Books

New York/London: The Fountain Press/The Hogarth Press, 1929. First Edition. Hardcover. Spine is mildly sunned; gilt strong. Near Fine. This edition preceded the English edition (both trade and signed) by three days. Original cinnamon cloth. One of only 492 copies SIGNED by the author (this copy marked "out of series" instead of numbered and belonged to the Yale University Press printer Carl Rollins) of this important and desirable title, a compelling essay on women and writing that has become a classic feminist text. "A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction," said Woolf, "and that, as you will see, leaves the great problem of the true nature of woman and the true nature of fiction unsolved."

A Room of One's Own is an extended essay by Virginia Woolf, first published in September 1929. The work is based on two lectures Woolf delivered at Newnham College and Girton College, two women's colleges at the University of Cambridge. In this essay, Woolf addresses the limitations and prejudices that affect women writers and the conditions necessary for their creative work. The book is noted for its famous dictum, 'A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.'

One method of determining if a copy of 'A Room of One's Own' is a first edition is to check the publisher and date. First editions were published by Hogarth Press in 1929. Additionally, identifying features such as the presence of dust jackets, specific cover designs, and typographical errors that were corrected in later editions can also indicate a first edition.