The Way of All Flesh
by Butler, Samuel
- Used
- first
- Condition
- Original burgundy cloth, t.e.g. Faint toning to spine, minor rubbing to extremities. Very good plus. Bookplate. Boxed
- Seller
-
New York, New York, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
With an elaborate mock heraldic bookplate of Samuel Butler, motto In Vino Veritas, likely that of his grandfather, Samuel Butler, D.D. (1774-1839), longtime head of Shrewsbury School and, at the end of his career, Bishop of Litchfield.
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
- James Cummins Bookseller (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 346219
- Title
- The Way of All Flesh
- Author
- Butler, Samuel
- Format/Binding
- 1 vols. 8vo
- Book Condition
- Used - Original burgundy cloth, t.e.g. Faint toning to spine, minor rubbing to extremities. Very good plus. Bookplate. Boxed
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First edition
- Publisher
- Grant Richards
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 1903
- Keywords
- American
- Bookseller catalogs
- Literature;
Terms of Sale
James Cummins Bookseller
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About the Seller
James Cummins Bookseller
About James Cummins Bookseller
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- 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....
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...