Chamber Music
Elkin Mathews, 1907.
First edition, first state with thick laid endpapers of larger size, poem on signature c well centred. Original green cloth with gilt titles. A near fine copy, with slight dustiness to the spine and minor wear to the spine ends. Bookplate to front pastedown. A fresh copy of an uncommon book.
Joyce's first commercially published work. "Arthur Symons, to whom Yeats introduced Joyce in December 1902, was responsible for the publication of Chamber Music and for much of the praise it received. Symons submitted the manuscript to Grant Richards for Joyce in September 1904. When Richards refused to publish it without subsidy from Joyce, Symons offered it to Constable. Eventually Elkin Mathews accepted and published it at Symons' urging." (Slocum & Cahoon)
Only 509 copies of the first edition were printed, and second and third issues included in the printing are likely to have been issued at a significantly later time. Although fine copies of the third state surface not infrequently as a batch of remaindered copies were discovered, this first state is rare with the number issued likely to be less than 100.
Slocum & Cahoon A3
Stock ID: 22488
£6,000.00
