the book collector
American Aphrodite . The case was heard by the Supreme Court in 1957. Although the court found against him 6–3, the opinions aired were instrumental in the decision by the US Court of Appeals in 1959 to legitimise Lady Chatterley , which had been banned in 1929 along with Tropic of Cancer and Fanny Hill . 8 It is ironic therefore that it was Roth’s version of Lady Chatterley that was now being sold openly by Secker and Knopf. From a collector’s point of view, the Faro editions 9 are notable for the dust-wrappers: by A.K. Skillin for the 1930 edition and Nat Falk for the 1931 edition. In 1930 Lawrence died and his estate fell into the formidable hands of his wife, Frieda. It is at this point that the pirated editions begin to multiply out of hand. Roberts, after calling it ‘the most interesting book of this century with respect to its printing history’ says frankly 10 that ‘the complexities of the novel’s history are far too great to be dealt with in other than outline here’ and recommends readers to consult the Cambridge University Press editions of 1994 and 1999. Gertzmann 11 writing in 1989, noted fifty-eight editions of Lady Chatterley prior to it being declared legal. Naturally there are a number of ‘points’ that di V erentiate the var- ious editions. According to Stephen J. Gertz in his Booktryst blog (‘The Most Pirated Novel of the 20th Century’, Monday December 12, 2011), buyers should beware ‘very well done’ pirated editions. There are, Gertz noted, several ways of detecting a true Florentine first edition, the most e V ective being the text block bulk measure- ment – 20.1 mm of lightweight, smooth white laid paper with no watermark. The measurements of all the editions mentioned above are crucial and are given by Roberts. The errors made by printers who knew no English and their gradual elimination in successive editions speak for themselves. 8 . Senator Reed Smoot said of Lady Chatterley at the time : ‘It is most damnable! It’s written by a man with a diseased mind and a soul so black that he would obscure even the darkness of hell.’ 9 . In 1931 there was a dramatisation by Roth himself and also a parody called Lady Chatterley’s Husbands . The following year ‘a new sequel’ appeared, Lady Chatterley’s Friends . 10 . Roberts p.147 11 . Jay Gertzmann, A Descriptive Bibliography of Lady Chatterley’s Lover : with Essays towards a Publishing History of the Novel , New York and London, 1989
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