Ulysse (Ulysses)

Paris: La Maison des Amis des Livres, 1929 Translated from the English by Mr. Auguste Morel, assisted by Mr. Stuart Gilbert. Translation entirely revised by Mr. Valery Larbaud, with the collaboration of the author. First French limited edition. One of 875 numbered copies printed on alfa vergé paper, this being number 581, from a total limitation of 1,200. Finely bound in near contemporary half navy morocco with blue marbled boards, spine lettered in gilt with five raised bands, top edge gilt, blue marbled endpapers, and original cream front wrapper bound in at front. Very good or better, with some wear to spine, corners lightly worn, and front wrapper with repair to edges and light toning and staining. Overall, a pleasing copy of this important translation of Joyce's tour de force. Slocum & Cahoon D17. This first French edition of Ulysses was the second translated edition of the book (the first German edition was published in 1927), and one of only four translated editions published in Joyce's lifetime, the other two being Czech (1930) and Japanese (1931). Interestingly, key sections of the book were translated into French before the book was published in English, for a "Special Session on James Joyce," hosted by Valery Larbaud and Adrienne Monnier, Sylvia Beach's romantic and literary partner, at Monnier's bookshop La Maison des Amis des Livres on December 7, 1921 (Ulysses was first published in English in 1922). Jacques-Benoist Méchin translated the final word of the book with a capitalized "Oui," which Joyce subsequently adopted for the English language version ("...yes I said yes I will Yes") after a lengthy discussion with Méchin, an artistic choice that contributed heavily to the enduring critical interest in that line. Assessing the impact of Ulysses, T. S. Eliot said of Joyce, "He single-handedly killed the 19th century." Ulysses is a stream-of-consciousness novel that follows Leopold Bloom through Dublin on an ordinary day (June 16, 1904-notably the same day that Joyce first went on a date with Nora Barnacle, who would later become his wife). The book is heavily fragmented and allusive, with a structure that loosely parallels Homer's The Odyssey. Regarding the book's complexity, Joyce said, "I've put in so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant, and that's the only way of ensuring one's immortality.". First French Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good.