Books

JOYCE, James. Ulysses. New York, Random House, 1934. First authorized American edition, first printing, of Ulysses: a landmark of 1930s graphic design. Arguably the most significant literary achievement of the twentieth century, Ulysses was first published in 1922 by Sylvia Beach s Shakespeare and Company in Paris. Deemed obscene and subsequently banned in both the UK and the US, several early copies faced destruction by customs and postal authorities. This edition was designed by the typographer and graphic designer Ernst Reichl (1900-1980), who crafted the layout, binding, and dust-jacket. Its Art Deco design, functional and dramatic, feels as modern as Joyce s work itself. It was preceded in the US by a pirated edition, published in New York for Samuel Roth in 1929. Octavo, pp. 767, [1]; very good in the publisher s cream cloth over bevelled boards, spine and front cover lettered in black and red, top edge red (some light cockling to lower edge of final 80 pages, some limited, light foxing to inner margin of initial leaves up to p. 13, but generally very clean; spine and extremities faintly toned, head of spine a little worn, some ink staining to fore edge of text block); with a facsimile dust-jacket; bookplate of Ken Noyer to front pastedown.

"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.