True first edition of Graves's classic and best-selling historical novel — with the surprising but brilliant choice of protagonist in the accidental Roman emperor, Claudius.
Very good plus in very good jacket.
Price: $1,350.00
"To recommend a monarchy on account of the prosperity it gives the provinces seems to me like recommending that a man should have liberty to treat his children as slaves, if at the same time he treats his slaves with reasonable consideration."
Born with a disability, Claudius was initially kept at a distance from public life — where the rest of his renowned family, Augustus's Julio-Claudian dynasty, conspired again and condemned each other, ultimately leading to his ascent quite by accident. Famously adapted into the TV series of the same name starring Patrick Stewart, John Hurt, and others, Graves's fictionalized "autobiography" of the Roman emperor remains one of the acclaimed novels in English, selected for both the Modern Library and the TIME 100. Increasingly uncommon in its first edition, especially in collectible condition.
First printing. London: Arthur Barker, 1934. Full title: I Claudius: From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius Emperor of Rome, Born B.C. 10, Murdered and Deified A.D. 54. 8.5'' x 5.25''. Original full black cloth. In publisher's unclipped (8'-Net) color pictorial jacket designed by John Aldridge. 496 pages with tipped-in folding plate of the imperial family tree at rear (as issued). Jacket with moderate toning and rubbing at extremities; spine sunned, with some chipping to top. Books has minor shelfwear. Foxing to endpapers and edges of text block. Overall, sound.
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