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The Old Man And The Sea: First Edition, First Printing, 1st Issue
by Ernest Hemingway
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very Good/Original jacket
- Seller
-
Acton, Massachusetts, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING with the "A" and publisher's seal on copyright page and brown lettering on inside of dust jacket; FIRST ISSUE dust jacket with blue tinted photo of Hemingway in back panel and "$ 3.00" on front flap of dust jacket. No mention of Nobel/Pulitzer prize. Text inside is clean and in fine condition Previous owner's inscription present. 8vo, light darkening of spine and minor tear of dust jacket at extremities. Provenance- Estate of a distinguished MIT professor, whose signature is inscribed. An exceptional copy of the true first edition, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1952.
Synopsis
This novella, only 140 pages, was first printed in its entirety in Life Magazine on September 1, 1952. It inspired a buying frenzy - selling over five million copies of the magazine in just two days! The story about an aging Cuban fisherman wrangling a large marlin in the gulf stream was written in 1951 in Cuba and published in 1952. In 1953, it won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and led to Hemingway's nomination for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. Man's struggle against nature is the resounding theme throughout the book as Hemingway portrays Santiago's travails as an experienced fisherman facing a dry-spell of 85 days before finally wrangling a prized marlin. Hemingway also highlights the indomitable spirit of man while illustrating his ideal of manliness and character in the strong and determined fisherman facing danger and discomfort without complaint and with resolution, both in the days it takes Santiago to kill the marlin, and as he fights off the sharks that end up destroying his prized catch before he reaches the coast. Some say that Hemingway's tale is a reflection of his own determination to prove his writing career was not over, and the portrayal of the sharks may echo the critics who had been claiming for the ten years that his writing career, after the successful release of For Whom the Bell Tolls in 1940, was over. The book is dedicated "To Charlie Scribner And To Max Perkins," friends of Hemingway's that had passed away before the book came out. Max Perkins, who also edited F. Scott Fitzgerald and Thomas Wolfe, died in 1947 and Scribner, who was president of the publisher Charles Scribner's Sons, died in 1952.
Read More: Identifying first editions of The Old Man And The Sea
Reviews
On Mar 6 2014, a reader said:
The Old Man and The Sea is an excellent novella for someone to read looking to get away from the troubles of life only to find that some troubles lead to the greatest reward of even though the reward is only a small amount.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Timeless Tales Rare Books
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- H-106
- Title
- The Old Man And The Sea
- Author
- Ernest Hemingway
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Original jacket
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First edition, First printing
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Charles Scribner's Sons
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1952
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
Terms of Sale
Timeless Tales Rare Books
We send all books promptly upon order approval. Returns are accepted only in like and undamaged condition within 30 days. Orders are shipped usually within 2 business days. Currently shipping within USA only. Additional insurance is added upon request with extra charges to buyer.
About the Seller
Timeless Tales Rare Books
Biblio member since 2023
Acton, Massachusetts
About Timeless Tales Rare Books
Timeless Tales Rare Books is a veteran-owned, independent, private bookseller specializing in antiquarian and rare books. Categories include first editions, historical, religious, literature classics, travels, scientific and children's books.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Inscribed
- When a book is described as being inscribed, it indicates that a short note written by the author or a previous owner has been...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Copyright page
- The page in a book that describes the lineage of that book, typically including the book's author, publisher, date of...
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