Le Gigantesque | The Forest Giant: Copy #40 of 40 bound thus, in full goatskin, featuring parallel French and English texts
by Adrien Le Corbeau, Translated by T. E. Lawrence, with a Foreword by Jeremy Wilson
- Used
- Hardcover
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
San Diego, California, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Fordingbridge, Hampshire: Castle Hill Press, 2004. Limited, full-morocco issue of the third English edition. Full leather. This is the beautiful Castle Hill Press limited edition of parallel French and English texts of Lawrence's first published translation, Adrien Le Corbeau's novel The Forest Giant. Of a total edition of 352, only 40 were bound thus, in full red crushed morocco with blind-ruled borders on the upper board, enclosing central pine cone design in blind, spine lettered in gilt, blind-ruled turn-ins framing marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, and housed in a red cloth slipcase. This copy is hand numbered 40 in red ink on the limitation page. Condition is truly fine, with no reportable wear or flaws.
Le Gigantesque was first published in Paris in 1922. Although the Academie Francaise awarded Le Gigantesque the Montyon prize, the novel failed to bring the author the literary recognition he so much hoped for. Even the English-language translation remained virtually unknown to modern audiences until this handsome edition published by Castle Hill Press, the premier editors and fine press publishers of material by and about T. E. Lawrence, founded by Lawrences official biographer, Jeremy Wilson (1944-2017).
Lawrences translation is one of only two surviving translations by him (the other being The Odyssey of Homer) and Lawrences only surviving translation from French into English. Lawrences translation has been called a far better work than the French original that deserves to rank among his most distinguished literary achievements. (Jeremy Wilson) Adrien Le Corbeau was a pseudonym of Romanian-born author Rudolf Bernhardt. Like Lawrence, Bernhardt (1886-1932) died in his mid-forties.
Thomas Edward Lawrence's (1888-1935) experience during the First World War pivoted around his remarkable odyssey as instigator, organizer, hero, and tragic figure of the Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire; Lawrence began the war as an eccentric junior intelligence officer and ended as "Lawrence of Arabia." By contrast, during the First World War Le Corbeau was ill with typhus, and this experience became the inspiration for his second published book, LHeure Finale (1924). He published just one other work (Le Couple Nu) before his death. Le Corbeaus death came without the public and literary fame that Lawrence achieved, but about which he was perpetually conflicted.
Lawrence was given the work to translate soon after his expulsion from the R.A.F. and re-enlistment in the Tank Corps in 1923. He appears to have been motivated by both a need for funds and by the wish to fill his free time. (see OBrien, A094) Lawrence completed his translation of the novel in 1923, and it was published by Cape in the following year under Lawrence's pseudonym J.H. Ross. A second English edition, illustrated by the artist Agnes Miller Parker, was issued in 1935 (shortly after Lawrence's death). This Castle Hill Press edition is the third English edition.
For the Castle Hill Press edition, the French and English texts have been printed on facing pages, which 'allows readers familiar with French to see that Lawrence's Forest Giant is a skillful re-creation of the work, rather than a straightforward translation'. This full-goatskin copy includes four additional plates of facsimiles which reproduce extracts from Lawrences 30 March 13 September 1923 correspondence with Cape about the translation. Jeremy Wilsons Foreword gives a history of the translation.
Le Gigantesque was first published in Paris in 1922. Although the Academie Francaise awarded Le Gigantesque the Montyon prize, the novel failed to bring the author the literary recognition he so much hoped for. Even the English-language translation remained virtually unknown to modern audiences until this handsome edition published by Castle Hill Press, the premier editors and fine press publishers of material by and about T. E. Lawrence, founded by Lawrences official biographer, Jeremy Wilson (1944-2017).
Lawrences translation is one of only two surviving translations by him (the other being The Odyssey of Homer) and Lawrences only surviving translation from French into English. Lawrences translation has been called a far better work than the French original that deserves to rank among his most distinguished literary achievements. (Jeremy Wilson) Adrien Le Corbeau was a pseudonym of Romanian-born author Rudolf Bernhardt. Like Lawrence, Bernhardt (1886-1932) died in his mid-forties.
Thomas Edward Lawrence's (1888-1935) experience during the First World War pivoted around his remarkable odyssey as instigator, organizer, hero, and tragic figure of the Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire; Lawrence began the war as an eccentric junior intelligence officer and ended as "Lawrence of Arabia." By contrast, during the First World War Le Corbeau was ill with typhus, and this experience became the inspiration for his second published book, LHeure Finale (1924). He published just one other work (Le Couple Nu) before his death. Le Corbeaus death came without the public and literary fame that Lawrence achieved, but about which he was perpetually conflicted.
Lawrence was given the work to translate soon after his expulsion from the R.A.F. and re-enlistment in the Tank Corps in 1923. He appears to have been motivated by both a need for funds and by the wish to fill his free time. (see OBrien, A094) Lawrence completed his translation of the novel in 1923, and it was published by Cape in the following year under Lawrence's pseudonym J.H. Ross. A second English edition, illustrated by the artist Agnes Miller Parker, was issued in 1935 (shortly after Lawrence's death). This Castle Hill Press edition is the third English edition.
For the Castle Hill Press edition, the French and English texts have been printed on facing pages, which 'allows readers familiar with French to see that Lawrence's Forest Giant is a skillful re-creation of the work, rather than a straightforward translation'. This full-goatskin copy includes four additional plates of facsimiles which reproduce extracts from Lawrences 30 March 13 September 1923 correspondence with Cape about the translation. Jeremy Wilsons Foreword gives a history of the translation.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Churchill Book Collector (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 006212
- Title
- Le Gigantesque | The Forest Giant
- Author
- Adrien Le Corbeau, Translated by T. E. Lawrence, with a Foreword by Jeremy Wilson
- Format/Binding
- Full leather
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- Limited, full-morocco issue of the third English edition
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Castle Hill Press
- Place of Publication
- Fordingbridge, Hampshire
- Date Published
- 2004
Terms of Sale
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About the Seller
Churchill Book Collector
Biblio member since 2010
San Diego, California
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- Gilt
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- Morocco
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