James Branch Cabell : An Illustrated Bibliography

PREFACE TO THE PAST

Hall Code
Description
Pref-A2 (K)
Second Printing 1936

IMAGES:

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COMPILATION

Full Title:

Title page recto: PREFACE [in italic] to the PAST | by | JAMES BRANCH CABELL | [in italic] "He dwells, with a gently lingering, long- | drawn music of tone, upon old, faded | things: philosophies once triumphant, | fashions once thought final, airs and graces | long passed away, and music never heard | now." | [Kalki device] | ROBERT M. McBRIDE & COMPANY | NEW YORK (see image above).

Title page verso: PREFACE TO THE PAST | COPYRIGHT, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1936, | BY JAMES BRANCH CABELL | PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES | OF AMERICA | SECOND PRINTING BEFORE PUBLICATION (see image above).

Publication:

New York: Robert M. McBride & Co., 1936

Collation:

Crown octavo [ cm. ( in.) x cm. ( in.)];viii + 310; (i) half-title; (ii) By James Branch Cabell, By Branch Cabell; (iii) title page; (iv) publication data; (v) dedication (verso blank); viii-(viii) Contents; (1) fly-title; (2) quotation; 3-310 text. Pages (1), (13), and (241) are fly-titles.

Binding:

Kalki binding: Brick-red cloth; gilt lettering and decoration on spine and front cover. Spine:PREFACE | TO THE | PAST | [rule] | CABELL | McBRIDE. Front cover: Kalki device at lower right (see image above).

Dedication:

To | MANUEL'S BEST FRIEND | [7-line acrostic verse in two stanzas. Initials read "GUY HOLT."] (see image above).

Guy Holt died of a heart attack in 1934 at the age of forty-two, after contracting dysentery at the Chicago World's Fair. The sudden death of his long time friend and editor was a shock to Mr. Cabell.

Dust jacket:

White paper, brick background on spine and front cover, black lettering with black and silver decorations (see image above).

Spine: [in white; all enclosed in a single ruled silver box in the shape of a note pinned to the spine] [in script] Preface | TO THE PAST | [pin device] | JAMES BRANCH CABELL | [in white] McBRIDE

Front panel: [in white; all enclosed in a double ruled silver box in the shape of a note pinned to the panel] | [in script] Preface | TO THE PAST | [pin device] | | [in script] by | JAMES BRANCH CABELL

Rear panel: [double rule] [in italic] CONCERNING MR. CABELL: | [28-line blurb about James Branch Cabell and his works, in three paragraphs | [double rule]

Front flap: [in italic] Preface | TO THE PAST | [in italic] By | JAMES BRANCH CABELL | [31-line blurb in four paragraphs] | [rule] | ROBERT M. McBRIDE & COMPANY | 116 East 16th Street New York, N. Y.

Rear flap: Biography of the Life | of Manuel | By James Branch Cabell | [rule] | [list of the eighteen titles of the Storisende Edition] [rule]