E. R. Eddison: Bibliography
Egil's Saga
| SS Number | Description |
| Egil-A1 | First Printing 1930 |
| Egil-A1a | First Printing 1930,variant binding |
| Egil-A1b | First Printing 1930,variant binding |
DISCUSSION
Full Title:
Egil's Saga: Done into English out of the Icelandic with an Introduction, Notes, and an Essay on Some Principles of Translation
Publication:
London, Cambridge University Press, 1930.
Binding:
Egil-A1: Crown octavo, 8¾ in. x 5⅞ in.; red cloth; gilt lettering and decorations on front cover and spine; all edges trimmed, tops stained red. Spine: [rule] | EGIL'S | SAGA | EDDISON | [Cambridge shield device] | CAMBRIDGE | [rule]. Front cover: [all enclosed in a single line ruled box] (see image at left above).
Egil-A1a: Crown octavo, 8¾ in. x 5¾ in.; red cloth; gilt lettering on spine; all edges trimmed, tops unstained. Spine: EGIL'S | SAGA | EDDISON | [Cambridge shield device] | CAMBRIDGE. Front cover blank (see image center above).
Egil-A1b: Crown octavo, 8¾ in. x 5¾ in.; green cloth; gilt lettering on spine; all edges trimmed, tops unstained. Spine: EGIL'S | SAGA | EDDISON | [Cambridge shield device] | [in italic] CAMBRIDGE | UNIVERSITY PRESS. Front cover blank (see image at right above).
The internals and dust jackets of all three copies look to be identical. My assumption is that there was a single printing, but copies were bound in batches as needed. To my eye, the binding on the left, Egil-A1, looks to be earlier, but this is based solely on appearance. Egil-A1 has been rounded and backed, while Egil-A1a and A1b have modern style flat spines. Egil-A1 has gilt rules at the head and foot of the spine and a gilt single ruled box all around the front cover. Egil-A1a is undecorated. Egil-A1b has a gilt rule at the head (but not the foot) of the spine while the front is undecorated. The cloth used for the -A1 and -A1a bindings is similar but not identical; that used for Egil-A1 is smoother and more burnished. The cloth used for -A1b is a modern unpolished cambric. The Cambridge shield is larger and more finely figured on Egil-A1, and the book just has a more vintage look and feel to it. Egil-A1 would not be out of place on a shelf of Victorian bindings, but Egil-A1a and -A1b have a distinctly twentieth century look.
