James Branch Cabell : An Illustrated Bibliography

BRANCHIANA, being a partial Account of the Branch Family in Virginia

Hall Code
Description
Bra-A1b
First Printing, Buff Binding 1907

IMAGES:

bindinglimitationfrontispiecerecto

 

 

 

 

 

dedicationdustjacket

 

 

 

 

 

COMPILATION

Full Title:

Title page recto: Branchiana | BEING A PARTIAL ACCOUNT OF | The Branch Family in Virginia | BY | JAMES BRANCH CABELL | [in italic] Hæc est | Vita solutorum misera ambitione gravique." | fleur-de-lis device | PRINTED BY | WHITTET & SHEPPERSON, | RICHMOND, VA. (see image above).

Title page verso: blank.

Publication:

The page containing publication data is omitted in this issue. The first two states were issued in October, 1907. This issue was released at a later but unknown date in 1907.

Limitation:

THIS EDITION OF BRANCHIANA IS LIMITED | TO ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-SEVEN [this line struck through by hand and "to thirty' written above in the author's hand] | COPIES, OF WHICH THIS COPY IS NUMBER | [hand written in red] twenty-two | [ink signature] James Branch Cabell (see image above).

Collation:

Demy octavo [24.8 cm. (9¾ in.) x 15.9 cm. (6¼ in.)] , iv + 180 with frontispiece protected by plain tissue guard. P. (i) limitation page, verso blank; frontispiece; (iii) title page (verso blank); (1) dedication (verso blank); (3) Contents (verso blank); (4) [leaf omitted in this issue]; (5) half-title; (7)-11 The Compiler's Foreward; (12) blank; (13) fly-title (verso blank); text (15)-177; (178) blank; (179) Errata; (180) blank. Pages (13), (23), (59), (103), (107), (111), (129), (145), (149), (157), and (173) are fly-titles.

Binding:

Buff cloth; gilt lettering and decorations on spine and front. Top gilt, otherwise untrimmed. Spine: [double rule] | BRANCHIANA | device | JAMES | BRANCH | CABELL | [double rule]. Front: Branchiana | Branch family coat of arms (see image above).

Frontispiece:

Oval grey scale portrait of Thomas Branch; his signature as subscript; protected by plain tissue guard (see image above).

Dedication:

To | John Patteson Branch | This volume is with a double fitness dedicated, as being both | the first to suggest its compilation and the most | eminent living member of the family | which it commemorates. (see image above).

Dust jacket:

Pinkish tan paper. Front panel in gilt: Branchiana | Branch family coat of arms. Spine, rear panel, and both flaps are blank (see image above).

This is the same jacket used for the red binding, Bra-A1a.

Notes:

This is a later state of the first printing. The printed limitation page states 147 copies, but in both copies examined by The Silver Stallion "147" has been lined out and corrected to "thirty" in Mr. Cabell's hand. In this state, all of the illustrations except the frontispiece have been omitted.

This copy (no. twenty-two) carries the bookplate of noted Cabell and Machen collector Montgomery Evans III. According to his notes in his copy of Merle Johnsons' 1921 A Bibliographic Check-list of the Works of James Branch Cabell 1904-1921, Hall F1 (A5), Evans purchased this book directly from Mr. Cabell in October of 1921, for $10.00.