The Gods Were Promiscuous
New York: The Vanguard Press, 1937. John Held. First edition. Hardcover. 248pp. Octavo [19 cm] Red cloth covered boards with a black ink stamped title and decorative embellishments on the spine. Very good. The spine is just a bit rolled back, and there is very insignificant foxing on the top edge of the text block. The pages are tanned. The price-clipped dust jacket is in very good condition. Lightly rubbed, and unevenly darkened, more so at the spine. There are multiple very small splash stains on the front panel, and a few on the jacket's spine. The edges have numerous chips and short closed tears. There is an open tear in the paper at the foot of the spine that measures just under 1/2" wide by 1/4" deep. Bleiler checklist. From the collection of Berkeley book collector and letter press printer, John Ruyle, with his bookplate on the front pastedown. Item #37793
The Utah artist, John Held Jr., was one of the best known magazine illustrators of the 1920s, and his designs for F. Scott Fitzgerald jackets became icons of the Jazz Age. In this novel, the main character has the rare ability to communicate with animals in their own tongue.
Price: $50.00