James Joyce - Ulysses (1922)
divine work of art
a memorable catastrophe
Ulysses Cambridge Centenary Edition
I might have bitten off more than I can reasonably be expected to chew. Ordered this virtually on its publication date, 100 years since the publication of Ulysses. Thought I was ordering a paperback of only slightly larger than normal proportions - but then this massive tome arrived today. I can hardly lift it! Took it out onto the lawn to photograph it next to objects of familiar size so that you can see just how enormous it is.
As you can see, from the average sized paperback, the TV remove, biro and 20p piece, this is a hefty publication!
Photograph of a first edition, 1st printing of Ulysses by James Joyce, published by Paris-Shakespeare, 1922. No. 302 of a limited edition of 1000 numbered copies, held by the State Library of New South Wales
Drawing of the cover illustration which references Grafton Street, Dublin (c 1880-1900). Photographer: Robert French (1841-1917) - part of the Lawrence Photograph Collection. National Library of Ireland.
The book has 18 episodes and each one has an introductory essay. This one is Lestrygonians - referring to the man-eating giants who polish off most of Ulysses's crew and destroy 11 of his 12 ships. The chapter is mostly about food!
A facsimile of the original 1922 edition is surrounded by notes. Joyce, probably tongue in cheek, said that his deliberate obscurity would ensure scholars argued for years about what he really meant