DURRELL, Lawrence.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

The Alexandria Quartet. Rare complete set of proof copies of the Alexandria Quartet, exhibiting a number of pre-publication variants in the preliminaries and endnotes. Mountolive includes a publication date and price on the front wrapper in manuscript, along with a loosely inserted compliments slip from Faber's sales manager.According to Durrell, the published first edition of Justine contained "about 250 errors which were put right in the 2nd, though some caused beautiful muck-ups in the French translation" (cited by Thomas). In this proof version, the dedication to his wife reads "To the first Eve, these memorials of her beloved city", which was changed upon publication "To Eve, these memorials of her native city". The appendix familiar as "Consequential Data" is here titled "Some Consequential Notes". The final appendix, "Notes in the Text", includes four entries unique to the proof, being omitted upon publication."The four novels emerged in rapid succession from 1957 to 1960 and elicited wildly divergent but generally favourable reviews, praising or attacking Durrell's luxuriant prose, his highly romantic recreation of Alexandria, and his self-proclaimed use of Einstein. Only with the Quartet sales did Durrell begin to live from his writing" (ODNB).

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