Martha Scotford has a fantastic piece over at Design Observer titled Ulysses: Fast Track to 1934 Best Seller that looks at the publication and design history of this hi-spot of 20th literature.
The piece highlights Bennett Cerf’s, then publisher at Random House, commitment to the book and the legal challenges he faced in getting it published. It also focuses on the brilliant book design by Ernest Reichl, who Scotford calls “a ‘whole book’ designer, believing in the harmonious totality of the package and the value of one design vision for all its parts.”
Here are a few nuggets:
– First published in Paris in 1922, the book was banned in America until published by Random House in 1934.
– Hearing that a pirate edition was in the works for American release Cerf pressed the courts to lift the ban.
– Judge John M. Woolsey took a copy of Ulysses with him on vacation and read it. He found nothing to support the claims of the book being pornographic and that it “did not have the effect of an aphrodisiac and should, in his opinion, be admitted to the United States.”
– Five minutes after receiving word of the legal decision, the book went into full production.
– First American printing was 10,300 copies with a retail price of $3.50.
– The bestselling book of the year Ulysses was published in America was Anthony Adverse by Hervey Allen.
Here’s a slideshow featuring Reichl’s design.
For a thorough look at the the textual and publication history of Ulysses see Stacy Herbert’s piece, Ulysses in Print: the Family Tree,” that accompanied an exhibit at the National Library Ireland.
More on the court case, United States v. One Book Called Ulysses