The Caine Mutiny
Garden City: Doubleday, 1951. First Edition. Basis for the great 1954 film of the same title. A nearly fine copy in a first issue, generally presumed second state, “City Boy”dust jacket, with minor wear and soiling and some short chips and tears. City Boy”dust jacket, which is very good or a little better. This is nearly always incorrectly referred to as a second issue. Clearly, those copies of the jacket mentioning the Pulitzer Prize are later, perhaps more correctly termed later printings rather than later issues, given that they were probably not on first printings of the novel. However, it appears to this cataloguer that the attribution of “The City Boy” as opposed to “City Boy” on the back panel preceding relies on conjecture and supposition, a belief seemingly based on copies noting the Pulitzer Prize dropping “The.” This conclusion is possible, even logical, but hardly definitive. It is useful to keep in mind that publishers had little reason to consider the future concerns of bibliographers. Publishing practice and the demands of commerce do not necessarily follow logic closely. One thing is certain however: these are variants, but what is true is that copies with “The City Boy” are scarcer. A self-serving, but valid bit of advice suggests the wisdom of acquiring both. All books described as first editions are first printings unless otherwise noted.
[Book #1896]
Price: $875.00