Books

First edition, fourth printing, the second issued by Shakespeare and Company. Bound in black buckram cloth with decorative blue end sheets. The first seven printings of Ulysses were carried out by Daranti�re in Dijon from the same plates. The present, fourth printing, was published in January 1924. It was printed on poorer quality paper and bound in white wrappers, rather than the earlier blue; in this example, these wrappers are bound in. The pages were trimmed when rebound, resulting in the loss of the original price in the lower corner of the rear wrapper. The fourth printing corrected the misprints listed in the errata for the second and third printings; further uncorrected errors are listed at the rear on pp. 733-6. (See Slocum & Cahoon 17). Cloth covers and spine label shelf rubbed. Text yellowed. Some foxing to title page. Stain in upper margin of pages 291-294. Occasional word written in pencil in margins. This copy from the library of Joyce scholar, David Hayman, though without any identifying information within.

"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.