The Old Man and the Sea

London: The Reprint Society. 1953.

First illustrated edition. 220x155mm. pp. [8],117, [5]. Publisher's original turquoise cloth illustration of a Marlin fish on front board in silver. Lettered in silver on spine with title in a red box. Rubbed at corners. Creased at head and foot of spine. Original illustrated dust jacket is rubbed at corners and slightly creased at head. Small chip at head of spine joint to front cover. Creased at head of spine. Overall an excellent copy of an attractive book.

Hemingway's simple but profound meditation of the human condition is well known for its brevity and and subtext heavy storytelling. The first illustrated edition features drawings by C. F. Tunnicliffe and Raymond Sheppard. Originally these two artists were considered as two different alternatives, but such was the difference in their interpretations that the publisher decided to include both. It is a decision that justifies itself throughout the text and, sympathetically, Hemingway's stripped-back prose.

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