1Glacierman
Below, I compare both first (1935) issues of the 6th book issued by the Heritage Club/Press, Prévost's Manon Lescaut, as I now own one of each.
I strongly suggest that before you go any further, first check out The George Macy Imagery's post for the pictures and for the background for this title.
REFERENCES CITED
Buss1. Bussaco, Michael C. Heritage Press Annotative Bibliography Volume Three Authors L-R. Second edition. (Archibald, PA: Tribute Books, 2008).
Buss2. -----------. Heritage Press Catalog & Checklist. Second edition. (Eynon, PA: Tribute Books, 2008).
Ransom. Ransom, Will. NY: Philip C. Duschnes, 1963.
COMMENTS
Ransom (p. 91, no. 6) notes that 3000 copies in leather of the first edition of Manon were printed. Ransom notes, as does Wildcat (link above), the first 6 books all had 1500 copies issued with an extra illustration signed by the artist . What is not made clear is whether the 3000 total included the 1500 specials or if the specials were in addition to them.
Regarding the illustrations, Wildcat notes the signed frontispiece in his copy of the special issue is "far sharper and more colorful" than the others. That may be due to its having been separately printed by a different process than those in the text, as it appears to have been tipped in prior to binding. NOTE: The entries in Buss1 indicate 11 illustrations for the special issue and 10 for the regular. Well, my copy of the regular has eight (8) illustrations and my special has nine (9).
According to Buss1, there were two issues of the special version (p. 155, #BHP-D 107-J & p. 156, BHP-FS-6-A). I assume the first, with the dual imprint of the HC and the Nonesuch Press (as in Wildcat's copy) refers to those copies which were issued to LEC members, as they were not issued with a Sandglass (Buss1, p. 155). My copy is of the second version (Buss1, p. 156) which was issued to HC members with a Sandglass (First Series 6-A) per Buss1. The title page on this issue has no mention of the Nonesuch Press. It reads: New York/THE HERITAGE PRESS/1935.
Binding. Both the regular and the special issues are bound in 1/4 leather over marbled paper on the boards. The special issue appears to be brown calf or a similar smooth skin, whereas the regular issue is bound in brown pigskin and not, as some folks have stated, "faux leather." The blue marbled paper of the special issue appears to be hand-marbled whereas the brown marbling on the regular issues is a printed design. I should also note that the spine of the special issue has several panels blind-stamped into it in addition to the title panel whereas the regular issue has only the title panel.
In Buss2 (p 11), the binding of the regular edition (BHP-FS-6) is described as "French marbled paper over 1/2 pigskin binding," but as noted above, it is 1/4 leather. If it were 1/2 leather, either the corners would be leather covered or the spine leather would extend out to half way across the board. Either way, 1/2 the width of the cover board in total would have leather on it. The same error is repeated for the special issue lower down the page.
This title was re-issued several times subsequently.
I strongly suggest that before you go any further, first check out The George Macy Imagery's post for the pictures and for the background for this title.
REFERENCES CITED
Buss1. Bussaco, Michael C. Heritage Press Annotative Bibliography Volume Three Authors L-R. Second edition. (Archibald, PA: Tribute Books, 2008).
Buss2. -----------. Heritage Press Catalog & Checklist. Second edition. (Eynon, PA: Tribute Books, 2008).
Ransom. Ransom, Will. NY: Philip C. Duschnes, 1963.
COMMENTS
Ransom (p. 91, no. 6) notes that 3000 copies in leather of the first edition of Manon were printed. Ransom notes, as does Wildcat (link above), the first 6 books all had 1500 copies issued with an extra illustration signed by the artist . What is not made clear is whether the 3000 total included the 1500 specials or if the specials were in addition to them.
Regarding the illustrations, Wildcat notes the signed frontispiece in his copy of the special issue is "far sharper and more colorful" than the others. That may be due to its having been separately printed by a different process than those in the text, as it appears to have been tipped in prior to binding. NOTE: The entries in Buss1 indicate 11 illustrations for the special issue and 10 for the regular. Well, my copy of the regular has eight (8) illustrations and my special has nine (9).
According to Buss1, there were two issues of the special version (p. 155, #BHP-D 107-J & p. 156, BHP-FS-6-A). I assume the first, with the dual imprint of the HC and the Nonesuch Press (as in Wildcat's copy) refers to those copies which were issued to LEC members, as they were not issued with a Sandglass (Buss1, p. 155). My copy is of the second version (Buss1, p. 156) which was issued to HC members with a Sandglass (First Series 6-A) per Buss1. The title page on this issue has no mention of the Nonesuch Press. It reads: New York/THE HERITAGE PRESS/1935.
Binding. Both the regular and the special issues are bound in 1/4 leather over marbled paper on the boards. The special issue appears to be brown calf or a similar smooth skin, whereas the regular issue is bound in brown pigskin and not, as some folks have stated, "faux leather." The blue marbled paper of the special issue appears to be hand-marbled whereas the brown marbling on the regular issues is a printed design. I should also note that the spine of the special issue has several panels blind-stamped into it in addition to the title panel whereas the regular issue has only the title panel.
In Buss2 (p 11), the binding of the regular edition (BHP-FS-6) is described as "French marbled paper over 1/2 pigskin binding," but as noted above, it is 1/4 leather. If it were 1/2 leather, either the corners would be leather covered or the spine leather would extend out to half way across the board. Either way, 1/2 the width of the cover board in total would have leather on it. The same error is repeated for the special issue lower down the page.
This title was re-issued several times subsequently.
2WildcatJF
1) This is great! If you don't mind, Glacierman, I would like to amend my post with your comments.
3Glacierman
By all means, please do!
4Django6924
I have both issues of Manon. The later edition with the pigskin leather quarter binding has Sandglass 3K, which indicates an issue in August, 1946, and states that the sides are covered with a "French marbled paper." I tend to think it is marbled paper and not a printed design. As Glacierman posts, the Sandglass affirms "genuine pigskin." Alas, the pigskin has not held up well at all, compared to the leather on the first, special, edition: the pigskin is cracked and detached from the text block in several places, and as I was reading it during my convalescence (more about that later), one piece at the top fell off. In addition, the paper, "a sparkling white paper made for this book by the Collins manufacturing Company...of rag content...of a better quality than any paper we got in the war years," did not remain sparking white, but has turned beige. The paper in the first edition is still "sparkling white" but since I don't have a Sandglass, I don't know who made that paper. The illustrations in the later edition are poorly reproduced compared to the ones in the first HP edition; the Sandglass makes no reference to who did the reproductions of Brissaud's watercolors in the later edition, but they are very muddy compared to the bright colors in the first HP.
I confess that I had never read Manon before (having been very familiar with the story through the 2 operas) until the last few weeks, when I was recuperating from knee replacement surgery. I decided to do so after watching a video of the Peter Wimsey story "Clouds of Witness," in which copies of Manon provide a valuable clue. I fear that the story itself is one that has the greatest appeal for men who are in the throes of, or have only recently experienced, what the French call l'amour fou, or, as in the title of one of my favorite old films, "Mad Love." I found myself getting so impatient with Des Grieux, that twice I had to put the book down for a day or so before I could continue, with the result that it took me a week to finish what I should have been able to read in a day.
Incidentally, for all completists, the HP includes in an appendix the episode of the Italian prince, which was a later addition by Prévost. It doesn't really add anything essential, and simply piles on another case of the fatal lure Manon has for men--of which cases there are already more than enough in the story.
I confess that I had never read Manon before (having been very familiar with the story through the 2 operas) until the last few weeks, when I was recuperating from knee replacement surgery. I decided to do so after watching a video of the Peter Wimsey story "Clouds of Witness," in which copies of Manon provide a valuable clue. I fear that the story itself is one that has the greatest appeal for men who are in the throes of, or have only recently experienced, what the French call l'amour fou, or, as in the title of one of my favorite old films, "Mad Love." I found myself getting so impatient with Des Grieux, that twice I had to put the book down for a day or so before I could continue, with the result that it took me a week to finish what I should have been able to read in a day.
Incidentally, for all completists, the HP includes in an appendix the episode of the Italian prince, which was a later addition by Prévost. It doesn't really add anything essential, and simply piles on another case of the fatal lure Manon has for men--of which cases there are already more than enough in the story.
5Glacierman
>4 Django6924: Sorry to hear about the poor binding on your later printing of Manon. The pigskin on my regular issue of 1935 has held up marvelously and shows no sign of deterioration. I suspect they used a poorer grade of leather for the re-issues.
Regarding the brown marbled paper on the regulars: Marbled paper designs can be either the result of hand-marbling or of printing. Both the front and back covers of my regular issue are absolutely identical in every detail. This is a sign of a printed design. In contrast, hand marbling yields a unique design on each sheet; no two are exactly alike.
I hope I haven't come across as a know-it-all! It's just that I've examined various marbled papers over time and have researched the methods used to produce them as I use them in my bookbinding (self-taught hand binder).
A note regarding the paper for the 1935 regular editon and something else:
I just purchased a small lot of ephemera regarding the first six HC books from 1935, among which are two copies of the prospectus. The entry for Manon says that the paper was the same as used for the Romeo and Juliet. I can't tell you at this time if the entry for the R&C says what the paper is or who made it as I have yet to receive the lot and have only a photo of the Manon entry provided by the seller to go by. However, note this: the prospectus also says "the binding is of half-leather, the sides covered in a handsome French silk (emphasis mine). This is for the regular edition, not the limited one.
Cheers!
Regarding the brown marbled paper on the regulars: Marbled paper designs can be either the result of hand-marbling or of printing. Both the front and back covers of my regular issue are absolutely identical in every detail. This is a sign of a printed design. In contrast, hand marbling yields a unique design on each sheet; no two are exactly alike.
I hope I haven't come across as a know-it-all! It's just that I've examined various marbled papers over time and have researched the methods used to produce them as I use them in my bookbinding (self-taught hand binder).
A note regarding the paper for the 1935 regular editon and something else:
I just purchased a small lot of ephemera regarding the first six HC books from 1935, among which are two copies of the prospectus. The entry for Manon says that the paper was the same as used for the Romeo and Juliet. I can't tell you at this time if the entry for the R&C says what the paper is or who made it as I have yet to receive the lot and have only a photo of the Manon entry provided by the seller to go by. However, note this: the prospectus also says "the binding is of half-leather, the sides covered in a handsome French silk (emphasis mine). This is for the regular edition, not the limited one.
Cheers!
6Django6924
>5 Glacierman: "The entry for Manon says that the paper was the same as used for the Romeo and Juliet."
Interesting. My Manon, with the Brissaud-signed frontispiece illustration, has genuine marbled paper (a deep blue with flecks of silvers) whereas my HP Romeo and Juliet has paper sides with a patterned design of line profiles of R&J, dagger, castle rook, and flour-de-lys in gilt on a bluish gray paper.
The papers on the front and back of my 1946 Manon are not identical, but you may be correct that it is printed. Against the affirmation in the Sandglass that it is marbled, the only potential sign to me that it is not is that of all the HPs I've owned with marbled paper, this is the only one which feels it has had the beeswax coating that was typical of the 19th century books I have with marbled paper sides.
Interesting. My Manon, with the Brissaud-signed frontispiece illustration, has genuine marbled paper (a deep blue with flecks of silvers) whereas my HP Romeo and Juliet has paper sides with a patterned design of line profiles of R&J, dagger, castle rook, and flour-de-lys in gilt on a bluish gray paper.
The papers on the front and back of my 1946 Manon are not identical, but you may be correct that it is printed. Against the affirmation in the Sandglass that it is marbled, the only potential sign to me that it is not is that of all the HPs I've owned with marbled paper, this is the only one which feels it has had the beeswax coating that was typical of the 19th century books I have with marbled paper sides.
7BuzzBuzzard
The paper for the 1937 Heritage Club R&J is described as "chalk-white in color" and it looks and feels identical to the paper used for the 1935 special R&J. I have both editions. It was manufactured by the Worthy Paper Company.
8WildcatJF
Hi all, I've updated my post with all this information! Thank you! :)
https://georgemacyimagery.wordpress.com/2011/09/24/heritage-press-the-story-of-m...
https://georgemacyimagery.wordpress.com/2011/09/24/heritage-press-the-story-of-m...
9Glacierman
>6 Django6924: Yes, the limited, signed issue is indeed covered with real hand-marbled blue/silver paper. When I get back from vacation, I will post photos of the boards on my regular issue so we can all see what I'm talking about. That will be sometime in the first week or so of November.
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