Outer Dark, first edition, used as advance copy for the first English edition
Random House, New York, 1968
First edition, only Random House printing with “First Printing” on the copyright page. Hardcover, 21 x 14,5 cm., 242 numbered pages. Publisher’s grey paper covered and turquoise cloth board, lettered in grey in black box on front cover and in silver, metallic blue and turquoise (in black box) on the spine. Dark grey dustjacket by Muriel Nasser, lettered in white, green and orange with a price of “$4.95” and a code “9/68” on the front flap. André Deutsch Ltd stamp on the first blank stating “Advance American Copy / Probable Pub. Date Aug’ 70 / Approx. price 35 shillings” and the publisher’s Great Russell Street address.
CONDITION: about very good book in a very good dustjacket.
PROVENANCE: the book came from the collection of Victor Ross (1920-2021), chairman of Reader’s Digest and a keen collector of modern American literature. Purchased from Burwood Books, Suffolk, England, in 2023.
One of a few copies obtained by Deutsch from Random House and used as advance reading copies instead of self produced proofs. This was apparently a common practice among English publishers in an era of shortage and high cost of paper. For another example see the letter by Susan Daniell of the Subsidiary Rights Department at Chatto & Windus to Jim Silverman at Random House dated 16 May 1974. Chatto had purchased rights to Child of God for the United Kingdom and Daniell requests “twelve copies of your edition for our promotion and publicity purposes” (Chatto).
COLLECTING TOPICS: copies such as these are obviously rare, this being the only one I have come across. Rare Book Hub doesn’t list copies at auction.
FORGERIES: Deutsch apparently didn’t issue proofs or advance reader’s copies for this title. One proof copy was in the Murray collection, though, and sold at first in the Fonsie Mealy December 10, 2019 auction and later at the Forum UK auction on November 30, 2023 along with a Child of God English proof copy with the same provenance. The auction house catalog describes them as “rare, we can trace no other examples on the market”. That’s good because, even if they sold for £1,440, both of them are forgeries traded by Stephen Pastore in 2013.
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