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The Way of All Flesh
by Butler, Samuel
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very Good
- Seller
-
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: Grant Richards, 1903. First printing. Hardcover. Very Good. 8vo, publisher's red cloth gilt, about very good, some rubbing and light wear to binding -- spine ends a bit frayed, bookplate of Frederick H. Evans, possibly the well known photographer, amusing related small newspaper clipping tipped to flyleaf, has left a tan rectangle on facing page (pastedown); the rear pastedown as a few small light tape stains (there was a note taped to the back saying the book was purchased in the spring of 1945. A few scattered light pencil marks to the text. Has half title, does not have ads at rear.
Synopsis
The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler is a semi-autobiographical novel that attacks Victorian-era hypocrisy. The story traces the history of the Pontifex family from the early eighteenth century until about 1880 and focuses, for the most part, on the life of young Ernest Pontifex, the novel’s protagonist. Yet Ernest isn’t born until 1835, in the book’s 17th chapter. Butler uses the first 16 chapters to provide a psychological portrait of the Pontifex family background as a means of allowing readers to understand what factors have gone into forming Ernest’s personality and the longevity of the chains of tradition he must break. Upon publication in 1903, the book seemed very much of its time, an early 20th century groundbreaker alongside the work of Sigmund Freud and Pablo Picasso. The Way of All Flesh seemed to celebrate the end of the Victorian age just as it was decidedly over. But in fact, Butler had written the book decades earlier, between 1873 and 1884, though he deemed it too shocking for publication during his lifetime. As a result, Richard Alexander Streatfeild, a friend of Butler’s, arranged the publication — as the author requested of him — a year after his death. Streatfeild proved to be a good friend indeed as The Way of All Flesh was ranked twelfth on the Modern Library’s list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.
Read More: Identifying first editions of The Way of All Flesh
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Details
- Bookseller
- Common Crow Books
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- H22104
- Title
- The Way of All Flesh
- Author
- Butler, Samuel
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First printing
- Publisher
- Grant Richards
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 1903
Terms of Sale
Common Crow Books
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About the Seller
Common Crow Books
Biblio member since 2005
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
About Common Crow Books
Common Crow's warehouse has around 75,000 books online. We specialize in unusual books in the humanities including poetry, philosophy, history, literature and art.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Half Title
- The blank front page which appears just prior to the title page, and typically contains only the title of the book, although, at...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
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