Stein, Gertrude ~ Three Lives : With The Scarce Enid Marx Wrapper

The Pushkin Press, London: 1945

The First UK printing of this new edition published by The Pushkin Press, London in 1945. Crown 8vo., dark red publisher's cloth, lettered in gilt to the spine with publisher's device to foot; together in the attractive unclipped red and white wrapper ('8/6 net' to front flap) designed by Enid Marx; The BOOK is in exceptional near-fine condition, printed on wartime economy paper, with just one small bump to the foot of the spine and just very slightly cracked at the front paste-down gutter; The WRAPPER a little rubbed and creased along the folds of backstrip, but otherwise similarly in near-Fine, exceptional condition. The wrapper is protected in a removable Brodart archival cover. This new edition, was published in 1945, almost twenty years after the first John Rodker edition in 1927. This copy features the striking wrapper by Enid Marx. A collection of three interconnected stories involving women living in Bridgepoint, a fictional town based on Baltimore in the USA. Stein came from privilege, but was surrounded by women who were entrapped within the confines of poverty or class, and therefore these stories are an attempt by her to shine a light on working-class women in America during the early part of the 20th century. Both humorous and challenging, the stories involve themes of immigration, women's suffrage and modern art - with each of the three tales based on different painter's styles. Stein had already begun to build her famous art collection with her brother at the time of writing, and in 1904 Leo Stein had just purchased Paul Cézanne's painting of Madame Cézanne, which was hanging above Gertrude's desk at the time of her writing. Composed between 1905 and 1906, the proofs were compiled into book form by the author's partner, Alice B. Toklas. Originally struggling to find a publisher because of their curious format, 'Three Lives' is now one of the most widely-studied of Stein's works. Extremely scarce to find this edition in such exceptional condition.

BINDING: Hardcover
CONDITION: Near Fine
JACKET: Near Fine