Tropic of Cancer (Original poster for the 1970 film)
by Henry Miller (novel); Joseph Strick (director, screenwriter); Betty Botley (screenwriter); Rip Torn, James T. Callahan, Ellen Burstyn, David Baur (starring)
- Used
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Based on Miller's 1934 groundbreaking novel of life and love in Paris, a book initially banned in the US. Miller (Torn) and his wife Ellen (Burstyn) dally in France's finer things, while he tries teaching English at a school in Dijon, takes a boy to a bordello, and aids his asylum-bound friend who's in love with a prostitute.
27 x 41 inches, folded. Studio stamp on the verso. Very Good plus, with small central holes, faint creases. Uncommon.
Synopsis
Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer is one of the most notoriously and frequently censored books in the history of American literature. In a combination of autobiography and fiction, the novel centers of Miller’s own life as a struggling writer in Paris in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Tropic of Cancer is written in the first person and lacks linear organization, two of Miller’s most favored techniques. Some chapters are narratives about Miller’s friends and workplaces, and others are stream-of-consciousness-style reflections, but all of the chapters touch on the sexual exploits and general low-life ruthlessness in which the author had engaged at the time. Tropic of Cancer was first published by Obelisk Press, a French publisher of soft pornography, in Paris in 1934. Shortly thereafter, the novel was banned in the US and later tried for charges of obscenity, a trial that challenged American pornography laws at the time. In 1961, the ban of Tropic of Cancer was lifted, and later that year, Grove Press published the first US edition of the novel, but only after the firm’s Barney Rosset offered Miller a sizeable advance and promised to defend the author in any future legal battles regarding the publication. Grove Press’s edition of Tropic of Cancer sold over 1 million copies by the end of 1961… and was the subject of about 60 lawsuits as well, one of which involved the American Civil Liberties Union. All of this hullabaloo makes one wonder what the reactions might have been if Miller had decided to go with the novel’s working title, Crazy Cock — which was, ironically, far more modest than the published version. Regardless, the novel’s 1970 film adaptation, directed by Joseph Strick, received an X rating (meaning no one 17 and under admitted). Today, Tropic of Cancer finds itself ranked 50th on Modern Library’s “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century and 59th on The Guardian’s list of the 100 best novels.
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Details
- Seller
- Royal Books, Inc. (US)
- Seller's Inventory #
- 139851
- Title
- Tropic of Cancer (Original poster for the 1970 film)
- Author
- Henry Miller (novel); Joseph Strick (director, screenwriter); Betty Botley (screenwriter); Rip Torn, James T. Callahan, Ellen Burstyn, David Baur (starring)
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Publisher
- Paramount Pictures / Tropic Film Productions
- Place of Publication
- Hollywood
- Date Published
- 1970
- Keywords
- Film Posters | 1970s Cinema | Films with Literary Sources | Jazz Age
- Bookseller catalogs
- Film Posters; Films with Literary Sources; 1970s Cinema; Jazz Age;
Terms of Sale
Royal Books, Inc.
If you have questions about a book, feel free to call us anytime at 410-366-7329. Mailing address: Royal Books / 32 West 25th Street / Baltimore, MD / 21218. We accept VISA/MC/AMEX/DISCOVER, check or money order, and PayPal (ID is mail@royalbooks.com).
All books noted as First Editions are also First Printings unless indicated otherwise. All books are guaranteed to be as described, and may be returned at any time for any reason for a full refund, including return postage. Libraries, institutions, and accredited dealers can be sent books with invoice.About the Seller
Royal Books, Inc.
About Royal Books, Inc.
www.royalbooks.com
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Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Verso
- The page bound on the left side of a book, opposite to the recto page.