A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. London: Egoist press, 1917 (actually issued in 1918). First English Edition, English Sheets. Pp, 299. Publisher’s green buckram, title blind stamped on upper cover, and along spine. Light shelf-wear to covers & dulling to spine (light wear to head), usual age-toning to contents; but overall a very good copy.

The first true English edition.

Joyce’s first novel was published in America by Huebsch from whom Harriet Shaw Weaver – the proprietor of the Egoist Press – purchased ‘not more than 750’ sets of sheets issuing an English edition, American sheets in 1917. She had done so because English printers had been too timid to print the book in that year. The English sheets edition (published 1918) is printed on thin paper and is distinguished easily from the American sheets edition which, being printed on thicker paper, is stouter in appearance.

[Slocum & Cahoon 13]