JACOB'S ROOM.
Richmond: Published by Leonard and Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press, 1922. Octavo. Original publisher's crocus-yellow cloth boards, white label lettered in black on spine. First edition, first impression. 290,14 pp. 7½ x 5 in. With 14-page publisher's catalogue and reviews at rear. Published 27 October 1922, only 1200 copies printed at 7s. 6d. Boards are cleaner than usual, light spot on upper board, some hand-soiling. Spine label darkened with small vertical cracks; chipped at left top edge of label. Light foxing early and late. Top edge trimmed, others uncut. Some little edgewear, notably a nick at top edge of upper board, foretips bumped. Front pastedown features the custom engraved pictorial bookplate of Atlanta art and book collector Irma L. Harris (1885-1969), signed in the plate by Katherine Merrill. Rear pastedown bears the small bookseller ticket of The Holliday Bookshop, N.Y.C. A well-documented example of the transatlantic transmission of moderism, this copy links a premier 1920s American avant-garde importer to a prominent southern collector.
Jacob's Room examines the life of Jacob Flanders, a young man living in early 20th-century England. Rather than following a conventional narrative structure, the novel presents a fragmented and impressionistic portrayal of Jacob's experiences, thoughts, and relationships. Woolf explores the complexities of identity, gender, and society through vivid and entirely introspective prose. Jacob's character is shaped through the perspectives of various individuals (some have counted over 120 different named characters in the novel), including family, friends, acquaintances, passersby, as well as through the objects and places associated with him. The novel delves into themes of loss, the passage of time, and the transient nature of life, ultimately painting a poignant portrait of a life cut short by tragedy. Jacob's life is noteworthy for being less of a presence than an absence. Very good. Item #420
KIRKPATRICK A6a; WOOLMER 26.
Price: $1,500.00