Books

Paris: Shakespeare & Co, 1922. 4to. Number 701 of 750 copies printed on handmade paper (from an edition of 1,000). Publisher's original blue wrappers, front wrapper lettered in white. Housed within a custom morocco-backed cloth box. Wear to wrapper edges and spine, unrestored. Provenance: Signature on the front endpaper of Burton Rascoe (1892-1957), American journalist, editor, and literary critic The rare first edition of James Joyce's Ulysses, one of the most important works in modernist literature. The publication history of Ulysses is as storied and intriguing as the novel itself. This first edition was published on February 2, 1922, by Sylvia Beach, an American expatriate and the owner of the Shakespeare and Company bookstore in Paris. Due to its controversial content, which led to obscenity trials and bans in various countries, Joyce faced significant difficulties in finding a publisher. Beach took the courageous step to publish the book herself, ensuring its availability to…

"Ulysses" is a complex and multi-layered novel that takes place over the course of a single day, June 16, 1904, in Dublin, Ireland. It follows the lives and experiences of three central characters: Stephen Dedalus, Leopold Bloom, and Molly Bloom. Stephen Dedalus is a young aspiring writer and artist, a character partially based on Joyce himself. He struggles with his identity, his relationship with his deceased mother, and his place in the world. Leopold Bloom, a middle-aged Jewish man, is the novel's central figure. He works as an advertisement canvasser and has a deep affection for his wife, Molly. Throughout the day, Bloom encounters various events and people as he navigates Dublin. His experiences and thoughts are depicted in a stream-of-consciousness narrative style, offering insight into his musings on life, love, and his surroundings. Molly Bloom, Leopold's wife, is introduced in the final episode of the book. Her interior monologue, famously known as the "Penelope" episode, showcases her thoughts, desires, and memories, providing a different perspective on the events of the day. The novel is divided into 18 episodes, each employing a different narrative technique, style, or literary device. Joyce experiments with language, employing puns, allusions, parodies, and various linguistic styles to reflect the characters' thoughts and the vibrant atmosphere of Dublin. "Ulysses" draws heavily on Homer's "The Odyssey," with each episode mirroring an episode in the ancient epic and paralleling the adventures of Odysseus. The title itself references the Latinized name of Odysseus, and the novel explores themes of journey, identity, exile, and the human condition. Throughout the book, Joyce tackles various aspects of human experience, including politics, religion, sexuality, art, mortality, and the mundane details of everyday life. The novel is celebrated for its rich literary innovations, intricate structure, and depth of meaning, but it's also renowned for its challenging and experimental nature, which can make it a demanding read for some audiences.