James Branch Cabell : An Illustrated Bibliography
THE WAY OF ECBEN: A Comedietta Involving a Gentleman.
Decorations by Frank C. Papé
Hall Code |
Description |
WEc-A1a |
First Printing, Limited Edition 1929 |
COMPILATION
Full Title:
Title page recto: [in italic] The Way of Ecben | A Commedietta Involving a Gentleman | By | James Branch Cabell | Decorations by Frank C. Papé | "I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, | and show thyself a man; and keep the charge of thy god, | to walk in his way and preserve his testimonies." | [device] | New York | [in italic] Robert M. McBride & Company | 1929 (see image above).
Note: The word "go" in the first line of the quotation is not italicized. This error persists through all McBride printings of this title.
Title page verso: COPYRIGHT, 1929, BY JAMES BRANCH CABELL | PUBLISHED OCTOBER, 1929 | [in italic] Printed in the United States of America | By the Plimpton Press, Norwood, Massachusetts (see image above).
Publication:
New York: Robert M. McBride & Co., 1929
Collation:
Crown octavo [24.8 cm. (9¾ in.) x 17 cm. (6¾ in.)]; all untrimmed. Pp. 1 blank leaf (not counted in pagination, viii+212, with limitation page and 1 final blank leaf not counted in pagination; blank leaf; (i) half-title; (ii) BOOKS BY MR. CABELL; (iii) title page; (iv) publication data; limitation page; (v) dedication (verso blank); vii-viii Contents; (1) Synopsis (verso blank); (3) fly-title Words for the Intending Reader (verso blank); (5-6) text of Words for the Intending Reader; (7) fly-title Part I; (8) quotation; (9) fly title Chapter One (verso blank); 11-151 text of The Way of Ecben (verso blank); (153) half-title Colophon; (154) quotation; (155) Chapter One (verso blank); 157-209 text of Colophon (verso blank); (210) illustration (verso blank); blank leaf. Pages (vi), (2), (4), (10), (14), (16), (20), (22), (26), (28), (34), (36), (44), (48), (50), (56), (58), (62), (64), (74), (80), (84), (88), (96), (98), (104), (108), (112), (114), (118), (120), (126), (128), (132), (134), (140), (144), (148), (152), (156), (162), (168), (172), (174), (178), (182), (184), (188), (192), (194), (200), (206), and (210) are blank. Pages (8), (10), (15), (21), (27), (35), (41), (43), (49), (57), (63), (73), (79), (85), (87), (97), (105), (107), (113), (119), (127), (133), (139), (145), (147), (153), (155), (161), (167), (173), (177), (181), (187), (193), (199),and (205) are fly-titles. Pages (8), (42), (86), (106), (146), and (154) are short quotations occupying otherwise blank pages. Page (211) is an illustration.
Taken together, an impressive 45% of the pages in the volume are essentially filler. Clearly the compositors were working overtime to pad out this slim work to book length.
Binding:
Half bound, art. vellum spine & corners with blue paper boards (Hall states grey, but our copies are definitely light blue), lettered and decorated in gilt; all edges untrimmed. Spine: THE WAY | OF | ECBEN | [rule] | CABELL | McBRIDE. Front cover: 'Kalki device in gilt, centered] (see image above).
Limitation:
THE LARGE PAPER EDITION OF THE WAY OF | ECBEN CONSISTS OF EIGHT HUNDRED AND | FIFTY SIGNED AND NUMBERED COPIES, OF | WHICH EIGHT HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE | ARE FOR SALE | THIS IS COPY [handwritten in red] 411 [underlined with dots] | [signed by the author in black (see image above).
The limitation page is an insert pasted onto the verso of the deication page. This leaf is printed on a smooth faced paper with all edges trimmed, and is noticeably different from the paper used in the gathers.
Dedication:
[in italic] For | ROBERT M. MCBRIDE | this brief and somewhat tragic tale, to | commemorate our long and rather | comical association (see image above).
Dust jacket / Slipcase:
Dust jacket: Issued in an unmarked tissue jacket (not shown).
Slipcase: Unmarked pasteboard slipcase covered in the same blue paper used for the boards (see image above).
Notes:
The decorations by Frank C. Papé were all previously published in earlier works; none were specifically drawn for this title.
The quotation on the title page was taken from the King James version of the Bible, 1 Kings 2:2, slightly modified.
