Books

[With:]MILLER, Henry. Tropic of Capricorn. London, John Calder, 1964. Two vols 8vo, pp. [4], 318; and pp. 316; fine copies, Cancer in a fine dust-jacket; Capricorn in a good jacket, spine sunned, a few small tears to edges.First UK editions of both books. Laid in loose is a rare piece of ephemera, comprising articles written by Miller for the LA Times ('Why I wrote "Tropic of Cancer"') and by John Ciardi for the Saturday Review in 1963, 'Reprinted by the Henry Miller Literary Society, Minneapolis'. At the end Miller has annotated it with the comment 'I wrote this, not for a newspaper, but for our U.S. Supreme court to read. We petitioned them to take the case. HM.' Although first published in Paris in 1934, Tropic of Cancer's republication by the Grove Press in 1961 led to numerous obscenity trials in US state courts, until the Supreme Court finally ruled it was not obscene in 1964.

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.