Tropic of Cancer
by Henry Miller
- Used
- fair
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- Fair
- Seller
-
Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
E-261: Medusa Press. Fair. 1940. First Edition; First Printing. Hardcover. Hardcover. 8vo. Medusa Press, Inc, New York (Mexico). 1940. 323 pgs. First Pirated American edition that was printed in Mexico in 1940. Signed and inscribed by Henry Miller on the FFEP. Bound in cloth with heavile faded titles present to the spine. Boards have wear present to the extremities of the boards (spine is barely attached and chipped). Light foxing present to the edges of the text block. No ownership marks present. Text is clean and free of marks. Binding tight and solid. Shocking banned and the subject of obscenity trials Henry Millers first novel Tropic of Cancer is one of the most scandalous and influential books of the twentieth century. Tropic of Cancer redefined the novel Set in Paris in the 1930s it features a starving American writer who lives a bohemian life among prostitutes pimps and artists Banned in the US and the UK for more than thirty years because it was considered pornographic Tropic of Cancer continued to be distributed in France and smuggled into other countries When it was first published in the US in 1961 it led to more than 60 obscenity trials until a historic ruling by the Supreme Court defined it as a work of literature Long hailed as a truly liberating book daring and uncompromising Tropic of Cancer is a cornerstone of modern literature that asks us to reconsider everything we know about art freedom and morality. EB; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 323 pages; Signed by Author .
Synopsis
Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer is one of the most notoriously and frequently censored books in the history of American literature. In a combination of autobiography and fiction, the novel centers of Miller’s own life as a struggling writer in Paris in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Tropic of Cancer is written in the first person and lacks linear organization, two of Miller’s most favored techniques. Some chapters are narratives about Miller’s friends and workplaces, and others are stream-of-consciousness-style reflections, but all of the chapters touch on the sexual exploits and general low-life ruthlessness in which the author had engaged at the time. Tropic of Cancer was first published by Obelisk Press, a French publisher of soft pornography, in Paris in 1934. Shortly thereafter, the novel was banned in the US and later tried for charges of obscenity, a trial that challenged American pornography laws at the time. In 1961, the ban of Tropic of Cancer was lifted, and later that year, Grove Press published the first US edition of the novel, but only after the firm’s Barney Rosset offered Miller a sizeable advance and promised to defend the author in any future legal battles regarding the publication. Grove Press’s edition of Tropic of Cancer sold over 1 million copies by the end of 1961… and was the subject of about 60 lawsuits as well, one of which involved the American Civil Liberties Union. All of this hullabaloo makes one wonder what the reactions might have been if Miller had decided to go with the novel’s working title, Crazy Cock — which was, ironically, far more modest than the published version. Regardless, the novel’s 1970 film adaptation, directed by Joseph Strick, received an X rating (meaning no one 17 and under admitted). Today, Tropic of Cancer finds itself ranked 50th on Modern Library’s “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century and 59th on The Guardian’s list of the 100 best novels.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Last Exit Books
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 63282
- Title
- Tropic of Cancer
- Author
- Henry Miller
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Fair
- Edition
- First Edition; First Printing
- Publisher
- Medusa Press
- Place of Publication
- E-261
- Date Published
- 1940
Terms of Sale
Last Exit Books
All sales considered final. All items described to the best of my ability. Returns considered if sent back within 10 days of reciept with an email explanation sent to me first or if the item fails to match description. Refunds processed upon the reciept of the book.
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About the Seller
Last Exit Books
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Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Inscribed
- When a book is described as being inscribed, it indicates that a short note written by the author or a previous owner has been...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Fair
- is a worn book that has complete text pages (including those with maps or plates) but may lack endpapers, half-title, etc....
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- FFEP
- A common abbreviation for Front Free End Paper. Generally, it is the first page of a book and is part of a single sheet that...
- Text Block
- Most simply the inside pages of a book. More precisely, the block of paper formed by the cut and stacked pages of a book....
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
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