CHANCE. A Tale in Two Parts

1913. Toronto: Bell & Cockburn, n.d. [1913]. 31 pp Methuen ads dated July 1913. Original green cloth with spine decorated in gilt.

First Edition, first printing, Canadian issue -- which consisted of just 315 copies issued by early November 1913. CHANCE's first edition has a complex history. In early September 1913, Methuen had 3021 copies printed, 1956 of which were supplied with domestic preliminary leaves dated 1913; however, only 51 of these copies were actually bound up and issued before a binder's strike delayed further domestic distribution (these 51 copies now command over $3,000 apiece). The other 1900+ domestic copies were given cancel title pages dated 1914, and were not issued until mid-January of that year. Meanwhile the other 1065 copies (3021 minus 1956) were scheduled by Methuen to go to foreign markets: 315 for Canada, plus 750 for the colonies. The 315 copies, specially bound in the U.K. for Bell & Cockburn of Toronto, were received by Methuen on 17 September 1913, were shipped immediately, and were being issued to the Canadian public by early November 1913. As for the colonial copies, bound copies (red cloth) were not received by Methuen until 10 October, and the earliest known inscribed copy is dated 27 November (in South Africa). Whew. The main fact is that except for the 51 "pre-publication" copies (Methuen 1913) that escaped to the domestic public in mid-September 1913, the 315 Canadian copies were the first copies issued to the public (in Canada in early November). As such, they have considerably greater value than the usual domestic copies that have a cancel 1914 title page. This copy is near-fine, with very minor shelf-wear on the book's bottom edge and slight foxing on the edges of the leaves. Supino 17.2.0; Cagle A17a(2). Provenance: discreet bookplate of the Conrad bibliographer David J. Supino.