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

A55 THE READER OVER YOUR SHOULDER [1943]

a. First edition:

Collation: [A]8 B–2D8 2E7, 223 leaves.

p.[1] THE READER OVER YOUR SHOULDER; p.[2] blank; p.[3] title-page; p.[4] publication, publisher’s, war economy, printer’s, papermaker’s and binder’s notices; pp.5–6 CONTENTS; p.7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; p.[8] To | JENNY NICHOLSON; pp.9–446 text.

Price: 18s. Number of copies: 2,800. Published 17 May 1943 in grey dust-jacket printed in black and blue.

Contents: Part I: The Reader over Your Shoulder: I. The Peculiar Qualities of English – II. The Present Confusion of English Prose – III. Where is Good English to beFound? – IV. Tine Use and Abuse of Official English – V. The Beginnings of English Prose – VI. The Ornate and Plain Styles – VII. Classical Prose – VIII. Romantic Prose – IX. Recent Prose – X. The Principles of Clear Statement I – XI. The Principles of Clear Statement II – XII. The Principles of Clear Statement III – XIII. The Graces of Prose – Part II: Examinations and Fair Copies: Sir Norman Angel – Irving Babbitt – Earl Baldwin of Bewdley – Give Bell – Viscount Castlerosse (now the Earl of Kenmare) – Bishop of Chichester – G.D.H. Cole – Marquess of Crewe – Dr. Hugh Dalton, M.P– Daphne du Maurier – Sir Arthur Eddington – T.S.Eliot – Lord Esher – Admiral C.J. Eyres – Negley Farson – Major-Gen. J.F.C. Fuller – Major-Gen. Sir Charles Gwynn – Viscount Halifax – Cicely Hamilton – ‘Ian Hay’ – Ernest Hemingway – Aldous Huxley – Prof. Julian Huxley – Paul Irwin – Sir James Jeans – Prof. C.E.M. Joad – Senator Hiram Johnson – J.M. Keynes (now Lord Keynes) – Com. Stephen King-Hall – Dr. F.R. Leavis – Cecil Day Lewis – Desmond MacCarthy – Brig.-Gen. J.H. Morgan, K.C. – J. Middleton Murry – Sir Cyril Norwood – ‘Observator’ – An Editor of The Oxford English Dictionary – ‘Peterborough’ – Ezra Pound – J.B. Priestly – D.N. Pritt, K.C, M.P.—Herbert Read – LA. Richards – Bertrand Russell – Viscount Samuel – G.B. Shaw Stephen Spender – J.W.N. Sullivan – Helen Waddell – Sir Hugh Walpole – H.G. Wells – Prof. A. N. Whitehead – Sir Leonard Woolley

Notes: Printed in Great Britain.

A55b. American issue (1943):

Collation: [1] –[28]8, 224 leaves.

p.[1] THE READER OVER YOUR SHOULDER; p.[2] publisher’s device and notice; p.[3] title-page; p.[4] publisher’s device and copyright and first printing and printer’s notices; pp.5–[61 CONTENTS; p.7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; p.[8] To | JENNY NICHOLSON; pp.9–446 text; pp.[447]–[448] blank.

Price: $3.00. Number of copies unknown. Published 16 November 1943 in a grey dust-jacket printed in black and blue. The dust-jacket of the first impression of the American issue has the price of "$3.00" printed horizontally at the top of the front flap.

Notes: Printed in the United States.

There was a second impression in 1944. The date "1944" appears on the title-page. The verso of the title-page states "Second Printing." Bound in a slightly lighter shade of grey-green cloth than the first impression. Bulk: 2.7/3.4 cm.

There was a third impression in 1944. The date "1944" appears on the title-page. The verso of the title-page states "Third Printing."

Bulk: 2.0/2.7 cm. Bound in sea green cloth. The dust-jacket bears a printed price of $3.00 at the bottom of the front flap.

There was a fourth impression in 1944. The date "1944" appears on the title-page. The verso of the title-page states "Fourth Printing."

Bulk: 2.0/2.7 cm. Bound in grey-green cloth. The dust-jacket bears a printed price of $3.00 at the bottom of the front flap.

Reference: Mason/1988, p. 6.

A55c. Readers Union impression (1944):

Collation: [A]/A*8/8 B/B* O/O*8/8, 224 leaves.

Remainder as A55a except p.[4] has war economy, printer’s and Readers Union notices and pp.[447] – [448] blank.

Price: 7s.6d. Number of copies: 5,000. Published in July 1944.

Note: In a letter from Graves (now at Trinity College, Dublin) to his brother, John Graves dated 28 July 1943, Graves states 5,000 copies were printed.

A55d. Abridged impression ([1947]):

Title-page as A55a.

Collation: [A]8 B–O8, 112 leaves.

Remainder as A55a, except that p.[4] has publication, printer’s and binder’s notices, p.[6] is blank, pp.9–221 are text and pp.[222] –[224] are blank.

Price: 10s.6d. Number of copies: 3,000. Published 19 May 1947 in tan dust-jacket printed in black and red.

Notes: Impressions: 2nd, October 1947 [but p. [4] has “REPRINTED 1948”, (2,000 copies); 3rd, October 1948 [one copy seen with “REPRINTED 1948” and another: “REPRINTED 1949”, (2,000 copies); 4th, April 1952 (2,000 copies). 5th , 1955, 6th , 1963.

Contents: Part I: The Reader over Your Shoulder: I. The Peculiar Qualities of English – II. The Present Confusion of English Prose – III. Where is Good English to be Found? – IV. The Use and Abuse of Official English – V. The Principles of Clear Statment, I – VI. The Principles of Clear Statement, II – VII. The Principles of Clear Statement, III – VIII. The Graces of Prose – Part II: Examinations and Fair Copies: Sir Norman Angcll – Viscount Castlerossc (later the Earl of Kenmare) –Bishop of Chichester – T.S. Eliot – Major-Gen. J.F.C. Fuller – Earl Halifax – Sir James Jeans – J.M. Keynes (later Lord Keynes) – Sir Cyril Norwood – J.B. Priestly – D.N. Pritt, K.C., M.P.– I.A. Richards – Bertrand Russell – G. B. Shaw – H.G. Wells – Prof. A.N. Whitehead – Sir Leonard Woolley

A55e. Second American impression (1961):

Title-page as A55b, except date is 1961.

Collation as A55b.

Remainder as A55b except p.[2] is blank, p.[4] lacks the publisher’s emblem and adds a statement of edition and pp.[5] and [7] are unnumbered.

21.0 × 13.7 cm. Bulk: 2.6 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed. Bound in white paper covers printed in black, yellow and dull mustard.

Price: $2.25. Number of copies unknown. Published 27 March 1961.

Contents: As A55a.

Notes: There was a second impression in 1964 priced $2.95.

This is number 47 in the Macmillan Paperbacks series.

A55f. Second English edition ([1962]):

Collation: [A]16 B–G16 [H]l6 128 leaves.

p.[1] title and blurbs; p.[2] title and publication, copyright, permission, publisher’s and printer’s notices; p.[3] title-page; p.[4] blank; pp.5–256 text.

18.0 × 11.3 cm. Bulk: 1.6 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed. Bound in white paper covers printed in black, green and yellow.

Price: 3s.6d. Number of copies unknown. Published 4 May 1962.

Contents: As A55d.

A55g. Third English edition ([1965]):

Collation: [A]8 B–O8 [P]6, 118 leaves.

p.[1] [vase with fruit] | JONATHAN CAPE | PAPERBACK | JCP 27 | THE READER OVER YOUR SHOULDER; p.[2] blank; p.[3] title-page; p.[4] publication, sales limitation and printer’s notices; p.5 CONTENTS; p.[6] blank; p.7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; p.[8] To | JENNY NICHOLSON; pp.9-221 text; pp.[222] – [224] blank; pp.[225] –[236] publisher’s advertisements.

19.6 × 12.4 cm. Bulk: 1.7 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed. Bound in white paper covers printed in blue, red, purple and black.

Price: 10s.6d. Number of copies: 4,000. Published 25 January 1965.

Contents: As A55d.

Notes: The cover is designed by Jan Pinekowski.

There was a second impression in 1967 (3,500 copies).

Copies for sale in Canada have affixed to front cover at upper right a circular label printed in gold and lettered in black which reads: “PUBLISHED BY | CLARKE IRWIN”.

A55h. Third American impression (1966):

[13 ll. as A55b, then:] COLLIER BOOKS, NEW YORK

Collation: As A55b.

p.[1] THE READER OVER YOUR SHOULDER; p.[2] blank; p.[3] title-page; p.[4] copyright, rights reservation and printing notices; pp.[5]–[6]; CONTENTS; p.[7] ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; p.[8] To | JENNY NICHOLSON; pp.9–446 text; pp.[447]–[448] blank.

13.5 × 10.3 cm. Bulk: 2.9 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed. Bound in white paper covers printed in green, blue and red.

Price: $2.95. Number of copies unknown. Published in 1966.

Contents: As A55a.

Note: There was a second impression in 1967.

A55i. Fourth American edition [1979]:

Collation: [ 1 ] – [7]16 [8]8 [9] – [10]16 , 152 leaves.

p.[i] [short rule] | THE | READER | OVER YOUR | SHOULDER | [short rule]; p.[ii] blank; p.[iii] title-page; p.[iv] rights reservations, copyright, LC card and printing notices; p.[v] CONTENTS; p.[vi] blank; p.[vii] Acknowledgements; p.[viii] blank; p.[ix] To | Jenny Nicholson; p.[x] blank; p.[1] section title; p.[2] blank; pp.[3]4–290 text, with pp.[17, 31, 46, 66, 88, 111, 142, 175] being unnumbered, p.[173] an unnumbered section title and p.[174] blank; p.[291] biographical notes; pp.[292] – [294] blank.

20.9 × 13.8 cm. Bulk: 2.2/2.8 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed. White wove endpapers. Bound in black cloth; front and back blank; spine stamped in gold: [top to bottom, facing back, in two lines:] THE READER OVER YOUR SHOULDER | Graves & Hodge | [upright at foot:] [publisher’s emblem] | RANDOM | HOUSE

Price: $9.95. Number of copies undetermined. Published 30 April 1979 in white dust-jacket printed in maroon, dull gold and black.

Notes: This edition was simultaneously issued in paperback as Vintage Books V-936 at $3.95 in white paper covers printed in maroon, dull gold and black, as in the dust-jacket of the cloth issue.

There was a book club “issue” bound as the first impression, but with a small blind-stamped square on the back cover at lower right near spine. The dust-jacket is as described above except that it does not bear a printed price.

Photographic reprints were reissued as ‘The Use and Abuse of the English Language’ by Paragon House, New York, 1990 and by Marlowe & Company, New York in 1995.

Contents: As A55d.

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