A Farewell to Arms [First Printing] by Hemingway, Ernest - 1929

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1929. First edition, first printing with Scribner colophon at copyright page with no additional printings stated; no disclaimer verso dedication page. Smooth, coated black cloth boards, gold cover and spine labels stamped in black ink, some corner wear, rub, discoloration. Cover label fairly good; spine label with rub, crease. Deckled pages very good with attractive toning. Light blue antiquarian label inside back cover: "Brentano's, Booksellers & Stationers, New York". Bind good, square; hinges intact, back hinge starting. Antiquarian bookplate inside cover with crest and dragon rising from knight's helmet: "Ernest Aldrich Simpson" and the motto "Passant cressant en honeur" translating as "Progressing in Honor". Ernest Aldrich Simpson was a shipping magnate most well known for his marriage to Wallis Simpson whom she left for King Edward VIII. Following separation from Ernest, Wallis became the wife of King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom who abdicated his throne as a result of this marriage in 1937. Edward and Wallis would remain married until his death in 1972. Adjacent at front endpaper is antiquarian names in fountain pen: "Mary and Jacques ..., October 1929". Presented in facsimile of first state Cleon dust jacket w/Catherine Barkley misspelled as Katharine Barclay; protected in new clear sleeve. Wrapper art and design by Cleonike "Cleon" Damianakes, an illustrator and etcher who designed some of the most iconic jackets of the era. Ernest Hemingway's third full-length novel following The Torrents of Spring and The Sun Also Rises. Near good true first edition with unique and intriguing provenance preserved in fine facsimile of original wrapper. The story recounts the romance between Frederic Henry, an American soldier, and Catherine Barkley, a British nurse. Heavily autobiographical, the plot was directly inspired by Hemingway's relationship with Agnes von Kurowsky in Milan. Catherine's parturition (childbirth) was inspired by the intense labor pains of Pauline in the birth of Patrick - Ernest' second wife and second son - and the real-life Kitty Cannell inspired the fictional Helen Ferguson. The priest was based on Don Giuseppe Bianchi, the priest of the 69th and 70th regiments of the Brigata Ancona. 355 pages. Insured post.. First Edition. Hardcover. Good/Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Book.