I have been in the rare and antiquarian book business for over forty years; my family has been in the rare books business since 1876. Rare books are in my blood.
Comedians, The
New York: The Viking Press, 1966. Item #06495
A Pre-Publication Presentation Issue—In Original Cellophane
One of Just 500 Copies Issued Before Publication
GREENE, Graham. The Comedians. New York: The Viking Press, [1966].
First edition, one of 500 copies specially bound for presentation to friends of the author and publisher in advance of publication, with printed limitation statement: “Christmas 1965.”
Octavo ( 8 1/4 x 5 3/8 inches; 210 x 137 mm.). [x[, [1-2], 3-309, [1, blank] pp.
Publisher’s green buckram over boards, spine blocked in black and lettered in gilt, top edge stained black. A fine copy, preserved in the original publisher’s cellophane wrapper.
Loosely inserted is the original Viking Press “Greeting of the Season and Good Wishes for the New Year” card.
A particularly desirable advance issue, preceding the regular trade publication and never offered for sale. Copies were distributed privately and are far less frequently encountered than the standard first edition.
The survival of the original cellophane wrapper is exceptional, as these were typically discarded; its presence here suggests a copy preserved with unusual care from the time of issue.
The Comedians, set in Haiti under the Duvalier regime, stands among Greene’s major later novels, blending political tension, dark humor, and moral complexity.
A superior, unusually well-preserved example, complete in all respects.
Price: $350.00