Books

First edition, first printing, of the author's first book, rare in the original wrappers. Anticipating its censorship in America and Britain, Miller published it with the expatriate Obelisk Press. The publisher Jack Kahane insisted the budding writer pay the work's printing costs, to which Anaïs Nin contributed. It later proved a seminal event in 20th-century publishing and freedom of expression. "Long delayed in realizing his literary aspirations and often frustrated, lonely, and sometimes close to complete despair, Miller reached a psychological 'bottom' in 1931, which prepared him to write a new kind of book... He denied that the book was a novel at all, and he allied himself with the tradition of Walt Whitman in American letters by claiming that the book was wholly an expression of himself" (ANB). It met with critical acclaim, Orwell describing it as "a remarkable book" and Beckett as "a momentous event in the history of modern writing". The courts were not so enthused. Its distribution was immediately banned under obscenity laws in many countries outside of France, and the front wrapper states that it is "Not to be imported into Great Britain or USA". The first American edition was published by the Grove Press in 1961, sparking a flurry of litigation that culminated in the Supreme Court case Grove Press, Inc. v. Gerstein (1934), which cleared the novel of obscenity charges and allowed its publication. The first print-run consisted of 1,000 copies. Many of the copies that survive were rebound either at the time of publication or in later years. The cover art is by the publisher's son Maurice Kahane, later Maurice Girodias, whom Neil Pearson asks we "forgive since he was fourteen years old at the time". READ MORE Octavo. Original wrappers lettered and illustrated in blue and black. Housed in a custom green cloth slipcase. Slight wear to wrapper edges, old glue repair to ends of front joint, short closed tear and soiling to rear wrapper, contents bright. A very good copy, well-preserved. Neil Pearson, Obelisk: A History of Jack Kahane and the Obelisk Press, 2007.

Tropic of Cancer is a semi-autobiographical novel by Henry Miller, first published in 1934. It is widely considered an important work of 20th-century literature, noted for its candid portrayal of Miller's life, its potently individualistic voice, and its frank discussions of sexuality, which have led to legal battles and debates about censorship.