James Branch Cabell : An Illustrated Bibliography
JURGEN: A Comedy of Justice
Hall Code |
Description |
*Jur-D13a (E) |
Thirteenth English Unillustrated Printing, Variant Binding 1949 |
COMPILATION
Full Title:
Title page recto: JURGEN | [in italic] A Comedy of Justice | [device of a single star] | JAMES BRANCH CABELL | [in italic] With an introduction by Hugh Walpole | [Next five lines in italic] "Of JURGEN eke they maken mencioun, | That of an old wyf gat his youthe agoon, | And gat himself a shirte as bright as fire | Wherein to jape, yet gat not his desire | In any countrie ne condicioun." | THE BODLEY HEAD • LONDON (see image above).
Title page verso: [in italic] Limited Illustrated Edition 1921 | Unillustrated Edition 1923 | Reprinted 1923 | Reprinted 1923 | Reprinted 1924 | Reprinted 1925 | Reprinted 1926 | Reprinted 1926 | Reprinted 1928 | Reprinted 1939 | Reprinted 1932 | Reprinted 1938 | Reprinted 1949 | Printed in Great Britain by | RICHARD CLAY AND COMPANY, LTD., BUNGAY, SUFFOLK | for JOHN LANE THE BODLEY HEAD LTD., | 8 Bury Place, London, W.C.1 (see image above).
Publication:
London: John Lane The Bodley Head, 1949
Collation:
Large duodecimo [19 cm. (7½ in.) x 13 cm. (5⅛ in.)]; xvi + 326; (i)half-title; (ii) by the same author; (iii) title page; (iv) publication data; (v) dedication; (vi) quotations; vii-viii Contents; ix-x Introduction by Hugh Walpole; (xi) fly-title: A FOREWORD (verso blank); xiii-xv text of foreword (verso blank); (1) fly-title (verso blank); 3-325 text (verso blank).
Binding:
Pale green diced cloth; gilt lettering on spine, front cover blank; all edges trimmed. Spine [triple rule] JURGEN | JAMES | BRANCH | CABELL | THE | BODLEY HEAD | [triple rule] (see image above).
Dedication:
TO | BURTON RASCOE | [dedication in acrostic verse of three quatrains] (see image above).
Dust jacket:
Heavy orange paper, lettering in red and black (see image above).
Spine: James | Branch | Cabell | [device of a single star] | [in half-red decorative text] JURGEN | The | Bodley Head
Front panel: JAMES BRANCH CABELL | [in half-red decorative text] JURGEN | 16th large impression | of this celebrated | masterpiece
Rear panel: [in italic] Ludwig Lewison | [in red] The | Case of | Mr. Crump | [in black] [9-line excerpt from review] | [in italic] Second Impression 10s 6d | [in red] THE BODLEY HEAD
Front flap: [10-line blurb, initial in red] | [in red italic] Sixteenth Edition 6s. net
Rear flap: [at bottom of flap] Printed in Great Britain for | John Lane The Bodley Head Ltd.
Notes:
The jacket statement that this is the "16th large impression" counts the thirteen unillustrated Lane printings, the 1921 illustrated edition, and the two Penguin Press editions (see image above).
Hall lists only one binding for this printing, in "green cloth." Both variants we have observed meet this brief description, but the cloth is distinctly different between the two: Dark olive textured cloth (Winterbottom design IW) for Jur-D13 (E), and pale green diced cloth for Jur-D13a (E). Although we obviously have no real knowledge of precedence, The Silver Stallion has seen many more copies in olive cloth than in light green, so we have designated this binding as Jur-D13.
