Cary, Joyce. The Horse's Mouth. London, [Curwen Press] for Michael Joseph, 1957.
Royal 8vo. Original half vellum over marbled boards and red leather label to spine lettered in gilt, in the original marbled slipcase; top edge red; pp. x, 333; self-portrait by the author printed directly from a plate lithographed by the author as frontispiece on gray paper, hand-numbered limitation leaf on salmon paper, eight plates after the author's drawings; foxing to lower and fore-edge, as well a little to the initial six leaves; otherwise a very good copy.
Limited edition, number 55 of 1500 printed at The Curwen Press, Plaistow. Designed and made 'by the wish of the author' who had extensive influence over the specific binding and type-setting of the edition before his death in the same year.
The Horse's Mouth (1944) remains Anglo-Irish novelist Joyce Cary's most popular novel and forms the third installment in Cary's 'First Trilogy', following on from 'Herself Surprised' and 'To Be A Pilgrim'. Written in the first person, it traces the adventures of artist con man Gulley Jimson who manipulates those in his life to earn money, revelling in his debauchary. Cary uses Gulley as a tool for evaluating contemporary social and political issues. This special edition also contains a discarded chapter of the original manuscript entitled, The Old Strife at Plant's. Phillip Larkin would describe the book as being 'not superlative but managing to catch something of the indomitable soul of art. Really rather moving'.
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