Chamber Music.

Joyce, James

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London: Elkin Matthews, (1907). First edition, first issue of Joyce's first book. The first printing consisted of 509 copies; however, fewer than fifty copies of the first binding appear to have been issued and perhaps fewer than fifteen copies are extant. Chamber Music, Joyce's first book, was published only through the considerable efforts of Arthur Symons, whom he had met through Yeats in 1902. Symons not only moved heaven and earth to find him a publisher who wouldn't require a subsidy, but he also wrote an extremely favorable review of the book in the Nation. Spine lettering rubbed away, some wear to extremities, small marginal dampstain affects the first few leaves, sporadic tiny tears to page edges. Overall a very good copy in publisher's green cloth. (Item ID: 18184)

(Slocum & Cahoon A3).