A30 MRS FISHER 1928
a. First edition:
MRS FISHER | OR | THE FUTURE OF HUMOUR | BY | ROBERT GRAVES | Author of “Lars Porsena, or the Future of | Swearing”, etc. | LONDON | KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUBNER & CO., LTD. | New York: E. P. Dutton & Co. | 1928
Collation: [B]8 C–G8, 48 leaves, plus 12 leaves publisher’s advertisements.
p.[1] MRS FISHER | OR | THE FUTURE OF HUMOUR; p.[2] series advertisements; p.[3] title-page; p.[4] quotation (6 ll.) from Skelton and printer’s notice; pp.5–95 text; p.[96] blank; pp. [1] 2–24 publisher’s advertisements.
15.8 × 10.8 cm. Bulk:1.1/1.5cm. White laid paper; all edges trimmed. White wove endpapers. Bound in plum boards; back blank; front has white paper label: [rectangular heavy rule box enclosing all:] | [rectangular light rule box enclosing all:] | MRS FISHER | OR | THE FUTURE OF HUMOUR | ROBERT GRAVES; spine has white label: [heavy rule] | [light rule] | MRS | FISHER | GRAVES | [light rule] | Kegan Paul | [heavy rule]
Price: 2s. 6d. Number of copies undetermined. Published 25 October 1928 in white dust-jacket printed in black. The jacket of the first impression has on the front panel publisher’s blurbs in 16 lines and on the back panel Mrs Fisher is listed three up from the bottom.
Notes: In the first impression, first state advertisements, Mrs Fisher is the first book listed on p. 24 of the terminal advertisements under the heading NEARLY READY.
I have examined a copy of A30a with later terminal advertisements, being 10 leaves numbered: pp. [1]-3 text; p. [4] blank; pp. 5-20 text. Here, A30a is listed at the bottom of p. 11 under the heading VOLUMES READY.
A second impression (November 1928), bound as above, differs in that the quotation from Skelton appears on the title-page between ll. 7 and 8 of the above; p.[4] has publication data and printer’s notice. Issued in white dust-jacket printed in black, the front panel has six quotations from reviews and at bottom: SECOND IMPRESSION | [rule]
Photographic facsimile reprints of A30: Folcroft Library Editions, 1969, 1974; Haskell House, 1971, 1974; Norwood Editions, 1975, 1976; Richard West, 1977.
A30b. Second American impression (1928):
MRS FISHER | OR | THE FUTURE OF HUMOUR | BY | ROBERT GRAVES | Author of “Lars Porsena, or the Future of | Swearing”, etc. | [6 ll. quotation from Skelton] | [remainder as A30a]
Collation: As A30, without publisher’s advertisements. pp.[1]–[3] as A30a; p.[4] publisher’s and printer’s notices; pp. 5–[96] as A30a.
15.2 × 10.7 cm. Bulk: 1.0/1.5 cm. White laid paper; all edges trimmed. White wove endpapers. Bound in apple-green cloth; back blank; front has white paper label printed in black: Mrs Fisher | or | THE FUTURE OF | HUMOUR | By | ROBERTGRAVES | Author of “Lars Porsena, or the Future of | Swearing”, etc. Spine has white paper label printed in black: MRS | FISHER | [rule] | Graves
Price: $1.00. Number of copies unknown. Published in November 1928 in white dust-jacket printed in black and green. The front and back flaps have reviews of American commentators.