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The Waste Land
by Eliot, T. S
- Used
- near fine
- first
- Condition
- Near Fine
- Seller
-
Portland, Oregon, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Boni and Liveright, 1922. First Edition. Near Fine. First edition, first state; number 415 of 1,000 numbered copies; with stamped number 5mm tall, the "a" in the word "water" missing on page 22 and "mountain" spelled correctly on page 41. Bound in publisher's original black cloth over flexible boards, lettered in gilt on the spine and upper board, with edges rough cut; lacking the dust jacket. Near Fine with faint wear to cloth, visible mostly only in raking light, pages tanned, a corner crease to the bottom of page 47/48. A bright copy in much nicer condition than as normally found of what is considered by many to be one of the most important poems of the 20th century.
Synopsis
The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot is one of the most famous poems of the 20th century and is 434 lines long, divided into 5 sections: The Burial of the Dead, A Game of Chess, The Fire Sermon, Death by Water and What the Thunder Said. Considered obscure and often abstract, the poem interweaves a number of legends and mythologies of both eastern and western influence in a variety of voices. Originally published in the 1922 issue of The Criterion (a U.K. magazine which was founded and edited by Eliot), it later appeared the subsequent month in the Dial magazine as its first U.S. appearance. The Wasteland first appeared in book form in 1922, published by Boni and Liveright in New York in an edition of 1000 copies. The first 500 copies were bound in a flexible black cloth, while the remaining copies were bound in a more traditional cloth hardcover. Both were issued in beige printed dust jackets. The first state is noted by the appearance of a dropped letter "a" on page 41 in the word mountain; the second issue has the word misprinted as "mount in." In nice condition, the first issue might be had in a jacket for $25,000 and up. The first U.K. book edition was published the following year in the U.K by Hogarth Press in an edition of 450 copies . Also of note is the second NY edition on 1923, also published by Boni and Liveright and highly collectible. - -
Reviews
On Dec 13 2016, a reader said:
This was the "let there be light" moment for 20th Century poetry. The intellectual chiropractic it worked on literature obliterated that bequeathed to us thereafter. Poetry became the moral spotlight. And one man made it happen.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 140944894
- Title
- The Waste Land
- Author
- Eliot, T. S
- Book Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Publisher
- Boni and Liveright
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1922
- Bookseller catalogs
- Poetry;
Terms of Sale
Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
Biblio member since 2010
Portland, Oregon
About Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
Burnside Rare Books specializes in literary first editions and works of cultural and historic significance. We are located in Portland, Oregon and welcome visitors by appointment.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- 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...
- 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....
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- 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...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
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