but that does not prevent me from seeing the difference between what is beautiful and shapely and what is ugly and shapeless. As usual I am in a minority of one."
Setting aside Joyce's opinion, Matisse's work may be viewed as conceptually linked to his own: not illustrations in any conventional sense, but a parallel artistic project, a second great modernist manipulation of the ODYSSEY. Another plausible interpretation of Matisse's drawings understands them as a response not to the text but to "the critical apparatus that developed around the novel during the 1930s" (Brown), and specifically to Stuart Gilbert's perceptive introduction. As for contemporary reception, members of the Limited Editions Club expressed one of three reactions: A vile book, dressed up with great art; a great book, ruined by "crackpot drawings"; or a magnificent work, the expression of "perfect rapport among author, illustrator and designer." The third judgment has held up quite well. 11.75'' x 9''. Original brown Bancroft buckram with gilt globe stamped to front board. In original slipcase. Designed by George Macy. Introduction by Stuart Gilbert. Illustrated with six etchings and 20 tipped-in drawings on blue and yellow paper. 363, [1] pages. Edition of 1500 numbered copies signed by Matisse. This copy no. 1264. Slipcase with light expert restoration at edges; some rubbing and soiling overall. Book just starting at top of rear hinge, but firm. Else clean and bright. Both housed in a custom quarter leather over black cloth archival clamshell box with gilt title spine.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Type Punch Matrix (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 48079
- Title
- ULYSSES
- Author
- Joyce, James; Matisse, Henri
- Book Condition
- Used - Very good plus in a very good slipcase.
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First edition thus
- Publisher
- The Limited Editions Club
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1935
- Keywords
- 20th century,Art,Artist's Book,European,France,Fine Press,Modernism,Limited Edition
Terms of Sale
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About the Seller
Type Punch Matrix
About Type Punch Matrix
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- 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...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- 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...
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
- Hinge
- The portion of the book closest to the spine that allows the book to be opened and closed.
- Buckram
- A plain weave fabric normally made from cotton or linen which is stiffened with starch or other chemicals to cover the book...
- Clamshell Box
- A protective box designed for storing and preserving a bound book or loose sheets. A clamshell box is hinged on one side, with...