A Spy in the house of Love
NIN, Anaïs
A Spy in the house of Love
London: Neville Spearman, 1955
8vo., bright red publisher’s boards lettered in gilt to backstrip; housed in the illustrative dust wrapper featuring a design of a female bust by Guy Nichols (unclipped, 10s. 6d. net.); pp. [iv], 5-136, text block with mild shelf-lean, pushed at spine tips; very good, otherwise, in like dust wrapper, slightly faded in places with a few spots and some minor shelf wear to the lower panel; two small closed tears to spine ends; a fresh example.
First UK edition thus, published the year before in the US by the British Book Centre, New York.
Part of the Cities of the Interior series, the novel follows a woman, Sabina, as she pursues her desires in a "male" sexual life of pleasure without real attachment. By the mid-50s, Nin's works were not doing so well. In America, Dutton had put out three of her books, but A Spy in the House of Love was rejected by several publishers and only issued by the British Book Center press in New York in 1954 when Hugh Guiler paid the printing costs. Similarly, Guiler had to pay part of the printing costs for issues of her books by Peter Owen in London, and even grant him a share of American royalties. By 1957 almost everything she had written was out of print. She established Anaïs Nin Press around 1955 to make her own work available, which formed a bridge until finally Alan Swallow asked to take on her catalogue in 1961. Initially the press was selling remainders and overstock of books issued by her previous publishers, such as Gemor and Dutton. Nin said she established it “to save face” and “not let them know I have been defeated.”
Surprisingly rare in the Guy Nichols dustjacket.
NIN, Anaïs
A Spy in the house of Love
London: Neville Spearman, 1955
8vo., bright red publisher’s boards lettered in gilt to backstrip; housed in the illustrative dust wrapper featuring a design of a female bust by Guy Nichols (unclipped, 10s. 6d. net.); pp. [iv], 5-136, text block with mild shelf-lean, pushed at spine tips; very good, otherwise, in like dust wrapper, slightly faded in places with a few spots and some minor shelf wear to the lower panel; two small closed tears to spine ends; a fresh example.
First UK edition thus, published the year before in the US by the British Book Centre, New York.
Part of the Cities of the Interior series, the novel follows a woman, Sabina, as she pursues her desires in a "male" sexual life of pleasure without real attachment. By the mid-50s, Nin's works were not doing so well. In America, Dutton had put out three of her books, but A Spy in the House of Love was rejected by several publishers and only issued by the British Book Center press in New York in 1954 when Hugh Guiler paid the printing costs. Similarly, Guiler had to pay part of the printing costs for issues of her books by Peter Owen in London, and even grant him a share of American royalties. By 1957 almost everything she had written was out of print. She established Anaïs Nin Press around 1955 to make her own work available, which formed a bridge until finally Alan Swallow asked to take on her catalogue in 1961. Initially the press was selling remainders and overstock of books issued by her previous publishers, such as Gemor and Dutton. Nin said she established it “to save face” and “not let them know I have been defeated.”
Surprisingly rare in the Guy Nichols dustjacket.
NIN, Anaïs
A Spy in the house of Love
London: Neville Spearman, 1955
8vo., bright red publisher’s boards lettered in gilt to backstrip; housed in the illustrative dust wrapper featuring a design of a female bust by Guy Nichols (unclipped, 10s. 6d. net.); pp. [iv], 5-136, text block with mild shelf-lean, pushed at spine tips; very good, otherwise, in like dust wrapper, slightly faded in places with a few spots and some minor shelf wear to the lower panel; two small closed tears to spine ends; a fresh example.
First UK edition thus, published the year before in the US by the British Book Centre, New York.
Part of the Cities of the Interior series, the novel follows a woman, Sabina, as she pursues her desires in a "male" sexual life of pleasure without real attachment. By the mid-50s, Nin's works were not doing so well. In America, Dutton had put out three of her books, but A Spy in the House of Love was rejected by several publishers and only issued by the British Book Center press in New York in 1954 when Hugh Guiler paid the printing costs. Similarly, Guiler had to pay part of the printing costs for issues of her books by Peter Owen in London, and even grant him a share of American royalties. By 1957 almost everything she had written was out of print. She established Anaïs Nin Press around 1955 to make her own work available, which formed a bridge until finally Alan Swallow asked to take on her catalogue in 1961. Initially the press was selling remainders and overstock of books issued by her previous publishers, such as Gemor and Dutton. Nin said she established it “to save face” and “not let them know I have been defeated.”
Surprisingly rare in the Guy Nichols dustjacket.