Books

First edition, first print, Faber 1939. Review copy with 'Complimentary Copy Not for Sale' perforated into the foot of the penultimate page. A couple of pencil annotations of the reviewer scattered through the book. In very good condition, with rubbed rust-red cloth boards; spotting to the front free endpaper, foxing to the first blank after that, half-title and title-page free of foxing, foxing to the final page and spotting to the rear free endpaper. Gutter at rear of the book is cracked, but the binding is firm. A few pages remain uncut. A few pages have been cut open leaving a rough edge, two pages have been trimmed from the margin not affecting the text. A few slightly torn pages where the pages have not been cleanly cut open. No dust jacket.

Finnegans Wake is a novel by Irish writer James Joyce. It is significant for its experimental style and reputation as one of the most difficult works in the Western canon. The book, Joyce's final and most avant-garde work, is structured as a sort of feverish dream containing multilingual puns, numerous literary and historical allusions, and a rich tapestry of themes.