[Rarebooks] FS: Henry James Triple Decker First Edition: THE BOSTONIANS

[Charles Agvent]

JAMES, Henry. THE BOSTONIANS. A Novel. In Three Volumes. London: 
Macmillan and Co, 1886. First Edition. Three volumes bound in early but 
not original plain blue-green cloth lettered in gilt on the spines with 
no publisher's device; all half-titles present, 2 pages of publisher's 
advertisements at the end of volume 2 (The four pages of ads at the end 
of volume 3 mentioned by BAL are not present). A possible remainder 
binding though it differs from the example sold as lot 76 in THE 
COSMATOS COLLECTION by Sotheby's in 2005. BAL 10575. Edel A28a. Only 500 
copies were published with another 100 copies printed a month later, 
apparently indistinguishable. BAL notes that there may be a point to 
distinguish the two printings: the running head on page 31 in the frist 
volume. In our copy the chapter number is incorrect. Since usually later 
printings correct errors in earlier printings, this is an argument in 
favor of the incorrect chapter number indicating the earlier printing, 
but this is not conclusive. "In The Bostonians Henry James wrote the 
most considerable American novel of its decade. For all its oppressive 
detail, there is no other novel of such value and distinction to place 
on the bookshelf of the late nineteenth century" (Leon Edel, Henry 
James: THE MIDDLE YEARS, 1963, page 74). This controversial novel of the 
feminist movement, one of the first American novels to allude to lesbian 
relationships, was adapted to the screen in 1984 by James Ivory and 
starred Christopher Reeve as Basil Ransome and Vanessa Redgrave as Olive 
Chancellor. Small bookplate of author Maurice Baring on the front 
pastedown of each volume and an odd bookplate with the initials "DMZ" on 
the front endpaper of each volume. Light occasional foxing. Front hinge 
of the first volume cracked before the half-title page, others secure. 
Cloth splitting or beginning to split at the joint on nearly every cover 
though all covers are still tight. Very Good and scarce.

"I wished to write a very American tale, a tale very characteristic of 
our social conditions, and I asked myself what was the most salient and 
peculiar point in our social life. The answer was: the situation of 
women, the decline of sentiment of sex, the agitation in their behalf." 
--Henry James, on THE BOSTONIANS (#016442) $2,500.00

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