Joyce (James): Ulysses

Joyce (James): Ulysses, no.340 of 750 copies, on handmade paper, of an edition of 1000, 732 pp, one or two foxmarks to text, original blue wrappers encased in a contemporary cloth binding, uncut, 4to (24 x 18.7cm), printed by Shakespeare and Company, Paris, 1922 First edition of one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century, one of only 750 copies printed on handmade paper. The 1/750 issue was the first of three issues to arrive in Paris from the printer on February 2nd 1922. Joyce wrote Ulysses between 1914 and 1921, but had difficulty finding a publisher. Early attempts at serialisation in the United States had led to a ban on publication on the grounds of obscenity, which included Great Britain. The book was taken up and championed by Sylvia Beach who ran the famous Left Bank Bookshop in Paris (a Mecca for the artistic talents of the time). This copy has minor marking to the covers (possibly affected by the endpapers of the cloth binding which are foxed), which otherwise are in good condition. It is not possible to tell whether the original spine is beneath the glued surface which shows at the spine ends.