Full Title:

Chivalry | Dizain des Reines || By | JAMES BRANCH CABELL | with an introduction by | BURTON RASCOE || “And I, according to my copy, and | after the simple cunning that God hath | sent to me, have down set this in print, | to the intent that noble men may see | and learn the noble acts of chivalry.” (see image above).

Publication:

London: John Lane  The Bodley Head Limited.  “First Published in 1928”  (see images above).

Collation:

Crown 8vo [19 cm (7.5 in.) x 13 cm (5 in.)],  xvi +228.  (i) half title; (ii) List of books By the Same Author;  (iii) title page;  (iv) copyright page; (v) Dedication, verso blank;  vii-xiii Introduction by Burton Rascoe; (xiv) blank; xv Contents;  1-281 text;  fly-titles at 7, 13, 43, 71, 97, 125, 157, 183. 192, 219, 245, and 275; blank pages at 6. 70, 124, 156, 182, 192, 218, 274, and 282; (283-288) Six pages of advertisements for John Lane’s publications: four pages for books by Cabell, one page for books illustrated by Frank C. Papé (including some by Cabell) and one page for books by Anatole France (see images above).

Binding:

Light blue cloth, with black lettering. All edges trimmed. Spine:  CHIVALRY | [rule] | james | branch | cabell || the bodley head | Front cover: CHIVALRY | [rule] | james branch | cabell.  The thickness of the printing bound in light blue cloth is approximately 3.3 cm.; this makes it just a bit thicker than the variant black binding, which is approximately 3.0 cm. thick. As a result, the spine of the blue binding is able to fit “The Bodley Head” all on one line, where the black binding must spread it over two lines, thus: “The | Bodley Head” (see image above).

Dedication:

To | Anne Branch Cabell| [device] | “ainsi a vous, madame, a ma très haulte et | très noble dame, a qui j’ayme a devoir | attachment et obéissance, | j’envoye ce livret.” | [device] (see image above).

Notes:

The priority of the blue and black bindings of the 1928 Bodley Head printings of Chivalry has not been established, However, see the notes above on the Binding regarding the differing thicknesses of these two variants. It is noteworthy that the two bindings of the English Line of Love also are of sufficiently different thickness that “The Bodley Head” takes up two lines on the spine of one, but only one line on the spine of the other; and the situation is the same on the different Bodley Head trade bindings of Domnei -- but in that case it is the second printing of 1928 that is thinner than the first printing of 1927. This might suggest that the thicker blue binding of Chivalry preceded the thinner black binding; but unless more information is forthcoming, this must remain speculation.

Both English printings of Chivalry have white endpapers and no frontispiece. Brussel p.38  reports that the English edition was published on July 6, 1928.  The two slight textual changes made between the first and second printing of the revised U.S. edition, as reported by Bruccoli p.29 have been incorporated in the English text. See at Chiv-B1 (K).