The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, First Edition, 1952

Hemingway, Ernest, The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1952. First Edition. Octavo. Professionally rebound in blue Moroccan leather gilt stamped front boards, gilt titles, gilt tooling, and raised bands to the spine, and a new custom slipcase.

Presented is a stated first edition printing of Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. The book was published by Charles Scribner’s Sons in 1952 and bears the publisher’s signature “A” on the copyright page. This particular book is stunningly rebound in full morocco leather boards, decorated with a custom gilt embossed stamp of a marlin, as well as gilt titles, tooling, and raised bands to the spine. The book is housed in a matching, custom archival slipcase.

The Old Man and the Sea, a classic short novel by Ernest Hemmingway, was written in 1951 and published in 1952. It was the last major work of fiction by Hemingway to be published during his lifetime. 

One of his most famous works, The Old Man and the Sea tells the story of a Cuban fisherman named Santiago who struggles with a giant marlin out in the Gulf Stream off the coast of Florida. The novel, consisting of only 140 pages, highlights man’s struggle with nature, as well as a portrait of “manliness” and human character.

The story was first printed in its entirety in Life Magazine in 1952 and sparked a buying frenzy among readers. Over 5 million copies of the story printed in the magazine were sold in a matter of only 2 days. The story was then published by Charles Scribner’s Sons in New York, with  only 50,000 copies in the original print run. 

Upon the release of the novel, critics deemed the tale a reflection of Hemingway’s personal determination to prove that his writing career was not yet over. The book was well received with exceeding popularity and encouraged readers to examine his entire body of work. In the year following its release, The Old Man and the Sea received a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The publication of the book also contributed to Hemingway’s Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.

The book was dedicated to “Charles Scribner and to Max Perkins” who were close friends of Hemingway’s. Charles Scribner was president of the publishing company Charles Scribner’s Sons and Max Perkins edited books by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Thomas Wolfe. Both passed away before the book was released.

CONDITION:

Overall very good condition. Octavo. The book is rebound in full morocco leather with gilt embossed decorations featuring a marlin outline on the front board, raised bands on the spine, and gilt tooling along the inside boards. Slighting toning to pages, as expected with age. Title page has a small pinhole and evidence of scraping. 140pp. The book is housed in a matching, custom archival slipcase.

Book Dimensions: 8 1/2" H x 6" W x 1" D.

With Slipcase: 8 7/8" H x 6 1/8" W x 1 3/8" D.