A Golden Year for Publishing – the Legacy of 1922

Feb 14, 2014 | Early Modern Books, History, Illustrated Books, Literature

Written with Grace Barham

At first glance, it might be considered a little difficult to pick out one specific year in the 20th Century that stands out as the very best in book publishing. While there certainly several notable contenders – the rest of which we’ll cover at a later date – there’s a huge case to be made for one period in particular.

Nineteen twenty-two is considered to be a golden year in publishing, playing host as it did to the printing of some truly legendary works. High Modernism found its feet as Joyce, Woolf and Eliot took centre stage, while Brecht and Wittgenstein’s first (and in the case of the latter only) full-length efforts were published to significant acclaim.

We’ve picked out a selection of first-editions currently gracing our shelves from 1922. For a more comprehensive list of books published in the same year, click here.

Ulysses

Ulysses by James Joyce. 1922, first edition, primary issue, one of 100 copies on Dutch handmade paper; this copy numbered 45 and signed by Joyce on the limitation page.

Ulysses  – BOOK SOLD
James Joyce
Published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach, Ulysses covers the events of a single day from the point of view of three separate people. A Modernist tale drawing heavily from Homer’s Odyssey – characters and events in Joyce’s masterwork have counterparts in the 8th century BC poem – it has been referred to as “a demonstration and summation of the entire movement”.

The Waste land

The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot, 1922, first edition, first printing, one of 1000.

The Waste Land – BOOK SOLD
T. S. Eliot 
Indisputably one of the most important poems of the Modernist movement, The Waste Land is divided into five sections, loosely covering motifs from legends including King Fisher and the Holy Grail, interspersed with commentary on modern British society. Heavily referenced by writers and scholars since its publication by Boni and Liveright – who agreed to publish it before editing began – it remains a hugely influential and heavily quoted text.

Jacob's Room

Jacob’s Room by Virginia Woolf, published 1922, first edition, first impression, one of 1200.

Jacob’s Room
Virginia Woolf
A stylised character study, Jacob’s Room is Virginia Woolf’s third published novel. Having only vague allusions to plot sequence and development, Jacob’s Room is more a display of Woolf’s unique talent and perspective in the dramatisation of character than a novel of average account.

The Beautiful and Damned

The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1922, first edition, first impression

The Beautiful and Damned (BOOK SOLD)
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Largely based on the relationship between author and wife (albeit with a touch of artistic license), The Beautiful and Damned offers a social documentation on sex, morality, money and the golden age of jazz in café society New York. The first edition was published in the same year as short story collection Tales of the Jazz Age.

The Velveteen Rabbit

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, 1922, first edition, first impression, notable for its chromolithographic illustrations, which were replaced by cheaper, less luminous colour printing in subsequent versions. Copies in dust jacket are rare.

The Velveteen Rabbit – BOOK SOLD
Margery Williams
A much-loved children’s tale, concerning a small toy rabbit and his desire to become real. Initially shunned by both his owner and the other toys, a happy accident leads the hero of the piece to become the favourite. Despite a close shave with the prospect of incineration, the kindness of the Nursery Fairy magically transforms The Velveteen Rabbit into a real animal. The book is charmingly illustrated by William Nicholson.

England my England

England my England by D.H. Lawrence, 1922, first edition, first printing.

England My England – BOOK SOLD
D H Lawrence
A heavily revised and edited collection of what Lawrence considered to be his best short stories, set against the backdrop of the First World War. The individual stories were written between 1913 and 1921, with the first edition published by Thomas Seltzer in 1922.

Baal

Baal by Bertold Brecht, 1922. First published edition, technically the second overall; the first version of Brecht’s first play had been intended for publication in 1920, but only a single copy of that printing survives.

Baal – BOOK SOLD
Bertolt Brecht
Modernist Brecht’s first full-length play, Baal explores themes of sexual exploration and disaffected youth. Despite the playwright’s younger years – Brecht was 18 at the time – his handling of adult themes (including murder) is notably mature and deftly articulate. It contains four sets of lyrics with accompanying music, a trait that would later become a trademark of his work.

Just William

Just William by Richmal Crompton, 1922, First edition, first impression. Finely bound by The Chelsea Bindery in crimson morocco.

Just William
Richmal Crompton
Short story collection Just William appeared in instalments printed over a period of nearly fifty years. The series follows the escapades of mischievous eleven year old William Brown, who, though appearing in a contemporary setting each time, never actually ages.

Dr Doolittle

A complete set of Dr Doolittle by Hugh Lofting, 1922-51, 12 volumes, First UK Editions, first Impressions.

Doctor Doolittle (BOOK SOLD)
Hugh Lofting
Set in Victorian England, the stories of Doctor Doolittle chronicle the life of a Doctor who shuns human patients in favour of friends from the animal kingdom. Accompanied by his only two close human friends and assistants, Tommy Stubbins and Matthew Mugg, he is joined by Polynesia the Parrot and Chee-Chee the Chimp (among others) on many adventures around the world.

Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus

Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus by Ludwig Wittgenstein, 1922, First edition, first impression, later issue (with adverts at end dated 1929).

Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus – BOOK SOLD
Ludwig Wittgenstein
The only full-length work of the Austrian philosopher, the text seeks to define the relationship between reality and language, through the use of a series of propositions set in preparation for Wittgenstein’s metaphysical picture theory in language.

The case is strong for 1922, both in terms of landmark releases and the strong influence those books had on the literary landscape – a legacy still visible even now. But is it the unquestionably best year for publishing? Let us know in the comments below if you have your own personal contenders.

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