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For Whom the Bell Tolls.
by HEMINGWAY, Ernest
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
London, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,, 1940. The world is a fine place, and worth fighting for First edition, first printing (Scribner's "A" on the copyright page), in the first issue jacket without the photographer's credit on the rear panel. Hemingway's novel was published just after the end of the Spanish Civil War and is informed by his experiences reporting on the conflict for the North American Newspaper Alliance. Many of its characters are based on real people, some semi-fictionalized, others drawn directly from life. This graphic exploration of the brutality of war was adapted for screen in 1943, directed by Sam Wood and starring Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman. It was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Actress. Octavo. Original buff cloth, spine lettered in black on red ground, front cover with facsimile signature in black, top edge brown, fore edge untrimmed. With dust jacket. Price and bookseller's sticker of the D. W. Robinson Co., LA, on rear flap of jacket. Spine faintly toned, edges lightly foxed; spine panel and extremities of bright jacket a touch foxed, tiny chips to upper corners, edges a little rubbed and nicked, unclipped. A near-fine copy in very good jacket. Grissom A.17.a.
Synopsis
Many consider For Whom the Bell Tolls to be author Ernest Hemingway’s finest work. Inspired by Hemingway’s time as a war correspondent for The North American Newspaper Alliance during the Spanish Civil War, For Whom the Bell Tolls is a stark and brutal commentary on the nature of war, sacrifice, and death. In fact, many believe his work is among the best depictions of the Spanish Civil War written. As with some of Hemingway’s other work, many of the characters, experiences, and events were based off real people and battles Hemingway saw. One of the most interesting qualities of For Whom the Bell Tolls is the use and restraint of profanity. Even though Hemingway had already written much about war and tribulations and had never seemed inclined to limit the use of vulgar language, For Whom the Bell Tolls is a clear exemption. When writing dialogue, Hemingway would insert the word “obscenity” instead of writing the exact word or phrase. There has been a lot of discussion about the reason for such omissions, and while some believe Hemingway was worried about the book being banned and thus wanted to make the book as reader-friendly as possible for a brutally violent war novel, others believe the omissions of profanity was due to transliteration problems and the author’s attempt to be as honest to the dialogue he heard as possible. There is no arguing with the legacy and influence Hemingway had not only on American culture, but also on generations of future writers. The Beatnik generation referred to Hemingway as “Papa” with a quite reverence, and Hemingway inspired countless journalists with his in-depth profiles and wartime articles. Even the cities where he wrote his books are now places for pilgrimage among his most devoted fans. Hemingway first started writing For Whom the Bell Tolls in Cuba and later finished it in Sun Valley, Idaho. In fact, both hotel rooms are now popular tourist destinations.
Read More: Identifying first editions of For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Reviews
On May 25 2023, Apeadero said:
Excellent book depicting an important moment of Spanish history.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Peter Harrington
(GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 167065
- Title
- For Whom the Bell Tolls.
- Author
- HEMINGWAY, Ernest
- Book Condition
- Used
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Place of Publication
- New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,
- Date Published
- 1940
Terms of Sale
Peter Harrington
All major credit cards are accepted. Both UK pounds and US dollars (exchange rate to be agreed) accepted. Books may be returned within 14 days of receipt for any reason, please notify first of returned goods.
About the Seller
Peter Harrington
Biblio member since 2006
London
About Peter Harrington
Since its establishment, Peter Harrington has specialised in sourcing, selling and buying the finest quality original first editions, signed, rare and antiquarian books, fine bindings and library sets. Peter Harrington first began selling rare books from the Chelsea Antiques Market on London's King's Road. For the past twenty years the business has been run by Pom Harrington, Peter's son.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Facsimile
- An exact copy of an original work. In books, it refers to a copy or reproduction, as accurate as possible, of an original...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- Foxed
- Foxing is the age related browning, or brown-yellowish spots, that can occur to book paper over time. When this aging process...
- 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....
- Fore Edge
- The portion of a book that is opposite the spine. That part of a book which faces the wall when shelved in a traditional...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- 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...
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
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