The Spanish Earth.

HEMINGWAY, Ernest.

Item Number: 124238

Cleveland: The J. B. Savage Company, 1938.

First edition, first issue of Hemingway’s commentary for the classic 1937 Joris Ivens film depicting the horrors of the Spanish Civil War; one of between 50 and 100 copies issued with the pictorial F.A.I. banner endpapers. Octavo, original tan cloth printed in black and orange, illustrated by Frederick K. Russell. One of 1000 numbered copies, this is copy number 29. Introduction by Jasper Wood. In near fine condition. An exceptional example.

While in Spain covering the Spanish Civil War for the North American Newspaper Alliance, Hemingway agreed to take part in the funding of a to raise money for the Loyalist (Republican) cause in the war, in collaboration with several other literary figures including John Dos Passos, Lillian Hellman, Archibald MacLeish, and. Dorothy Parker. The resulting film, The Spanish Earth, was directed by Joris Ivens, based upon commentary by Hemingway and Dos Passos, and narrated by Orson Welles. Cleveland Heights High School student Jasper Wood acquired the rights to publish 1,000 copies of Hemingway's commentary for the film in 1938. Upon seeing the first issue of the book from the press, Hemingway wired Wood objecting to Wood's introduction because it gave him credit for the film which he felt belonged to Ivens and photographer John Ferno. He also objected to the large banner of the anarchist group F.A.I. (Federación Anarquista Iberica) on the endpapers. A second issue was then bound with plain tan endpapers and a statement from Wood on the rear pastedown referring to Hemingway's objections, and noting: "Hemingway insisted that his share of the profits for this text be paid directly to Almuth Heulbrun, the widow of Dr. Werner Heilbrun, who was killed in action in Spain." "In a letter to the bibliographer, Jasper Wood estimated that there were between 50 and 100 copies of the first issue" (Hanneman A15a).