SECTION A: Books written, co-written or translated by Robert Graves

A47 COUNT BELISARIUS [1938]

a. First edition:

Collation: [A]8B–2L8, 272 leaves.

p.[i] COUNT BELISARIUS; pp.[ii]–[iii] blank; p.[iv] map; p. [v] title-page; p.[vi] arrangement, publication and printer’s notices; pp.vii–ix FOREWORD; p.[x] CONTENTS; pp. 1–526 [527] text; p.[528] publisher’s advertisement; p.[529] map; p.[530] blank; p.[531] map; p.[532] blank; pp.[533] – [534] maps.

21.1 × 13.8 cm. Bulk: 2.9/3.6 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed; top edges stained reddish brown. White wove endpapers. Bound in dark blue-green cloth; front and back blank; spine stamped in gold: COUNT | BELISARIUS | [medallion] | ROBERT GRAVES | [medallion] | CASSELL

Price: 8s.6d. Number of copies: 16,000. Published 4 April 1938 in white dust-jacket printed in blue, red-brown, purple, green and black.

Notes: Impressions: 2nd, October 1939 [but dated 1938] (5s.); 3rd, May 1948 [but dated 1947] (12s.6d.) (2,813 copies).

Some copies of the first impression were furnished in a white paper wrap-around band printed in green. It reads on the front in white letters showing through: THE CHOICE OF | THE BOOK SOCIETY; on the spine in green letters: The Choice | of The | BOOK | SOCIETY | CASSELL

The first impression also exists in a brown cloth ‘Colonial’ binding, of which there were 4,000 copies, making a total of 20,000 copies of the first impression. Copies bound in ‘Colonial’ brown cloth are seen in the domestic dust-jacket bearing a price of 8s.6d. Other copies so bound were issued in a jacket without a printed price, but with “COLONIAL EDITION” printed at the bottom of front flap. A copy in the domestic binding has been seen in a price-clipped domestic jacket rubber-stamped in black ink OVERSEAS | EDITION

The dust-jacket design is by John Aldridge; the maps are by Richard Cribb.

The dust-jacket of the first impression bears a price of 8s. 6d. and has publisher’s advertisements on the front and back flaps; the back panel reads: COUNT BELISARIUS | [four paragraphs of blurbs] | ROBERT GRAVES | Author of | I, CLAUDIUS and CLAUDIUS THE GOD

This work has been translated into Bulgarian, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Persian, Polish, Portugese, Romanian, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish and Swedish.

A47b. First American edition ([1938]):

Collation: [1] – [36]8, 288 leaves.

p.[i] [in decorative box:] COUNT BELISARIUS; p.[ii] list of works by Graves; p.[iii] title-page; p.[iv] printing and publisher’s notices; pp.v–viii FOREWORD; p.[ix] CONTENTS; p. [x] blank; p.[xi] LIST OF MAPS; p.[xii] blank; p.[1] [in decorative box] COUNT BELISARIUS; p.[2] map; pp.3–92 text; p. [93] map; pp.94–114 text; p.[115] map; pp. 116–228 text; p. [229] map; pp.230–312 text; p.[313] map; pp.314–564 text.

Price: $3.00. Number of copies undisclosed. Published 21 November 1938 in white dust-jacket printed in black, pink, blue, brown and green with summary of the book on the back.

Notes: I have examined a copy of the first impression with plain top edges.

There are advance copies consisting of gathered and trimmed signatures with the dust-jacket glued at the spine, serving as covers. Top edges plain.

There was a second impression of this edition. It can be distinguished by the words “SECOND PRINTING” on the verso of the title-page (the first printing had “FIRST PRINTING” in its place) and by its slightly smaller page measurements (21.1 × 14.3cm.).

In 1982, Farrar, Straus and Giroux issued a photographic reprint in brown cloth stamped in black on the spine and a paperback of this edition in 1982, with a 2nd impression in 1983; except that p.[ii] is blank and that pp.[iii]–[vi] are reset it is identical in contents and format, though slightly reduced in physical size. This is book number N714 in the FSG paperback series.

There was a Book-of-theMonth Club impression in 1991, bound in black paper-covered boards with black cloth spine stamped in gold.

A47c. Literary Guild impression ([1938]):

Robert Graves | COUNT BELISARIUS | [medallion] | LITERARY GUILD · NEW YORK

Collation: [1] – [18]l6, 288 leaves.

Remainder as A47b, except p.[ii] is blank.

21.3 × 14.1 cm. Bulk: 3.5/4.2 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed; top edges stained rust. Buff wove endpapers. Bound in rust cloth; front and back blank; spine stamped in gold as A47b, except solid black box is solid cream.

Price: $2.00. Number of copies; 60,000. Published in December 1938 in dust-jacket as A47b, with the Literary Guild’s advertisements replacing book summary.

Note: There is a variant binding as above, except without solid cream box.

A47c.1. First European edition in English ([1939]):

Collation: [1-6] 7-425 [426-432], 216 leaves.

p. [1] THE ALBATROSS | MODERN CONTINENTAL LIBRARY | VOLUME 393 | [star] | COUNT BELISARIUS; p. [2] publisher’s advertisements; p. [3] title-page; p. [4] publisher’s, printer’s and copyright notices; p. [5] CONTENTS; p. [6] blank; pp. 7-8 FOREWORD; pp. 9-425 [426] text; p. [427] blank; p. [428] printer’s notice; pp. [429] –[432] publisher’s advertisements.

18.0 × 11.0 cm. Bulk: 2.5 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed. Bound in white paper covers printed in yellow and black.

Price: Unknown. Number of copies unknown. Published c. January1939 in white dust-jacket printed in yellow and black.

Note: The publisher also produced 12 special copies for the author, bound in half leather and furnished in cardboard slipcases covered in marbled paper.

Reference: Higginson, Appendix II, p. 298.

A47d. Second English edition ([1955]):

COUNT | BELISARIUS | BY ROBERT GRAVES | [star] | PENGUIN BOOKS

Collation: [A]16 B–F16 G24 H–N16, 216 leaves.

p.[1] PENGUIN BOOKS | 1025 | COUNT BELISARIUS | ROBERT GRAVES | [publisher’s emblem]; p.[2] blank; p. [3] title-page; p.[4] publisher’s, publication and printer’s notices; p.[5] CONTENTS; p.[6] blank; pp.[7]–8 FOREWORD; pp.[9] 10–421 text, with pp. [29, 46, 61, 76, 92, 108, 124, 142, 161, 179, 197, 215, 229, 245, 265, 284, 304, 318, 340, 356, 371, 388, 406] unnumbered; pp. [422]–[426] maps; p.[427] publisher’s announcement; p.[428] blank; pp.[429]–[432] publisher’s advertisements.

18.0 × 11.0 cm. Bulk: 2.1 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed. Bound in white paper covers printed in black and orange; inside front cover: blurb; inside back cover: publisher’s advertisements.

Price: 3s.6d. Number of copies: 40,000. Published 24 March 1955.

Note: This is Penguin Books number 1025.

A47e. Third English edition ([1962]):

Count Belisarius | ROBERT GRAVES | [publisher’s emblem] | CASSELL · LONDON

Collation: [1]–[33]8 [34]6, 270 leaves.

p.[i] COUNT BELISARIUS and blurb; p.[ii] list of novels by Graves; p.[iii] blank; p.[iv] map; p.(v] title-page; p.[vi] publisher’s, rights reservation, edition and printing notices; pp.l–[534] as A47a.

Price: 18s. Number of copies: 4,000. Published 11 January 1962 in dust-jacket as A47a.

Note: This book is a line-for-line, page-for-page resetting of A47a; printed in Czechoslovakia.

A47f. Second American edition ([1966]):

[entire flush right:] COUNT BELISARIUS | ROBERT GRAVES | [publisher’s emblem] | PYRAMID BOOKS ∙ NEW YORK

Collation: 208 leaves, glued at spine.

p.[1] blurb; p.[2] blank; p.[3] title-page; p.[4] title and arrangement, edition, copyright, rights reservations, printing and publishing notices; pp.5–7 FOREWORD; pp.[8]–[12] maps; pp. 13–415 text; p.[416] publisher’s advertisements.

18.0 × 10.6 cm. Bulk: 1.8 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed and stained orange. Bound in paper covers printed in black, gold and red with a mottled grey background.

Price: $0.85. Number of copies undetermined. Published 15 February 1966.

Note: This is Pyramid Book S-1288.

A47g. Fourth English edition ([1968]):

Collation: [A]16 B–F16 G–I8 K–P16, 216 leaves.

p.[1] PENGUIN BOOKS | 1025 | COUNT BELISARIUS and biographical note; p.[2] blank; p.[3] title-page; p.[4] publisher’s, publication, printer’s and rights limitation notices; p.[5] CONTENTS; p.[6] blank; pp.[7] 8–421 text, with pp.[9, 29, 46, 61, 76, 92,108,124,142,161,179,197, 215, 229, 245, 265, 284, 304, 318, 340, 356, 371, 388, 406] unnumbered; pp. [422]–[426] maps; p.[427] publisher’s advertisements; p.[428] blank; pp.[429] –[432] publisher’s advertisements.

18.0 × 11.0 cm. Bulk: 1.5 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed. Bound in white paper covers printed in black, brown and orange.

Price: 35p/7s. Number of copies unknown. Published in 1968.

Note: Impressions: 2nd, 1975; 3rd, 1977; 4th, 1978; 5th, 1980; 6th, 1983; 7th, 1986. There were at least 15 impressions of A47f, later dates unknown.

A47g was reissued in 2006 in the Penguin Modern Classics series with an introduction by John Julius Norwich. Published 3 August 2006 at £10.99. There were 11 impressions up to 2017.

A47h. Fifth English edition (1970):

Count Belisarius | ROBERT GRAVES | [publisher’s emblem] | CASSELL · LONDON

Collation: [A]8 B–2L8, 272 leaves.

p.[i] COUNT BELISARIUS and blurb; p.[ii] list of historical novels by Graves; p.[iii] blank; p.[iv] map; p.[v] title-page; p.[vi] publisher’s, copyright, rights reservations, SBN and printer’s notices; pp 1–526 [527] text; p.[528] blank; p.[529] map; p.[530] blank; p.[531] map; p.[532] blank; p.[533] map; p.[534] map; pp.[535]–[538]blank.

19.6 × 12.9 cm. Bulk: 3.8/4.3 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed. White wove endpapers. Bound in light brown cloth, front and back blank; spine stamped in gold; top to bottom: Count Belisarius [horizontal rule] ROBERT GRAVES [horizontal rule] CASSELL

Price: 35s./ £1.75. Number of copies unknown. Published March 1970 in a white dust-jacket printed in dark orange, yellow and black.

Notes: This is a photographically reduced replating of A47a with the Foreword and Contents removed.

The dust-jacket was designed by Ken Green.

A47i. Sixth English edition (2010):

Collation: [i-xx], 1-445 [446-452], 236 leaves.

p.[i] Count Belisarius; p. [ii] blank; [plate, back blank, facing title-page]; p. [iii] title-page;p. [iv] publisher’s, edition, copyright, credit for maps; printer’s and binder’s notices; p.v Contents; p. vi blank; pp. vii-viii Illustrations; pp. ix-xv Introduction; p. [xvi] blank; pp. xvii-xviii Foreword to the Original Edition; p. [xix] Count Belisarius; p. [xx] blank; pp. 1-445 text; p. 446 blank; p. [447] Maps; pp. [448]-[449] map of The World in AD 527; p. [450] map of The Eastern Frontier; p.[451] map of Italy and Africa, p, [452] blank; llustrations face pp. 28, 45, 92, 109, 124, 172, 253, 349, 364, 397, 412, 428.

24.5 × 15.6 cm. Bulk: 3.5/4.0 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed. Black wove endpapers.Bound in paper-covered boards with drawing of Belisarius in cream, orange and black on front and back covers; black buckram spine stamped in gold: ROBERT | GRAVES | [top to bottom, facing back, in two lines in wiggly letters:] Count | Belisarius | [upright, at foot of spine:] FOLIO | SOCIETY

Price: £36.95. Number of copies unknown. Published December 2010 in in cardboard slipcase cover in back paper.

Note: The introduction is by Lindsey Davis. Illustrated by David Hughes.

A new American edition of ‘Count Belisarius’ is to be published August 2021 by Seven Stories Press.

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