James Branch Cabell : An Illustrated Bibliography
JURGEN: A Comedy of Justice
Hall Code |
Description |
Jur-F2 (ML) |
Second Modern Library Edition [Fall 1937] |
COMPILATION
Full Title:
Title page recto type "G": [all enclosed in a double rule] JURGEN | A COMEDY OF JUSTICE | [rule] | BY | JAMES BRANCH CABELL | [rule] | INTRODUCTION BY | BRANCH CABELL | [rule] | Bernhard Torchbearer device | [rule] | BENNETT A. CERF · DONALD S. KLOPFER | THE MODERN LIBRARY | NEW YORK (see image above).
Title page verso: [in italic] Copyright, 1919 by JAMES BRANCH CABELL | [in italic] Introduction copyright, 1934 | [in italic] by THE MODERN LIBRARY, INC. | [DOUBLE RULE] | [in italic] First Modern Library Edition | 1934 | [in italic] Bound for THE MODERN LIBRARY [in italic] by H. Wolff | [in italic] Manufactured in the United States of America (see image above).
Publication:
This printing can be dated to Fall 1937 by the catalog at rear, printed contiguously with the text, which includes To The Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf, but not The Wisdom of Confucius, by Confucius (see images above).
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] dedication; [vi] quotes; v-xi Introduction; [xii] blank; [xiii-xiv] Contents; [xv] [rule] | A FOREWARD | [in italic] "Nescio quid certè est: et Hylax in limine latrat." | [rule]; [xvi] blank; [xvii-xxii] A Foreward; [xxiii] [rule | JURGEN | [in italic] ... amara lento temperet risu | [rule]; [xxiv] blank; 9-368 text; [369-374] catalog.
Binding:
Toledano/Kamins binding Style 7. Balloon cloth in brown. Also likely in red, green, and blue. Spine all in gilt: JURGEN| [Rule] | CABELL | ML device | MODERN | LIBRARY. Front in gilt: Kent Torchbearer device (slightly smaller than Style 5). (see image above).
Dedication:
TO | BURTON RASCOE | [in italic] [acrostic verse in three quatrains] (see image above).
Endpapers:
Kent design endpapers (in orange) as used on Modern Library titles 1929-1967 (see image above).
Dust jacket:
Style DJ-H pictorial jacket, as used 1932-1948, with style g rear panel. The front panel image is by Frank C. Papé, and originally appeared in the 1921 UK illustrated edition of Jurgen published by John Lane, where it was captioned and these two sped westward in the glory of a departed sunset (see image above).
This jacket can be dated to Fall 1937 by the catalog on the inside (includes To The Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf, but not The Wisdom of Confucius, by Confucius).
Dust Jacket Outside:
Spine: [wide red band] | JAMES BRANCH | CABELL | [narrow rede band] | [vertically down spine] JURGEN | Bernhard Torchbearer device | [narrow red band] | 15 | [wide red band].
Front Panel: [wide red band] | JAMES BRANCH CABELL | [narrow red band] | [pictorial image] [within image in red JURGEN] | [narrow red band] |THE MODERN LIBRARY | [wide red band].
Rear Panel: [wide red band] [upper left, white text in red box] "THE GREATEST | BOOK | BARGAIN | in America today." N.Y. Times [upper right] [pictorial script] Because [10 lines advertising text] | MODERN LIBRARY | [lower left] [all enclosd in dotted line box] [15 line order form] [lower right] BOOKS | are INEXPENSIVE | COMPACT | AUTHORITATIVE | [white text in red circle] 262 | Great titles to | choose from | 95¢ | each | Modern Library GIANTS | $1.25 each | Use the coupon | [wide red band].
Front Flap: [wide red band] | MODERN LIBRARY BOOKS | 95 CENTS A COPY | The success of this book in more expensive editions | has paid for the plate investment and makes pos- | sible the Modern Library edition at this low price.| [narrow red band] | JURGEN | [in italic] By James Branch Cabell | 17 lines of advertising material | [device of four stars | 3 lines of advertising material | [in italic] (continued on last flap) | [narrow red band] | [in italic] Look inside jacket [arrow device] | [wide red band].
Rear Flap: [wide red band] | 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] | [in italic] (continued from first flap) | 26 lines of advertising material |[narrow red band] |[arrow device] [in italic] Look inside jacket | [wide red band].
Dust Jacket Inside:
WHICH OF THESE 253 OUTSTANDING BOOKS DO YOU WANT TO READ? | [triple rule] | [vertically up the left side of the page The Convenient Coupon on The Other Side Brings You | Your Choice of These Books | [a vertical line] | 6 column listing of titles in The Modern Library; central 2 columns are bisected by a single rule, with listing of 37 Modern Library Giant titles below | [a vertical line] [vertically down the right side of the page] This is a Complete List of Modern Library Books (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.
Although this is not the first Modern Library printing, the title page verso still states First Modern Library Edition. A technical argument could be made that this is correct, since this printing was produced from the same plates as the first. However, in collector's parlance, and as is more often than not common for The Modern Library printings, "First Modern Library Edition" is taken as synonomous with "First Modern Library Printing." This anomaly has been noted with other Modern Library titles as well.
