The Waste Land: Rare Book of the Week

This week's Rare Book of the Week is actually multiple copies of The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot which are coming to the ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair later this week. 

The provenance for these fine copies from the private collection of Scofield Thayer, the editor of The Dial magazine, the first to publish the work in the U.S.

A fine first edition in the original glassine and dust jacket, numbered 50, along with 34 fine copies of the second printing of the slim book of poetry are being offered by johnson rare books & archives, ABAA, in conjunction with Owl Creek Books. The two California firms acquired the volumes from relatives of Thayer who received them by descent.

“How does someone end up with so many perfect copies of this important book?” said Brad Johnson, co-owner of johnson rare books & archives. “The immediate answer is inheritance, a metal box, and a dark closet. The more complicated explanation is the unique relationship between T.S. Eliot, his friend and mentor the poet Ezra Pound, and Scofield Thayer.”

Although the poem wasn’t quite complete, on January 20, 1922, Eliot offered The Waste Land to Thayer for publication in The Dial, which, thanks to Thayer’s financial support and creative input as editor and owner, had recently been transformed into an influential American outlet for modernist literature. Thayer immediately accepted it, sight unseen. However, it took months of negotiations and the support of Ezra Pound, before an agreement was reached.

In the meantime, Eliot signed a contract with Boni & Liveright for its American publication in book form. Liveright allowed The Dial to publish the poem without notes, but in exchange The Dial agreed to pay Eliot the regular rate for poetry of ten dollars per page, a total of $130. They announced Liveright would soon be publishing the poem with notes, bestowed the annual Dial Award for service to American Letters on Eliot, along with the $2,000 prize money, and they purchased 350 of the 1,000 first edition copies Liveright published in 1922.

The Dial doubled its advertising budget around its publication of The Waste Land and offered a copy of the book of poetry with a one-year subscription for $5.50. “The Dial was prescient in its estimation of the book’s lasting influence. In their own advertising, they noted: ‘It is sure to become a collector’s rarity in a short time,’” said Nathan Gabbard, owner of Owl Creek Books.

The first edition is being offered for sale separate from the 34 second printings, which are being offered as a lot.

“Together, the 34 second printings are a visual representation of the marketing influence The Dial put behind advancing this work,” Johnson said.