Thread Name: bemelman From: "acpertusi" <acpertusi@removed> Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 11:38:53 -0600 please let me know what you know about bemelmans. my copy is a stated first modern library edition, 1941. the pages are very thick and the reverse of the jacket is completely blank. unless I am mistaken sometime ago neaville felt that this was the true first edition: thick pages and blank on the reverse. ------------------------------------- From: Scot Kamins <kamins@removed> Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 11:13:06 -0700 I have these notes at ModernLib on Bemelmans: ........ Identifying the true first of War with the United States is difficult. To begin with, this title is notorious for having its "First Modern Library Edition" slug remain in place in printings subsequent to the first. Further, there were two variations of dust jacket seemingly used at the same time for the first book printing: One has a list of 278 titles on the dust jacket's inverse while the other's inverse is blank. Both indicate "over 250 titles" on the back panel. And finally, the book was printed with both thinner and thicker paper. The slight preponderance of evidence says that the true first is the one with the blank inverse dust jacket on a book with thicker paper. ........... Barry's Bindary at Amenities has the following info: ............ I believe the printing on thicker paper without a list of titles inside the jacket is the first. My War with the United States was published in October 1941, a few months before Pearl Harbor; later printings were made during wartime when paper shortages were a continuing problem. My War with the United States, like The Thurber Carnival, was printed by offset lithography, which accounts for retention of the First statement on subsequent printings (see my column in MLC 44). If the first printing jacket was printed by the same printer (and it looks to me as if it's also printed by offset lithography) that would explain the lack of a list. Other ML jackets were printed letterpress, and the ML probably only had letterpress plates for the seasonal lists of titles inside the jackets. If anybody has a Bemelmans with a 278 (fall 1941) list inside the jacket please let me know. I'm always delighted to be proved wrong! {I have three copies, each with the 1st ML, and described as follows: Thin book with 299 titles inside the DJ and 275 outside Thick book with NO titles inside the DJ and 250 outside Thick book with 278 titles inside and 250 outside. So, which is the true first DJ? - John M. Wolansky} ............................................................ And finally, there's a discussion in the Archives (current through March 2006) about Bemelmans with two many entries to list here. ------------------------------------- From: Scot Kamins <kamins@removed> Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 11:27:44 -0700 I just downloaded and searched through the archives April through August; there are no further entries relevant {tw to too} this discussion. -------------------------------------