First edition, first impression of Golding's debut novel, in the original first-issue dust jacket
Publisher and Year: London: Faber and Faber Ltd., 1954
Edition: First edition, first impression, with the copyright page stating "First published in mcmliv" and lacking a statement of reprint, as called for. Original first-issue dust jacket, with the front flap bearing a summary of the novel and the rear flap containing review blurbs for Christ Recrucified (the contents of both flaps were changed to review blurbs for Lord of the Flies in the second impression); price-clipped but entirely unrestored. One of just 3,000 copies.
Condition and Description: Octavo, red cloth lettered in white, 248 pp. A fresh copy, with minimal shelf-wear; and a small, raised blemish to the spine (close-up in final photo). Tight hinges and binding. Partially erased pencil to the front free endpaper. Clean and bright pages. A splendid example of the dust jacket, with just light toning to the spine, small losses to the spine ends and tips, and a small stain to the rear panel. Scarce in this condition.
“Maybe there is a beast… maybe it's only us.”
Lord of the Flies turns a schoolboy adventure into a dark meditation on the fragility of social order. Golding struggled to place the manuscript with a publisher, and when it was finally printed, early sales were modest. The novel’s stature grew through early academic and critical advocacy, including support from E. M. Forster, before it entered wide circulation and became one of the most read and debated novels of the twentieth century. As its reputation expanded, so did efforts to challenge and ban it, with its violence and bleak view of human nature making it a frequent target of censorship. Despite this resistance, the novel is firmly canonized, appearing on the Modern Library’s list of the best English-language novels of the century, TIME’s All-Time 100 Novels, and The Guardian’s 100 best novels written in English.
Inventory ID: 776 - 249 - 921
First edition, first impression of Golding's debut novel, in the original first-issue dust jacket
Publisher and Year: London: Faber and Faber Ltd., 1954
Edition: First edition, first impression, with the copyright page stating "First published in mcmliv" and lacking a statement of reprint, as called for. Original first-issue dust jacket, with the front flap bearing a summary of the novel and the rear flap containing review blurbs for Christ Recrucified (the contents of both flaps were changed to review blurbs for Lord of the Flies in the second impression); price-clipped but entirely unrestored. One of just 3,000 copies.
Condition and Description: Octavo, red cloth lettered in white, 248 pp. A fresh copy, with minimal shelf-wear; and a small, raised blemish to the spine (close-up in final photo). Tight hinges and binding. Partially erased pencil to the front free endpaper. Clean and bright pages. A splendid example of the dust jacket, with just light toning to the spine, small losses to the spine ends and tips, and a small stain to the rear panel. Scarce in this condition.
“Maybe there is a beast… maybe it's only us.”
Lord of the Flies turns a schoolboy adventure into a dark meditation on the fragility of social order. Golding struggled to place the manuscript with a publisher, and when it was finally printed, early sales were modest. The novel’s stature grew through early academic and critical advocacy, including support from E. M. Forster, before it entered wide circulation and became one of the most read and debated novels of the twentieth century. As its reputation expanded, so did efforts to challenge and ban it, with its violence and bleak view of human nature making it a frequent target of censorship. Despite this resistance, the novel is firmly canonized, appearing on the Modern Library’s list of the best English-language novels of the century, TIME’s All-Time 100 Novels, and The Guardian’s 100 best novels written in English.
Inventory ID: 776 - 249 - 921
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