Tropic Of Capricorn by Henry Miller
Like his previous work, Tropic of
Cancer, Henry Miller's Tropic of Capricorn stayed banned
in the U.S. until 1961. Written with a similar style and theme, the
book details and to some extent parodies Miller's experiences working
for Western Union, referring to the company throughout the book as
the “Cosmodemonic Telegraph Company.” In Capricorn, Miller
expounded on his travails as a struggling writer in New York in the
1920s, and with his troubled marriage.
The book was published by Obelisk Press
in Paris in 1939. The first U.S. Edition was printed by Grove Press
in 1961, and signed copies of this book are also sought after, due to
the lawsuit and controversy surrounding its publication. The trilogy
itself represents a significant challenge to traditional literary
forms, and Miller's appeal to counter-culture continues to attract
new collectors. The final book in Miller's Obelisk Trilogy,
it was followed by Black Spring in 1938, a collection of
shorter stories related to the series, and Tropic of Capricorn
in 1939, another stream-of-consciousness account of the author's
struggles in New York in the 1920s.
Flaws in the first Paris edition
(printed in English) commonly include a damaged or missing spine.
Wear to the cover and boards, and chips and unevenness to the page
edges are also common. Signed copies of this work in good condition
are often sold for over $1,000. The first U.S. Edition is of higher
quality, and features gilt lettering on the title pages, and marbled
paper boards. Less commonly seen errors for this edition include
soiling and damage to the edges, folded corners of pages, and slight
loosening of the boards and binding.
Best selling editions of Tropic Of Capricorn
Collecting Tropic Of Capricorn
Like his previous work, Tropic of
Cancer, Henry Miller's Tropic of Capricorn stayed banned
in the U.S. until 1961. Written with a similar style and theme, the
book details and to some extent parodies Miller's experiences working
for Western Union, referring to the company throughout the book as
the “Cosmodemonic Telegraph Company.” In Capricorn, Miller
expounded on his travails as a struggling writer in New York in the
1920s, and with his troubled marriage.
The book was published by Obelisk Press
in Paris in 1939. The first U.S. Edition was printed by Grove Press
in 1961, and signed copies of this book are also sought after, due to
the lawsuit and controversy surrounding its publication. The trilogy
itself represents a significant challenge to traditional literary
forms, and Miller's appeal to counter-culture continues to attract
new collectors. The final book in Miller's Obelisk Trilogy,
it was followed by Black Spring in 1938, a collection of
shorter stories related to the series, and Tropic of Capricorn
in 1939, another stream-of-consciousness account of the author's
struggles in New York in the 1920s.
Flaws in the first Paris edition
(printed in English) commonly include a damaged or missing spine.
Wear to the cover and boards, and chips and unevenness to the page
edges are also common. Signed copies of this work in good condition
are often sold for over $1,000. The first U.S. Edition is of higher
quality, and features gilt lettering on the title pages, and marbled
paper boards. Less commonly seen errors for this edition include
soiling and damage to the edges, folded corners of pages, and slight
loosening of the boards and binding.