Full Title:

The Worm Ouroboros: A Romance

Publication:

London, Jonathan Cape, 1922

Binding:

Worm-A1: Crown octavo, 8 3/16 in. x 6 in.; black cloth, gilt lettering and decorations on spine and front cover; top edge trimmed, otherwise untrimmed. Spine: [three rules joined at the ends to make a single box] | THE WORM | OUROBOROS | E.R. EDDISON | JONATHAN CAPE | [three rules joined at the ends to make a single box]. Front cover: [device of flying hippogriff in a circle, drawn by Keith Henderson]. Back cover: blank (see image above).

Worm-A1a: Crown octavo, 8 3/16 in. x 6 in.; black cloth, gilt lettering and decorations on spine and front cover; top edge trimmed, otherwise untrimmed. Spine: [three rules joined at the ends to make a single box] | THE WORM | OUROBOROS | E.R. EDDISON | JONATHAN CAPE | [three rules joined at the ends to make a single box]. Front cover: [device of flying hippogriff in a circle, drawn by Keith Henderson]. Back cover: Publishers' device in blind (see image above).

Worm-A1c / Worm-A1d: Crown octavo, 8 3/16 in. x 6 in.; blue cloth, gilt lettering and decorations on spine and front cover; top edge trimmed, otherwise untrimmed. Spine: [three rules joined at the ends to make a single box] | THE WORM | OUROBOROS | E.R. EDDISON | JONATHAN CAPE | [three rules joined at the ends to make a single box]. Front cover: [device of flying hippogriff in a circle, drawn by Keith Henderson]. Back cover: A1c is blank, A1d has publisher's device in blind (see image above).

My two copies are in black cloth, one with the publisher's device on the rear cover, and one without. The binding comparison above (Worm-A1 on the left) shows that slightly different shades of cloth were used, and that the publisher's names at the bottom of the spines are in different settings. I have not seen a copy in blue cloth, but from viewing seller's ads there are blue bindings both with and without the publisher's device.

Notes:

I have never seen a bibliography of Eddison's works that goes beyond a listing of the various editions of his works. I have listed above the four variants I am sure actually exist. There are likely others, too; one of my 1924 issues in bound in black cloth, with the publisher's device, but with the front cover in blind. I have not seen a 1922 printing in this binding, but it may be out there. I have also seen claims that there is a binding that lacks the rules at the head and foot of the spine. I have never seen a photo of this binding.

There were also twelve presentation copies specially bound and printed on special paper. Back in the 1980s I bought one of those, only to have the dealer renege on the sale and return my check. He claimed that the University of Texas was one of his major customers and that they had demanded that he sell that copy to them, or he would lose their custom.