Click for full-size.
Tropic of Cancer
by MILLER, Henry
- Used
- very good
- Condition
- Very Good
- Seller
-
Gloucester City, New Jersey, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Paris: The Obelisk Press, 1939. Softcover. Very Good. Fifth printing. Printed self-wrappers. Pages browned, a modest tear on the front wrap and first leaf, a nice and pleasing, very good copy with no restoration. Miller's best known work, an acknowledged classic detailing with then-unprecedented sexual candor his expatriate experience in Paris. It was banned for decades in the United States. The first edition consisted of 1000 copies, the next four printings were 500 copies each, so this is one of the first 3000 copies. Because of the fragile binding, early editions are usually found in poor condition. Very scarce.
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.
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- Between the Covers- Rare Books, Inc. ABAA
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 342980
- Title
- Tropic of Cancer
- Author
- MILLER, Henry
- Format/Binding
- Softcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Publisher
- The Obelisk Press
- Place of Publication
- Paris
- Date Published
- 1939
- Keywords
- BooksIntoFilm, AmerLit20thCent, FirstBook
Terms of Sale
Between the Covers- Rare Books, Inc. ABAA
All books are first editions unless otherwise noted. All books are returnable within ten days if returned in the same condition as sent. We accept VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS, DISCOVER, PAYPAL, checks and money orders. New Jersey residents please add 6.625% sales tax. All items guaranteed, all items subject to prior sale. Members ABAA, ILAB. Shipping is $4.50 for Media Mail, $10.00 for Priority Mail or UPS Ground. Tracking is provided for every order. Alternate shipping available by request. Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.
About the Seller
Between the Covers- Rare Books, Inc. ABAA
Biblio member since 2005
Gloucester City, New Jersey
About Between the Covers- Rare Books, Inc. ABAA
Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc., founded in 1985, specializes in first editions of 20th Century American and English fiction. Our inventory of over 75,000 first editions includes: African-American literature & history, Mysteries, Detective Fiction, Drama, Books into Film and Sports books. We routinely issue extensively illustrated color catalogs, available by subscription. We are members of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA)and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB). Tom Congalton, founder of Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc., actively promotes the ethics and standards of these professional organizations and served as President of the ABAA from 2000 to 2002.
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...
- Poor
- A book with significant wear and faults. A poor condition book is still a reading copy with the full text still readable. Any...
This Book’s Categories
Collecting Miniature Books
Teeny, tiny, beautiful books...the world of miniature books is one that involves a lot of imagination and craftsmanship. Dive in and see!
Collecting and Using City Directories
Don’t overlook that old city directory - it is priceless for authors, collectors who focus on specific cities, geneaology, and other niche interests. Learn more...
