Between the Covers

There are three issues of the first edition of Ulysses, Paris (1922). A family of four could live for a year simply on what a copy of the issue of 750 copies would cost. They could live well on the issue of 150 copies printed on Verge d'Arches paper, and down right opulently on what it might cost for the issue of 100 printed on Dutch handmade paper that was signed by Joyce. The first edition of The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) was published in the U.S., a year before the UK edition, and in dustjacket would probably only buy you a mid-sized sedan. Dubliners (1914, UK precedes the 1916 U.S. edition), would get you a luxury model in jacket (the book, not the car). There are a couple of broadsides and pamphlets that might cost you a body part. The short version of this collecting tip is don't collect Joyce in first editions unless you have deep pockets or extra body parts. However, if you must buy Joyce, you can get a signed copy of Anna Livia Plurabelle, (1928), one of 800 copies of the regular edition, for a (relatively) modest amount.

Email us to request a printed copy of our catalog of James Joyce Rare Books and First Editions (or download it via the link as a 4.59 MB pdf file).

We also offer a comprehensive James Joyce Bibliography and Price Guide.more