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The New York Public Library Collector's Editions
The New York Public Library Collector's Editions is a series of favorite
masterpieces of world literature featuring rare and beautiful materials
from the Library's collections. An elegant, distinctive design -- foil-trimmed
covers with matching endpapers; compact, easy-to-hold size; and modern,
readable type -- makes the books perfect gifts or collector's items.
Most remarkable, though, are the illustrations, drawn from
the Library's collections, which ordinarily are accessible only by special
request. The editions include reproductions of handwritten diaries,
letters, and notebooks, as well as a wide range of original art, photographs,
drawings, and portraits that evoke the world of the writer and enhance
the pleasure of reading great literature.
Each book includes a biography of the author, a short essay
about the images and artifacts from the Library used to illustrate
the text, and suggestions for further reading.
Published by Doubleday, the Collector's Editions are available in
The Library Shops, in bookstores nationwide, and through the Literary
Guild. All royalty earnings contribute to the support of the Library.
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O Pioneers! and Other Tales of
the Prairie
by Willa Cather
Although Willa Cather lived most of her adult life in New York City, she
never forgot or stopped loving the "sea of grass"--the open, untamed country
of her youth. Gathered together in this unique collection are the novel
O Pioneers!--Cather's famous elegy to the land and to the pioneer
spirit--and two of her greatest shorter works, A Lost Lady and
"The Bohemian Girl." An evocative celebration of Cather's life and work,
this special Collector's Edition is illustrated with portraits of Cather
and a selection of photographs and drawings that capture the grandeur
of the Western frontier.
425 pages, 5 1/4 X 7 1/4, ISBN 0-385-48720-7, $18.95
Published by Doubleday
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Frankenstein
by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Here, in a handsome and lavishly illustrated new edition, is Mary Shelley's
masterpiece of gothic horror. Featuring literature's most memorable and
poignant fiend, Frankenstein still possesses, in the words of literary
critic Ellen Moers, "the power to curdle the blood and quicken the beatings
of the heart." This classic tale about science's dangerous ambition to
unlock the mysteries of life speaks profoundly to the question of what
it means to be human. This special edition is enhanced with portraits
of the author and members of her circle, evocative contemporary illustrations
of Frankenstein's monster, and letters and manuscript pages in Mary Shelley's
own hand. Rare illustrations from books mentioned in Frankenstein
paint the Romantic literary scene as Mary Shelley saw it.
316 pages, 5 1/4 X 7 1/4, ISBN 0-385-48732-0, $18.95
Published by Doubleday
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Women in Love
by D. H. Lawrence
One of the greatest of twentieth-century novelists and poets, D. H. Lawrence
wrote and lived with a passionate intensity that shocked his contemporaries.
Lawrence composed Women in Love while at the height of his powers,
and indeed, in its blend of lyricism, psychological revelation, and an
eroticism that is never very far from violence, it can still startle and
even discomfit readers. This handsome edition is illustrated with reproductions
of Lawrence's own rare and striking paintings, as well as portraits of
the author and his wife, and letters in his hand.
635 pages, 5 1/4 X 7 1/4, ISBN 0-385-48734-7, $19.95
Published by Doubleday
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Les Liaisons Dangereuses
by Choderlos de Laclos
The Marquise de Merteuil and her accomplished rival in the art of erotic
and psychological manipulation, the Vicomte de Valmont, take the stage
again in Ernest Dowson's beautifully polished translation of this scandalous
French classic, which, as Baudelaire famously said, "Burns like ice."
In this new edition of the once infamous novel, the elegance of Dowson's
translation is stylishly complemented by the elegant, coolly erotic etchings
of Sylvain Sauvage, originally executed by that distinguished French illustrator
for a deluxe edition published in Paris in 1930. Sauvage's artful renditions
of scenes from the novel provide an elegant accompaniment for the darkly
glittering luxury and decadence of le beau monde portrayed by Laclos.
494 pages, 5 1/4 X 7 1/4, ISBN 0-385-48733-9, $18.50
Published by Doubleday
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Motley Tales and a Play
by Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov revolutionized the short story, transforming it into a distinct
art form. An accomplished dramatist as well, he wrote several plays that
are masterpieces of modern Russian drama. This anthology includes one
of his greatest plays, The Three Sisters, in an adaptation by American
playwright David Mamet, and a selection of seventeen short stories. Illustrations
include reproductions from the Moscow Art Theatre's album for its original
production of The Three Sisters; Vladimir Nabokov's lecture notes
on Chekhov's writing; and art works by Chekhov's friends and contemporaries.
427 pages, 5 1/4 X 7 1/4, ISBN 0-385-48730-4, $18.50
Published by Doubleday
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Heart of Darkness and The Secret
Agent
by Joseph Conrad
The range and power of Joseph Conrad's artistic vision, from his exploration
of imperialism in Africa in Heart of Darkness to The Secret
Agent, a tale of intrigue set in London's political underground, are
demonstrated here. Illustrated with excerpts from the original corrected
typescript of Heart of Darkness and handwritten letters from the
author to his London agent.
400 pages, 5 1/4 X 7 1/4, ISBN 0-385-48728-2, $18.50
Published by Doubleday
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Sister Carrie
by Theodore Dreiser
Featuring the unexpurgated text of the novel, from the manuscript in the
collections of The New York Public Library, enhanced by selections from
Dreiser's correspondence with H. L. Mencken and photographs of turn-of-the-century
New York City
620 pages, 5 1/4 X 7 1/4, ISBN 0-385-48724-X, $20.00
Published by Doubleday
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Far from the Madding Crowd
by Thomas Hardy
This edition of Hardy's first masterpiece, the glorious tale of the beautiful,
willful Bathsheba Everdene and her three suitors, reprints for the first
time the illustrations by Helen Paterson that graced the novel's first
appearance in print. Other illustrations include a page from Virginia
Woolf's diary, describing a visit to Hardy at his home, Max Gate.
510 pages, 5 1/4 X 7 1/4, ISBN 0-385-48731-2, $18.50
Published by Doubleday |
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Up from Slavery and Other Early
Black Narratives
by Booker T. Washington and others
Booker T. Washington was without question the most prominent spokesman
for his race during the post-Reconstruction period. Whether he is viewed
as a savior or a traitor to his race -- both opinions were held by his
contemporaries -- his autobiography is essential reading for its insight
into the black experience in the early twentieth century. This Collector's
Edition also includes excerpts from five slave narratives, including the
first known narrative by an enslaved woman in the Americas. Illustrations
are drawn from the vast archives of The New York Public Library's Schomburg
Center for Research in Black Culture.
366 pages, 5 1/4 X 7 1/4, ISBN 0-385-48729-0, $18.50
Published by Doubleday |
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Leaves of Grass: A Selection
of Poems and Prose
by Walt Whitman
A selection of Whitman's greatest and most beautiful lyrics, from masterpieces
such as "Song of Myself" to little-known gems like "Fancies at Navesink."
Also included are four of Whitman's poetic essays, including the preface
to the first edition of Leaves of Grass. Reproductions include
handwritten poems and letters and an array of portraits of the writer
and illustrations from earlier editions of his works.
491 pages, 5 1/4 X 7 1/4, ISBN 0-385-48727-4, $18.50
Published by Doubleday |
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Mansfield Park
by Jane Austen
Austen's most controversial novel, displaying her characteristic irony
and perception, illustrated with reproductions of a handwritten letter
from Austen to her sister Cassandra, and Cassandra's own charming and
whimsical drawings of the British kings and queens.
492 pages, 5 1/4 X 7 1/4, ISBN 0-385-48726-6, $18.50
Published by Doubleday |
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Louisa May Alcott: An Intimate Anthology
A vivid and sometimes startling original anthology of stories, diary entries,
letters, and verse, bringing to life the daring, down-to-earth side of
Alcott, as well as her better-known generosity and good humor
412 pages, 5 1/4 X 7 1/4, ISBN 0-385-48722-3, $18.00
Published by Doubleday
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Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens
Featuring original illustrations by five distinguished nineteenth-century
artists; dashing portraits of Dickens by George Cruikshank; relics from
Gad's Hill Place, the novelist's beloved home; and revealing pages from
Dickens's own private pocket diary
608 pages, 5 1/4 X 7 1/4, ISBN 0-385-48721-5, $20.00
Published by Doubleday
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Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Brontë
Featuring illustrations from a 1923 Paris limited edition and an eclectic
selection of archival materials, including a handwritten letter from the
author to her publisher
About This Edition: a sampling of text and images
574 pages, 5 1/4 X 7 1/4, ISBN 0-385-48717-7, $18.50
Published by Doubleday
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A Christmas Carol and Other Haunting
Tales
by Charles Dickens
This Collector's Edition gathers together a selection of some of Dickens's
most captivating stories, richly illustrated with handwritten manuscript
pages, rare family photographs, and a splendid array of prints and drawings
from the special collections of The New York Public Library. The volume
features the beloved A Christmas Carol, illustrated with Sol Eytinge's
beautiful and tender drawings, which Dickens himself found "remarkable
for a delicate perception of beauty"; the magical Christmas stories "The
Haunted Man" and "A Christmas Tree"; a selection of the master's most
gripping ghost stories, including "Nurse's Stories," "The Signal-Man,"
"The Story of the Bagman's Uncle," "To Be Taken with a Grain of Salt,"
and "The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton"; and three of Dickens's
tales in their "reading versions," which Dickens specially prepared for
his riveting public performances in the 1850s.
Overflowing with vitality, good cheer, wit, delicious terror, and lively
satire, A Christmas Carol and Other Haunting Tales is a perfect
way to rediscover an old favorite.
421 pages, 5 1/4 X 7 1/4, ISBN 0-385-48725-8, $18.50
Published by Doubleday |
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The Custom of the Country
by Edith Wharton
With the publication of this controversial novel, Edith Wharton leveled
her most biting critique at the limitations that her society placed upon
the ambitious woman. The novel takes its name from a Jacobean drama about
a medieval custom in which the feudal lord had a right to use the body
of any common woman in his domain, either for his own pleasure or for
money, by prostituting her on her wedding night. In Wharton's American
revision, it is the woman herself who ruthlessly sells herself to whatever
man she believes can provide her with the success she desires. Undine
Spragg is a magnificent anti-heroine, viciously and precisely rendered
by the author.
With photographs by Alvin Langdon Coburn and drawings by Charles Dana
Gibson, this Collector's Edition evokes the atmosphere of nineteenth-century
New York. It also brings us closer to the author herself, with letters
in her hand and other archival traces of her life from the special collections
of The New York Public Library.
475 pages, 5 1/4 X 7 1/4, ISBN 0-385-48723-1, $18.50
Published by Doubleday |
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Madame Bovary
by Gustave Flaubert
Featuring etchings from a rare turn-of-the-century French edition and
a sampling of Vladimir Nabokov's handwritten notes for his legendary Cornell
lectures on Madame Bovary
384 pages, 5 1/4 X 7 1/4, ISBN 0-385-48719-3, $18.50
Published by Doubleday
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Selected Poetry of Emily Dickinson:
Chosen by
The New York Public Library
Featuring reproductions of the only known photograph of the poet and of
handwritten letters by Dickinson
334 pages, 5 1/4 X 7 1/4, ISBN 0-385-48718-5, $15.00
Published by Doubleday
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For the archives of an online discussion of some of the books in
this series, visit the Salon
Classics Book Group, presented by Salon Magazine in conjunction with Doubleday.
B. Bergeron, rev. 3/04
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