James Joyce Ulysses Collection.

JOYCE, James.

$3,500.00

Item Number: 132480

London and New York: Various publishers, 1932-1998.

Collection of several editions of Joyce’s masterpiece Ulysses. The collection is comprised of a first American edition of Ulysses [New York: Random House, 1934]; early printing of the Unlimited edition of Ulysses [London: The Bodley Head, 1949]; the Odyssey Press edition of Ulysses in two volumes [Hamburg: The Odyssey Press, 1932]; early printing of the New edition of Ulysses in a dust jacket [London: The Bodley Head, 1967]; facsimile edition of the first edition of Ulysses housed in a custom full buckram box [Shelton: The First Edition Library, n.d.]; facsimile edition of the second edition of Ulysses [London: The Folio Society, 1998]; a first American edition of Finnegans Wake [New York: The Viking Press, 1939]; and two others. Each volume is in near fine to fine condition. A unique set illustrating the evolution of this great literary work.

James Joyce's Ulysses was first published by Shakespeare and Company, Paris, in February 1922. Between 1922 and 1925 the text was reprinted six times. In May 1926, Shakespeare and Company issued a second edition (mistakenly called the eighth printing) in which the type of the text was entirely reset and Joyce's corrections from the previous printings were absorbed. Since its publication, the book has attracted controversy and scrutiny, ranging from an obscenity trial in the United States in 1921 to protracted textual "Joyce Wars". The novel's stream of consciousness technique, careful structuring, and experimental prose—replete with puns, parodies, and allusions—as well as its rich characterization and broad humor have led it to be regarded as one of the greatest literary works in history.