EARTH.

UK,8vo HB minus dw/dj,1st edn thus.[Originally and first published in serial form in 1886 and was then first published in book form 'La Terre',PARIS,France in 1887.The first English edn/translation was published by Vitzelly & Co,LONDON in 1888,but were then prosecuted and fined for publishing and distributing the 'obscene' work.The only other English translation was the Lutetian Society's strictly limited circulation,in the last decade of the 19thC.Other Zola novels had expurgated translations,but this is the first complete English edition with translation by Ann Lindsay and with a preface by Angus Wilson, of this particular title,since.] VG+.No owner inscrptn,and no dw/dj.Fairly bright and clean with minor blemish,sharp-cornered, publisher's original,plain black cloth boards with bright,blocked gilt letters to spine/backstrip - corner tips minisculely rubbed; with negligible shelf-wear,bumping or creasing to edges and corners - no nicks, tears or splits present.The top board with three small indent impressions,clean,plain white front+rear pastedowns,but inevitable off-setting and foxing to both opposing sides of both front+rear free endpapers.Top+fore- edges appear uniformly aged/toned; with inevitable but very minimal,sporadic foxing/spotting,whilst the bottom edges have some tiny,black ink specks/spots; contents bright,tight,clean - minimal foxing restricted to page edges,rest of the text body virtually foxing-free - otherwise solid and sound,no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners - would appear unread, apart from my own collation.UK,8vo HB minus dw/dj,1st edn,5- 430pp [paginated] includes Angus Wilson preface,Parts 1-5 comprising 4,7,6,6 and 6 chapters respectively.The blank reverse of last page of Pt 4 with a couple of light,ink(?) narrow, lineal streaks/smears.Plus [unpaginated] off-setting+light foxing to half-title,a couple of blemishes to title page edges and at the rear,reverse of blank with light foxing too.
'La Terre' describes the steady disintegration of a family of agricultural workers in Second Empire France,in the years immediately before the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.It offers a vivid description of the hardships and brutality of rural life in the late nineteenth century.Tracing a French peasant family's decline into violence as they strip their elderly father of his remaining assets.The novel's sexually explicit scenes led to the prosecution of its first English publisher in English.The father divides his inheritance and is hounded to death by his children for the small savings that his peasant cunning had urged him to keep upon his person.
This book was the beginning of the end for the Vizetelly,father and son publishing firm,having been censured for obscenity on it's English publication.Zola's other novels 'Piping Hot',and 'Nana' were bracketed with it,and to secure some leniency,Vizetelly agreed to their withdrawal.Then,In 1889.Vizetelly was again prosecuted for a second time for almost every other Zola novel that he already had in print,some eighteen in all.Committed for trial with respect to five of the titles,he was sentenced to three months in prison. His business was ruined,and in poor health, Vizetelly retired to Surrey and died four years later.'The Soil', 'Nana' and 'Piping Hot' were never reissued,while other novels were subsequently published in expurgated versions.Meanwhile, it was an offence to possess an English translation of any of these three titles.'The Soil' ('La Terre'),the most recently published at the time of the first prosecution,is particularly scarce.
At the time,the book was attacked by W. T. STEAD,the watchdog of public morality,in the Pall Mall Gazette.The National Vigilance Association took up the cry.A motion was put forward in the House of Commons,the Government was unwilling to pursue the matter; a private prosecution,however,followed. Sir Edward Clarke had only to read the passage about the mating of a bull, for the horrified jury to request to hear no more! Vitzelly was fined £100 and 'La Terre' in other than mangled form was removed from the gaze of almost all readers of the English language until 1954 - this edition. Please contact seller @ rpaxtonden@blueyonder.co.uk , because of the weight/value of this item for correct,insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas customers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! ** N.B. US customers please be aware: US standard AIR postage from UK to US can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. 2/3rds of standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving long before the quoted 42 days - but not always.