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

A59 KING JESUS [1946]

a. First edition:

Collation: [1]8 [2] –[13]16 [14] –[15]8 , 216 leaves.

p.[i] KING | JESUS; p.[ii] blank; p.[iii] list of books by Graves; p.[iv] map of Palestine; p.[v] title-page; p.[vi] copyright and printing notices; pp. vii–viii CONTENTS; p.[1] KING | JESUS; p.[2] quotation from Clement of Alexandria (11 ll.) and Lexicon Talmudicum (8 11.); pp.3–418 text, with pp.[156, 268] being blank and p.[33] an illustration; pp.419–424 HISTORICAL COMMENTARY.

Price: $3.00. Number of copies unknown. Published 30 September 1946 in white dust-jacket printed in yellowish pink and green.

Note: There are variant copies having top edges stained dark green, with bulk: 3.3/ 4.1 cm.

This book has been translated into Czech, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish and Swedish.

A59b. First English edition ([1946]):

Collation: [A]/A*8/8 B/B*–K/K*8/8 L/L*/L**2/8/8, 178 leaves.

p.[1] KING JESUS; p.[2] list of novels by Graves; p.[3] title-page; p.[4] economy, publication and printer’s notices; p. 5 CONTENTS; p.6 quotations from Clement of Alexandria (10 ll.) and Lexicon Talmudicum (7 ll.); pp.7–31 text; p.[32] description of facing plate; [plate, back blank]; pp.33–351 text; pp.352–355 [356] HISTORICAL COMMENTARY; [map, tipped to rear endpaper].

Price: 12s. 6d. Number of copies: 10,152. Published 28 November 1946 in buff dust-jacket printed in black and brown.

Notes: Some copies of the first impression were issued in dust-jackets with “OVERSEAS EDITION” printed in black on the front flap.

Impressions: 2nd and 3rd, February 1960 (6,042 copies); 4th, 28 April 1960 (2,780 copies); 5th, September 1960 (1,492 copies); 6th, June 1962 (2,000 copies); 7th, January 1966, 8th, August 1969 (stated as “Seventh Edition, second impression”). The publisher confirms the discrepancies between these dates and those on versos of title-pages.

Penguin Books published a photographic impression 1 December 2011 in their Modern Classics series. It is bound in paper covers priced £14.99.

A59c. Second American impression ([1955]):

Collation: [1] – [12]16 [13]8 [14]16 216 leaves.

Remainder as A59a.

20.2 × 13.5 cm. Bulk: 3.0/3.7 cm. Paper and endpapers as A59a. Bound in tan cloth stamped in blue; back and front as A59a; spine stamped with rules and legend as A59a without solid boxes; at bottom: FARRAR, | STRAUS AND | CUDAHY

Price: $4.75. Number of copies unknown. Published in 1955 in a white dust-jacket printed in blue.

Note: Further impressions were published under the Farrar, Straus, Giroux imprint. The earlier impressions were offered in hardcover and paper covers: 2nd, 1981 [full cloth and paper covers]; 3rd, 1982; 4th, 1983; 5th, 1984 [quarter cloth and paper covers]; 7th, 1987; 8th, 1988, 8th, 1991; 9th, 1991; 10th, 1991; 11th, 1992; 13th, 1995; 14th, 1996; 15th, 1997; 18th, 2000; 19th, 2001?. There were 30 impressions by 2017.

A59d. Third American impression ([1967]:)

KING | JESUS | By | Robert Graves | MINERVA PRESS

Collation: 216 leaves, glued at spine.

Remainder as A59a.

20.3 × 13.1 cm. Bulk: 2.5 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed. Bound in white paper covers printed in yellow and brown.

Price: $2.50. Number of copies undetermined. Published in 1967.

Note: This is Minerva Press book M10.

A59e. Second American edition [unknown, 1970?]:

[all set flush right:] King Jesus | ROBERT GRAVES | beacon | [publisher’s emblem] | envoy

Collation: 192 leaves, glued at spine.

p.[i] list of works by Graves; p.[ii] map of Palestine; p.[1] title-page; p.[2] copyright, rights reservation, arrangement and publisher’s notices; pp.[3]–[4] CONTENTS; p.[5] KING | JESUS; p.[6] quotations from Clement of Alexandria (12 ll.) and Lexicon Talmudicum (8 ll.); pp.7–377 text; pp.378–382 HISTORICAL COMMENTARY.

18 × 10.6 cm. Bulk: 2.5 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed and stained yellow. Bound in white paper covers printed in yellow, red, blue and black.

Price: $0.75. Number of copies unknown. Publication date unknown.

Notes: This is Envoy book E-101.

In the list of works by Graves on p. [i] the latest is ‘Food For Centaurs,’ 1960, suggesting this book may have been published c. 1960.

A59f. Second English edition ([1983])

KING JESUS | ROBERT GRAVES | HUTCHINSON | London Melbourne Sydney Auckland Johannesburg

Collation: 216 leaves, glued at the spine.

p.[i] KING JESUS | [publisher’s emblem]; p.[ii] map; p.[iii] title-page; p.[iv] publisher’s, copyright, rights reservation, printer’s, BL card and ISBN notices; pp.[v]–vi CONTENTS; p.[1] quotations from Clement of Alexandria (11 ll.) and Lexicon Talmudicum (8 ll.); p.[2] blank; pp.3–418 text, with p. [33] being illustrations and pp.[156, 268] being blank; pp. 419–424 HISTORICAL COMMENTARY; pp.[425]–[426]blank.

21.6 × 13.5 cm. Bulk: 2.2 cm. White wove paper; all edges trimmed. Bound in white paper covers printed in black, red and fawn, with colour photograph of 6th century mosaic of Christ from the Archiepiscopal Chapel in Ravenna on front.

Price: £4.95. Number of copies undetermined. Published 11 April 1983.

Notes: There was a second impression in 1985. Arena, an imprint of Century Hutchinson, published an impression 2 February 1989 in paper covers and priced £4.99.

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