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Tropic of Cancer

Tropic of Cancer

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Tropic of Cancer

by Henry Miller

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
Very Good Indeed/Good
Seller
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
BATH, Somerset, United Kingdom
Item Price
A$275.34A$247.80
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About This Item

London: John Calder, 1963 . First edition. Cloth. Very Good Indeed/Good. 6.5" by 5.5". None. 'Notorious for its candid sexuality', this is the first UK edition of this important work of twentieth century literature from controversial American author Henry Miller. The first UK edition, first impression of this work, with tipped in errata slip to title page, noting the transposing of pages 259 and 288, as called for. In the publisher's original price unclipped dust wrapper. The seminal work of American author Henry Miller, this novel was first published in Paris in 1934, but banned from publication in the USA. Until the publication of this edition, only smuggled copies of the work were available in the United Kingdom. Scotland Yard contemplated banning its publication in Britain in the 1960s, but decided against the ban because literary figures such as T. S. Eliot were ready to mount a public defence of the work.The dust wrapper advertises this work as detailing life in Paris in the interwar years, recounting the experiences of the author as he 'worked, starved, ate, drank and made love'. In the publisher's original cloth binding with price unclipped dust wrapper. Bumping to head of back strip, with shelf wear to spine tail. Bookseller's label to front pastedown. Significant losses and tears to dust wrapper back strip head and tail, with a fold and discolouration to rear wrap, and general edge wear. Internally, firmly bound. Pages clean and bright. Very Good Indeed

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

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Details

Bookseller
Rooke Books GB (GB)
Bookseller's Inventory #
793F11
Title
Tropic of Cancer
Author
Henry Miller
Illustrator
None
Format/Binding
Cloth
Book Condition
Used - Very Good Indeed
Jacket Condition
Good
Quantity Available
1
Edition
First edition
Binding
Hardcover
Publisher
John Calder
Place of Publication
London
Date Published
1963
Size
6.5" by 5.5"
Keywords
autobiographical fiction censorship tropic of capricorn rosy crucifixion censorship

Terms of Sale

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Books are sent on approval and may be returned in like condition for any reason within 14 days of receipt. Responsibility of return to be with the purchaser.

About the Seller

Rooke Books

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2007
BATH, Somerset

About Rooke Books

Welcome to Rooke Books Antiquarian Bookseller
We are a small team dedicated to bringing you very scarce books at reasonable prices. We specialise in rare and hard to come by works on all subjects over the last 500 years, together with modern first editions and decorative sets and bindings. Our library has something for every interest and specialism. We deliver worldwide using a fully tracked and insured courier delivery service.
Where are We?
Based in the literary city of Bath, our offices are housed in the Eastern Dispensary. Built in 1845, the building originally existed as a charitable institution providing medical care. The building now houses our collection of over twenty thousand books and has five full time members of staff.

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...
Tail
The heel of the spine.
Cloth
"Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
Shelf Wear
Shelf wear (shelfwear) describes damage caused over time to a book by placing and removing a book from a shelf. This damage is...
Title Page
A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
Errata
Errata: aka Errata Slip A piece of paper either laid in to the book correcting errors found in the printed text after being...
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....
Tipped In
Tipped In is used to describe something which has been glued into a book. Tipped-in items can include photos, book plates,...

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