James Branch Cabell : An Illustrated Bibliography
BEYOND LIFE: Dizain des Demiurges
SS Code |
Hall Code |
Hall Description |
Silver Stallion Description |
*BL-B5 (ML) |
BL-B2 (ML) |
Second Modern Library Edition |
Fifth Modern Library Printing [Fall 1925] |
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 :: :: 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, but catalog at rear, printed contiguously with the text, can be dated to Fall 1925 (includes Camille, by Alexandre Dumas, but not Poor White, by Sherwood Anderson) (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; [xix] Contents; [xx] blank; [1] I | WE APPROACH; [2] 13 line passage; 3-358 text; [359] blank; [360-364] catalog.
Binding:
Toledano Binding Style 4. Flexible leatherette in black or green (also likely in brown and blue). 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:
Style DJ-D dust jacket, as used 1925-1926, blue paper with red bands, with Style c rear panel. The jacket can be dated to Fall 1926 (catalog includes Poor White, by Sherwood Anderson, but not Purple Land, by W.H. Hudson).
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).
Leading American Authors Boxed Set:
The Modern Library issued their first boxed sets in 1926. Each of the ten sets issued that year collected five titles, all in standard dust jackets and bindings but presented together in special gift boxes. One of these sets, Leading American Authors, included these titles:
Poor White, Sherwood Anderson
Beyond Life, James Branch Cabell
Free and Other Stories, Theodore Dreiser
Daisy Miller and An International Episode, Henry James
Moby Dick, Herman Melville
Based on the publication date, our best guess is that this Fall 1925 printing would have been the one supplied in the boxed set.
Unfortunately, no copy of the box itself has yet surfaced, but the list of authors certainly speaks to the esteem with which James Branch Cabell was held at this period. The advertisement at left appeared in November 13, 1926, issue of the trade journal Publishers' Weekly. Thanks to Scot Kamins, webmaster of Collecting the Modern Library, for permission to use these images.
Notes:
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.
