James Branch Cabell : An Illustrated Bibliography
THE WAY OF ECBEN: A Comedietta, involving a Gentleman.
Decorations by Frank C. Papé
Hall Code |
Description |
WEc-A4 |
Fourth Printing 1929 |
COMPILATION
Full Title:
Title page recto: [in italic] The Way of Ecben | A Commedietta Involving a Gentleman | By | James Branch Cabell | Decorations by Frank C. Papé | "I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, | and show thyself a man; and keep the charge of thy god, | to walk in his way and preserve his testimonies." | [device] | New York | [in italic] Robert M. McBride & Company | 1929 (see image above).
Note: The word "go" in the first line of the quotation is not italicized. This error persists through all McBride printings of this title.
Title page verso: COPYRIGHT, 1929, BY JAMES BRANCH CABELL | PUBLISHED OCTOBER, 1929 | [in italic] [Fourth impression] | [in italic] Printed in the United States of America | By the Plimpton Press, Norwood, Massachusetts (see image above).
Publication:
New York: Robert M. McBride & Co., 1929
Collation:
Crown octavo [20.5 cm. (8 1/16 in.) x 14.6 cm. (5 ¾ in.)]; top edge trimmed and stained black, else untrimmed. Pp. 1 blank leaf (not counted in pagination, viii+212, with 1 final blank leaf not counted in pagination; blank leaf; (i) half-title; (ii) BOOKS BY MR. CABELL; (iii) title page; (iv) publication data; (v) dedication (verso blank); vii-viii Contents; (1) Synopsis (verso blank); (3) fly-title Words for the Intending Reader (verso blank); (5-6) text of Words for the Intending Reader; (7) fly-title Part I; (8) quotation; (9) fly title Chapter One (verso blank); 11-151 text of The Way of Ecben (verso blank); (153) half-title Colophon; (154) quotation; (155) Chapter One (verso blank); 157-209 text of Colophon (verso blank); (210) illustration (verso blank); blank leaf. Pages (vi), (2), (4), (10), (14), (16), (20), (22), (26), (28), (34), (36), (44), (48), (50), (56), (58), (62), (64), (74), (80), (84), (88), (96), (98), (104), (108), (112), (114), (118), (120), (126), (128), (132), (134), (140), (144), (148), (152), (156), (162), (168), (172), (174), (178), (182), (184), (188), (192), (194), (200), (206), and (210) are blank. Pages (8), (10), (15), (21), (27), (35), (41), (43), (49), (57), (63), (73), (79), (85), (87), (97), (105), (107), (113), (119), (127), (133), (139), (145), (147), (153), (155), (161), (167), (173), (177), (181), (187), (193), (199),and (205) are fly-titles. Pages (8), (42), (86), (106), (146), and (154) are short quotations occupying otherwise blank pages. Page (211) is an illustration.
Taken together, an impressive 45% of the pages in the volume are essentially filler. Clearly the compositors were working overtime to pad out this slim work to book length.
Binding:
Quarter bound with black cloth spine lettered in gilt, unmarked black and gold marbled textured paper boards. Spine: [decorated rule] | [all in italic] The | Way | of | Ecben | [rule] | Cabell | [Kalki device] | McBride | [decorated rule] (see image above).
Dedication:
[in italic] For | ROBERT M. MCBRIDE | this brief and somewhat tragic tale, to | commemorate our long and rather | comical association (see image above).
Dust jacket / Slipcase:
Dust jacket: Issued in a thin, unmarked clear plastic jacket (see image above). The material of this jacket resembles modern plastic food wrap, although a slightly heavier gauge than the modern equivalent. While this material may seem an odd choice today, we should remember that, in 1929, plastic was a new and exciting product.
Slipcase: Pasteboard slipcase covered in the same black and gold marbled textured paper used for the boards. Gold paper label lettered in black on front panel: [all enclosed in a box with a vine leaf pattern] [in italic] The Way of Ecben | A Commedietta Involving a Gentleman | By | James Branch Cabell | [19-line blurb in three paragraphs] | [rule] | ROBERT M. McBRIDE & COMPANY |
Seven West Sixteenth Street | New York (see image above).
Notes:
The decorations by Frank C. Papé were all previously published in earlier works; none were specifically drawn for this title.
The quotation on the title page was taken from the King James version of the Bible, 1 Kings 2:2, slightly modified.
