Ulysses

by 

James Joyce

photos by Shannon Tofts

execution of design (on boards) by Claude Ribal, Paris

Shakespeare and Company, Paris 1925

160 x 200 x 40 mm

 now to be found in the collection:

Herzogin Anna-Amalia Bibliothek, GER

The binding:

First edition, seventh imprint from October 1925, the last before the type was reset.

Full leather binding in dark aubergine goatskin with grey sewn silk endbands and leather joints. Design tooled in pigment foil in 20 colours. The titling on the spine runs upwards and is executed in silver- and blue-pearl pigment foil. Burgundy/silvery shimmering bord-a-bord endpapers and flyleaves. The chemise has the same dark aubergine goatskin on the spine and clasps and an inlaid grey/blue and green paper centrepiece. The slipcase is covered in emerald green paper. All papers used are hand-dyed. The design on the boards was executed by Claude Ribal, France.

the novel:

'Ulysses' chronicles the appointments and encounters of Leopold Bloom in Dublin in the course of an ordinary day, 16 June 1904. Joyce establishes an intricate parallel between the narration within Homer’s epic poem Odyssey and his ordinary man’s ventures and thoughts. However, one can safely say, that the author pushed the ‘technique’ of the flow-of-consciousness to an all time high, as thought and reflection, and the pressing need to fart, burp or urinate are taken account of in equal intensity and commitment.
I was interested to create a busy and flurry atmosphere to go alongside Joyce’s novel. Using the occasional jarring colour schemes and creating distinct ‘characters’ that ‘did’ their thing without too much of an interaction with the next. And against all of this flurry I delighted in the clear and calm expanse of colours on both the chemise and slipcase.

bound 2017