James Branch Cabell : An Illustrated Bibliography
THE HIGH PLACE: A Comedy of Disenchantment
Hall Code |
Description |
HP-B1a (w) |
Boni Paperback Edition 1931 |
COMPILATION
Full Title:
Title page recto: THE HIGH PLACE | [in italic] A Comedy of Disenchantment | [star device] JAMES BRANCH CABELL [star device] || "Build on high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, and | for horned Ashtoreth, the abomination of Zidon, and for Moloch, | the abomination of the children of Ammon." | 19 [Bonibooks device of a man reading, by Rockwell Kent] 31 | ALBERT & CHARLES BONI NEW • YORK (see image above).
Title page verso: COPYRIGHT, 1923, BY | JAMES BRANCH CABELL | THE HIGH PLACE | [rule] | PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (see image above).
Publication:
New York: Albert & Charles Boni, 1931
Collation:
Large duodecimo in wraps [18.7 cm. (7⅜ in.) x 12.4 cm. (4⅞ in.)]; Pp. viii + 312 + 2 unnumbered pages not counted in pagination; (i) half-title (verso blank); (iii) title page; (iv) publication data; (v) dedication (verso blank); xvii-xviii Contents; (1) fly-title (verso blank); 3-312 text; 2 page unnumbered Bonibooks catalog. Pages (1), (95), and (217) are fly-titles. Pages (ii), (2), (94), (96), (216), and (218) are blank.
Wraps:
Black lettering over a red, black, and white illustration by Van Duesen. Front and rear covers are identical. All edges trimmed. Spine: [all over a red and white ground] [diamond device] | [white lettering over a square black ground] THE | HIGH | PLACE | [lettered up the spine in black] JAMES BRANCH CABELL | [white lettering over a square black ground] BONI | BOOKS | [diamond device]. Front & rear covers: [black lettering over Van Duesen illustration of a chevalier on a horse] THE HIGH PLACE | by JAMES BRANCH CABELL | [over a white bar at base of cover] BONIBOOKS (see image above).
Dedication:
To | ROBERT GAMBLE CABELL III | [in italic] this book, where so much more is due. (see image above).
Endpapers:
Unmarked dark green endpapers.
Slipcase:
White card slipcase, identical to the wraps, with added top and bottom panels (see image above).
Spine: [all over a red and white ground] [diamond device] | [white lettering over a square black ground] THE | HIGH | PLACE | [lettered up the spine in black] JAMES BRANCH CABELL | [white lettering over a square black ground] BONI | BOOKS | [diamond device]
Front and rear panels: [black lettering over Van Duesen illustration of a chevalier on a horse] THE HIGH PLACE | by JAMES BRANCH CABELL | [over a white bar at base of cover] BONIBOOKS (see image above)
Top and bottom panels: [white lettering over a red bar centered between two white bars] BONIBOOKS
Notes:
According to Christopher P. Stevens in A Checklist of Bonibooks and the Boni Paper Books (Ultramarine, 1994) p.7, "Only the last six titles [of the Bonibooks] were originally issued in cardboard slipcases. Later issues of earlier titles have similar slipcases." Since Cabell's The High Place was number 44 of the 53 Bonibooks issued 1929-1931, this means the 'true firsts' of this title lack the slipcase, and a copy with a slipcase should strictly be considered a second state. However, since in this case "later" means a matter of months, and there being no apparent difference in the bindings of the naked 'firsts' of early 1931 and the slipcased copies of later 1931; and, further, no way to distinguish a copy that never had a slipcase from one that has lost its slipcase, we can only note the situation and retire into the shadows.
