Ulysses

After being serialized in an American literary magazine over several years, James Joyce’s modernist take on the Odyssey was first published in Paris in 1922. For years, as it was subjected to obscenity trials, it was often labeled as the most dangerous book in the Western canon and was banned in several countries, including the United States until 1924. Now it is one of the major works in world literature. Joyce’s stream-of-consciousness novel follows one Leopold Bloom on June 16, 1904 as he makes his way around Dublin, engaging in his everyday life. This 1924 edition is the fifth printing of the book, and of course we are curious as to how it originally made its way to America.

Condition and treatment: This is a half leather binding with marbled paper boards, dating to the early 20^th century. The textblock paper has discolored from beige to dark brown and is extremely brittle. The first few pages of the textblock are beginning to crumble at the fore edge and are in need of repair. The cover has separated from the textblock at the front of the binding and the leather spine label is detaching. Conservation staff will reline the textblock spine to improve handling, repair the textblock leaves, and reattach the cover. The leather spine label will be stabilized and a polyethylene jacket added for protection. The binding will be housed in a cloth covered clamshell with an integrated cradle.