James Branch Cabell : An Illustrated Bibliography

BEYOND LIFE: Dizain des Demiurges

SS Code
Hall Code
Hall Description
Silver Stallion Description
*BL-B4 (ML)
none
not listed
Fourth Modern Library Printing [1925]

IMAGES:

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COMPILATION

Full Title:

Title page recto type "F": [All enclosed in a double rule] BEYOND LIFE | [in italic] Dizain des Démiurges | [ a line] | BY | JAMES BRANCH CABELL | [ a line] | Introduction by | GUY HOLT| [ a line] | Bernhard Torchbearer device | [4 lines in italic] "Many a man lives a burden to the earth: | but a good book is the precious life-blood of | a master-spirit, embalmed and treasured up | on purpose to a life beyond life" | [ a line] | THE MODERN LIBRARY | [ a line] | PUBLISHERS [two devices of double colons] NEW YORK (see image above).

Title page verso: [in italic] Copyright, 1919, by | JAMES BRANCH CABELL | MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | FOR THE MODERN LIBRARY, INC., BY H. WOLFF (see image above).

Publication:

New York. No date (1925-1929) (see image above).

Collation:

Sextodecimo [16.8 cm. (6 5/8-inches) x 10.8 cm. (4 1/4-inches)]. [i] half-title; [ii] advt; [iii] title; [iv] copyright; [v] dedication; [vi] blank; [vii-xvii] (marked ix-xix) Introduction; [xviii] blank; [1] I | WE APPROACH; [2] 13 line passage; 3-358 text; [359] SOME OTHER BOOKS BY MR. CABELL; [360-370] excerpts from reviews of Cabells published works.

Binding:

Toledano Binding Style 4. Flexible leatherette in brown or blue (also likely in black and green). 6 5/8-inches X 4 1/4-inches. Spine all in gilt: [Double rule] | BEYOND | LIFE | [Rule] | CABELL | MODERN | LIBRARY | [Double rule]. Front in gilt: Bernhard Torchbearer device. (see images above).

Dedication:

[double rule] To | GUY HOLT | [acrostic verse of seven lines] | [double rule] (see image above).

Endpapers:

Bernhard design endpapers, as used in Modern Library titles 1925-1929 (see image above).

Dust jacket:

Jacket #1 (Brown binding):

Late variation of Style DJ-C dust jacket, as used 1923-1925, yellow paper with red bands, with Style b4 rear panel . This appears to be a transitional dust jacket version of DJ-C, with some features of the later DJ-D: "LIMP | CROFTLEATHER" has been omitted from the spine, and the "monk scribe" device at the base of the spine has been replaced with the Bernhard Torchbearer. In other aspects it conforms to DJ-C (see image above). There is no catalog on the inside of the jacket.

Spine: [inside red band within heavy rules] Beyond | Life | Cabell; [vertically down spine] Beyond Life | Bernhard Torchbearer device | 25; [inside red band within heavy rules]NINETY-FIVE | CENTS | Net.

Front Panel : [inside red band within heavy rules] BEYOND LIFE | [line] | JAMES BRANCH CABELL | With an Introduction by Guy Holt; 16 lines of text; [inside red band within heavy rules] The Modern Library.

Rear Panel: [inside red band within heavy rules] All Modern Library Books are Hand Bound | [line] | Descriptive Catalogue can be obtained from your dealer of the publishers | Limp Binding, Stained Tops, Gold Decorations; double column listing of Modern Library publications; [inside red band within heavy rules] People Are Judged By The Books They Read.

Front flap: [inside red band within heavy rules] THE | MODERN LIBRARY; single column listing of Modern Library publications; [inside red band within heavy rules] A new title added monthly.

Rear flap: [inside red band within heavy rules] THE | MODERN LIBRARY; single column listing of Modern Library publications; [inside red band within heavy rules] THE MODERN LIBRARY, Inc. | 71 West 45th Street, New York (see image above).

Jacket #2 (Blue binding):

Style DJ-D dust jacket, as used 1925-1926, cream paper with red bands, with Style c rear panel. This jacket dates to Spring, 1927, based on the catalog on the inside: it includes The Purple Land, by W.H. Hudson, but not Jude the Obscure, by Thomas Hardy. Based on that late date, The Silver Stallion assumes that this particular jacket was not originally issued with this copy of the book.

Dust Jacket Outside:

Spine: [inside red band within heavy rules] Beyond | Life | Cabell; [vertically down spine] Beyond Life | Bernhard Torchbearer device | 25; [blank red band within heavy rules].

Front Panel : [inside red band within heavy rules] BEYOND LIFE | [line] | JAMES BRANCH CABELL | With an Introduction by Guy Holt; 16 lines of text; [inside red band within heavy rules] THE MODERN LIBRARY.

Rear Panel: [inside red band within heavy rules] All Modern Library Books are Hand Bound | [line] | THE EDITIONS ARE AUTHENTIC AND COPYRIGHTED| LIMP BINDING • STAINED TOPS • GOLD DECORATIONS; [in italic] Are you pleased with | this MODERN LIBRARY book? | 7 lines of text; [enclosed within dashed lines] 7 line Order Form | The Modern Library • Inc • new york | [in italic] Canada • THE MACMILLAN COMPANY of CANADA • ltd • [in italic] Toronto | [inside red band within heavy rules] A NEW TITLE THE 25th OF EVERY MONTH.

Front Flap: 95¢ net [arrow device] | ($1 in Canada) | [in italic] On the inside of this jacket is a | list, arranged alphabetically by | authors, of all the titles in THE MODERN LIBRARY. It is worthy | of your attention. | [double rule] 21 lines of advertising material.

Rear Flap: 20 lines of advertising material | [double rule] in italic] On the inside of this jacket is a | list, arranged alphabetically by | authors, of all the titles in THE MODERN LIBRARY. It is worthy | of your attention. | [arrow device].

Dust Jacket Inside:

A COMPLETE LIST [OF] TITLES IN THE MODERN LIBRARY | [triple rule] | 4 column listing of titles in The Modern Library | [triple rule] | A NEW TITLE IS ADDED ONE THE 25th DAY OF EVERY MONTH (see image above).

Notes:

Hall describes three Modern Library "editions" of Beyond Life. His description of the 1st edition specifically states that it omits the "critical reviews" found at the end of the McBride printings, and then states that the other two editions are "textually identical" to the 1st. This printing includes those reviews, and thus falls outside any of Hall's descriptions. The Silver Stallion has listed this as the 4th printing based on its binding, title page, and dust jacket styles.

For an explanation of the terms used on this page that are specific to The Modern Library, see the Cabell in The Modern Library page.