A54 WIFE TO MR. MILTON [1943]

a. First edition:

THE STORY OF MARIE POWELL, | WIFE TO MR. MILTON | by | ROBERT GRAVES | With two half-tone plates | [publisher’s emblem] | CASSELL AND COMPANY LTD. | London, Toronto, Melbourne | and Sydney

Collation: [A]16B–M16, 192 leaves.

p.[i] WIFE TO MR. MILTON; p.[ii] list of novels by Graves; [frontispiece, back blank]; p.[iii] title-page; p.[iv] economy, publication and printer’s notices; p.v CONTENTS; p.vi ILLUSTRATIONS; pp.vii–viii FOREWORD; pp. 1–112 text; [plate, facing 112, back blank]; pp.113–346 text; pp.347–357 EPILOGUE; pp.358–363 APPENDIX; pp.364–372 GLOSSARY; pp.[373]–[374] blank, as rear free endpaper; pp.[375] – [376] blank, as rear pastedown endpaper.

18.4 × 12.0 cm. Bulk: 1.6/1.9 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed. Front endpapers white wove. Bound in tan cloth; front and back blank; spine printed in navy blue; Wife to | Mr. Milton | ROBERT | GRAVES | CASSELL

Price: 10s.6d. Number of copies: 9,420. Published 28 January 1943 in white dust-jacket printed in orange and black. The front flap of the first impression dust-jacket has publisher’s advertisements and price; the back flap has an advertisement for the BBC; the back panel has publisher’s blurbs.

Notes: Impressions: 2nd, January 1943 (2,950 copies); 3rd, June 1949 (3,471 copies). The collation of the 3rd impression is: [A]/A*8/8 B/B*–M/M*8/8. The 3rd impression was priced 8s.6d.

The page numbers appear in brackets; on p.33 the right bracket is reversed, and on p.283 the left bracket is missing.

Some copies were issued in a dust-jacket with ‘OVERSEAS EDITION’ printed on the front flap. The jacket does not bear a printed price.

Cedric Chivers, Portway, Bath, published a facsimile reprints of this book in 1968 and 1985.

This book has been translated into Czech, French, Polish, Russian and Spanish.

A54b. First American edition ([1944]):

[in red-brown:] WIFE | [in red-brown:] TO MR. MILTON | The Story of | MARIE POWELL | by | ROBERT GRAVES | [in red-brown:] [publisher’s emblem] | NEW YORK | CREATIVE AGE PRESS, INC.

Collation: [1]10 [2] – [12]16 [13]8, 192 leaves.

p.[i] WIFE TO MR. MILTON; p.[ii] list of books by Graves; p.[iii] title-page; p.[iv] economy, copyright, designer’s and printer’s notices; pp.v–vi Contents; pp.vii–viii Foreword; p.[1] WIFE TO MR. MILTON; p.[2] blank; pp.3–356 text; pp.357–366 Epilogue; pp.367–372 Appendix; pp.373–380 Glossary.

20.2 × 13.6 cm. Bulk: 2.2/2.9 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed; top edges stained blue. White wove endpapers; inner sides maps. Bound in blue cloth; back blank; front stamped in gold with facsimile signature of Graves; spine stamped in gold: ROBERT GRAVES | [five lines in solid black rectangular box:] | [rule] | WIFE | to | MR. MILTON | [rule] | CREATIVE AGE | PRESS

Price: $2.75. Number of copies unknown, but Seymour-Smith says 20,000 plus. 15,000 copies sold before publication. Reported by Graves in letter to John Graves dated 12 December 1944. Published 22 November 1944 in white dust-jacket printed in pink, blue and black.

Notes: The second impression of this edition can be distinguished by the addition of “SECOND PRINTING” and “ALSO BY GRAVES” with the same list of titles as on p.[ii] following the economy, copyright and other notices on p.[iv]. Its bulk is 2.4/3.1 cm. The dust-jackets of the first and second impressions are identical.

Farrar, Straus and Giroux issued a photographic reprint of this edition in 1979 under its Octagon Books imprint. It was issued without a dust-jacket.

The Book-of-the-Month Club issued a photographic reprint in hardcover with dust-jacket in 1991. Dust-jacket design by Monica Elias. Jacket photographs by Eric Jacobson.

A54b.1. First European edition in English ([1947]):

[decorative rule box enclosing all:] | [frame of four light and one heavy rule enclosing all:] WIFE | TO MR. MILTON | by | ROBERT GRAVES | published by | THE ALBATROSS | MCMXLVII

Collation: [1-6] 7-374 [375-376], 188 leaves.

p. [1] THE ALBATROSS MODERN CONTINENTAL LIBRARY | VOLUME 571 | WIFE TO MR. MILTON; p. [2] list of Graves’s books published by Albatross; p. [3] title-page; p. [4] copyright and printer’s notices; pp. [5-6] FOREWORD; pp. 7-349 text; pp. 350-360 EPILOGUE; pp. 361-366 APPENDIX; pp. 367-374 [375]; p.[376] printer’s notice and publisher’s emblem.

17.9 × 11.4 cm. Bulk: 2.1 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed. Bound in white paper covers printed in magenta and black.

Price: Unknown. Number of copies unknown. Published in 1947 in dust-jacket as covers.

Note: Termed “AUTHORIZED EDITION” on front cover and front panel of dust-jacket. This is volume 571 in the publisher’s Modern Continental Library series.

A54c. Second English edition ([1954]):

ROBERT GRAVES | WIFE TO MR MILTON | The Story of Marie Powell | [star] | PENGUIN BOOKS

Collation: [A]16 B–F16 G–H8 I–O16 208 leaves.

p.[1] PENGUIN BOOKS | 1024 | WIFE TO MR MILTON | ROBERT GRAVES | [publisher’s emblem]; p.[2] map; p.[3] title-page; p.[4] publisher’s printing and printer’s notices; p.[5] CONTENTS; p.[6] blank; pp.[7]–[8] FOREWORD; pp.[9] 10–387 text, with pp.158, 72, 114, 141, 166, 201, 283, 302, 331, 3681 being unnumbered; p.[388] blank; pp.[389] 390–399 EPILOGUE; p.[400] blank; pp.[401] 402–407 APPENDIX; p.[408] blank; pp.[409] 410–415 GLOSSARY; p.[416] blank.

The inner front cover has publisher's blurbs and the inner back cover has advertisements for works by Graves.

18.0×11.0 cm. Bulk: 1.9 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed. Bound in white paper covers printed in orange and black.

Price: 3s.6d. Number of copies: 40,000. Published 27 August 1954.

A54d. Second American issue ([1962]):

WIFE | TO MR. MILTON | The Story of | MARIE POWELL | by | ROBERT GRAVES | [publisher’s emblem] | The Noonday Press, a division of | Farrar, Straus & Cudahy New York

Collation: [1]–[12]l6, 192 leaves.

p.[i] WIFE TO MR. MILTON; p.[ii] blank; p.[iii] title-page; p.[iv] copyright, publication, designer’s and manufacturing notices; pp.v–vi Contents; pp.vii–viii Foreword; pp.3–356 text; pp.357–366 Epilogue; pp.367–372 Appendix; pp.373–378 Glossary.

20.3 × 13.6 cm. Bulk: 3.0 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed. Bound in white paper covers printed in purple, black and red.

This is Noonday N224.

Price: $1.95. Number of copies unknown. Published 20 April 1962. This is Noonday Press book number N224.

Note: Academy Chicago Ltd. issued a photographic reprint of this edition in 1979. Bound in paper covers, the front reproduces Girl Holding a Candle by Georges de La Tour.

Price: $5.95.

A54e. Third English edition (1968):

ROBERT GRAVES | Wife to Mr Milton | THE STORY OF MARIE POWELL | [publisher’s emblem] | PENGUIN BOOKS

Collation: [A]16 B–N16, 208 leaves.

p.[1] PENGUIN BOOKS | 1024 | WIFE TO MR MILTON and blurb; p.[2] map; p.[3] title-page; p.[4] publisher’s, publication, copyright, printer’s and sales limitation notices; p.[5] CONTENTS; p.[6] blank; pp.[7]–8 FOREWORD; pp.[9] 10–408 [409]–[410] text; pp.[411] 412–416 GLOSSARY.

18.0 × 11.0 cm. Bulk: 1.8 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed. Bound in white paper covers printed in orange, blue and black.

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

Notes: Impressions: 2nd , 1984; 3rd, 1985 (copies: 11,000); 4th, 1988 (copies: 4,000). There were at least seven impressions of this book.

This is Penguin Books No. 1024.