James Branch Cabell : An Illustrated Bibliography

THE CREAM OF THE JEST: A Comedy of Evasions
Modern Library Printings

Hall Code
Description
*CoJ-D6 (ML)
Sixth Modern Library Printing, Spring 1931

IMAGES:

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COMPILATION

Full Title:

Title page recto type "G": [All enclosed in a double rule] THE CREAM OF | THE JEST | [rule] | BY | JAMES BRANCH CABELL | [rule] | INTRODUCTION | BY | HAROLD WARD | [rule] | Bernhard Torchbearer device | [rule} | THE MODERN LIBRARY | PUBLISHERS : NEW YORK (see image above).

Title page verso: [in italic] Copyright, 1917, by | JAMES BRANCH CABELL | [double rule] [in italic]Manufactured in the United | States of America | [in italic] Bound for The Modern Library, Inc., by H. Wolff (see image above).

Publication:

New York; no date. Catalog at rear, printed contiguously with the text, can be dated to Spring 1931 (catalog includes Lord Jim, by Joseph Conrad, but not Droll Stories, by Balzac).

Collation:

Sextodecimo [16.8 cm. (6 5/8-inches) x 10.8 cm. (4 1/4-inches)]. [i] half-title; [ii] advt; [iii] title; [iv] copyright; [v] line drawing; [vi] blank; [vii] dedication; [viii] blank; ix-xii INTRODUCTION; [xiii - xv] Contents; [xvi] blank; [1] The | Cream | of | the Jest; [2] [rule] | BOOK FIRST | [8 line poem] | [rule]; 3-250 text; [251-254] catalog; [255] blank leaf.

Binding:

Toledano/Kamins binding Style 7. Balloon cloth in red. This binding has been reported in red, brown, green, and blue for other titles, so other colors are possible. Spine all in gilt: THE | CREAM | OF THE | JEST| [Rule] | CABELL | ML device | MODERN | LIBRARY. Front in gilt: Kent Torchbearer device (slightly smaller than Style 5). (see image above).

Frontispiece:

Line drawing by James Branch Cabell: The Sigil of Scotia (see image above).

Dedication:

TO | LOUISA NELSON | [in italic] "At me ab amore tuo diducet | nulla senectus." (see image above).

Endpapers:

Kent design endpapers as used on Modern Library titles 1929-1967 (see image above).

Dust jacket:

Style DJ-G dust jacket, yellow paper with red bands, with style d rear panel. This jacket can be dated to Spring 1930 by the catalog on the inside (includes The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway, but not Faust, by Goethe).

Dust Jacket Outside:

Spine: [wide red band] | JAMES | BRANCH | CABELL | [narrow red band] | [vertically down spine] THE CREAM OF THE JEST | Bernhard Torchbearer device | [narrow red band] | 126 | [wide red band].

Front Panel: [wide red band] | JAMES BRANCH CABELL | [narrow red band] | THE CREAM OF THE JEST | Bernhard Torchbearer device | With an introduction by HAROLD WARD| 4 lines text | [narrow red band] | THE MODERN LIBRARY | [wide red band].

Rear Panel: [wide red band] | THE MODERN LIBRARY | Books that have something to say | to the Modern Mind | [narrow red band] | [in italic] How many MODERN LIBRARY books | have YOU read? | 9 lines of text |[enclosed within dashed lines] 11 line Order Form | [narrow red band] | THE MODERN LIBRARY • INC • NEW YORK | [in italic] In Canada • THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA • LTD • [in italic] Toronto | [wide red band].

Front Flap: [wide red band] | MODERN LIBRARY BOOKS | 95 CENTS A COPY | (ONE DOLLAR IN CANADA) | [narrow red band] | 21 lines of advertising material | [narrow red band] | [in italic] Look inside jacket [arrow device] | [wide red band].

Rear Flap: [in italic] On the inside of this jacket is a list, | arranged alphabetically by authors, of | all the titles in the Modern Library. | It is worthy of your attention. | [narrow red band] | 20 lines of advertising material | [narrow red band] | [arrow device] [in italic] Look inside jacket | [wide red band].

Dust Jacket Inside:

A COMPLETE LIST OF TITLES IN THE MODERN LIBRARY | [triple rule] | 4 column listing of titles in The Modern Library | [triple rule] | A NEW TITLE IS ADDED ONE THE 25th DAY OF EVERY MONTH (see image above).

Notes:

For an explanation of the terms used on this page that are specific to The Modern Library, see the Cabell in The Modern Library page.