Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
. The Satyricon Of Petronius. Charles Carrington, Paris, France, 1902.
Price: US$320.22 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Board aged discoloured. Presentation stickers on first two pages. Limited edition of 515 copies. Rough cut pages, mostly clean but a few with marks (pages 18,19 & 385 - see photos). Title page and back page age discoloured. Gold topped.
Seller: Bookworm, Tewkesbury, United Kingdom
Price: US$350.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: On the colophon it states that this is one of five hundred and odd copies printed in December 1902 at G.J. Thieme, Oriental Printer for Charles Carrington of Paris. On the limitation page, it states that this is one of 440 copies on French hand made paper, there is also a sticker on the title page that states that the translation was made by Sebastian Melmoth (Oscar Wilde). Literary historians agree that Mr. Wilde probably didn't make this translation. The boards are covered with vellum spine and corners with marbled paper of burgundy, blue, grey and orange. The vellum is darkened with age, corners worn to the undersurface, the red morocco leather spine labels are chipped, the paper on the boards is chipped on all edges and scuffed on the surfaces. Hinge is weak at the advertising page, which is in the front. Pencil name 'Walter Biddle Saul' - prominent book collector in Philadelphia. Top edge gilt, other two deckle edges. Index and more ads in the rear, where the hinge is weak again. All orders packed with care, independent bookseller since 2011
Seller: Ivy Ridge Books/Scott Cranin, Fayetteville, NY, U.S.A.
Petronius. The Satyricon. Paris Charles Carrington 1902, 1902.
Price: US$352.24 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Limited edition of 440 copies printed on French handmade paper, this is copy no 337. A new translation with introduction and notes - attributed by the publisher to Oscar Wilde, though this is now disputed. Brown paper wrapper which has subsequently been bound in olive green cloth boards with gilt lettering to spine. Spine and edges are bumped top and bottom. Previous owners' signatures on front endpaper Pages are uncut and browned at edges. At the rear is a list of privately printed books of a pornographic nature. The publisher's foreword outlines the risks in publishing a book of this nature, hence the original brown wrapper. A very nice, tight copy with minimal spotting to pages. Very Good
Seller: Reader's Books, Petworth, United Kingdom
Price: US$384.26 + shipping
Description: First Carrington edition, one of 440 copies on handmade paper (of a total edition of 515), this copy with the pasted overslip on the title reading: 'Important notice. The present translation was done direct from the original Latin by "Sebastian Melmoth" (Oscar Wilde).' --- a spurious claim. With its overtly homosexual themes, the Satyricon, was certainly important to Wilde (he even refers to it explicitly in A Picture of Dorian Gray) but Carrington's scurrilous claim has always been disputed. It is only relatively recently, however, that an explicit retraction forced upon Carrington was found in an insert published (ironically) with his 1909 edition of Dorian Gray. Only a proportion of the edition contains the overslip pasted over Carrington's name. In our copy the final advert leaf with colophon giving the printer's name has been carefully and deliberately removed, perhaps before binding. The binding here is identical to that of the Eccles copy preserved in the British Library, thus suggestive of a publisher's binding. 8vo (198 × 135 mm), pp. [iii]-xciii, [1], 421, [1] (adverts), wanting final advert leaf (with additional limitation/colophon on verso). Printed overslip pasted over original imprint (see below), title, ornaments and headings partially in red. Half-title/limitation leaf browned on recto. Original publisher's half vellum, tan morocco spine labels, top edge gilt, others uncut. Slightly rubbed and soiled, lower spine label with some loss. A good copy. [Boroughs, R., 'Oscar Wilde's Translation of Petronius: The Story of a Literary Hoax,' English Literature in Transition: 1880-1920 38, p. 9-49. Bn Catalogue: 'Dans un de ses catalogues de vente, n° 5, Charles Carrington, l'éditeur, propose sous le n° 1403 un ouvrage qui semble identique, en attribuant dans le corps de la notice le travail à un "Oxford M.A.", avec en note : "Traduction attribuée à l'esthète célèbre le feu Oscar Wilde". On notera cependant que, dans la correspondance publiée, les deux seules allusions faites au "Satyricon" sont relatives au dossier de presse de "Dorian Gray", ouvrage dont Carrington avait acquis le copyright. De même il ne semble pas que les éléments d'apparat critique, "Introduction, Synopsis of the plot, List of books used", permettent de remonter jusqu'à un article d'Oscar Wilde sur ce sujet. Par contre Mason, "Bibliography". n° 336, signale un encart de l'édition, publiée en 1909 par Charles Carrington, de "Picture of Dorian Gray". indiquant qu'il n'attribuait plus ni la traduction de Pétrone ni celle de Barbey d'Aurevilly, à Wilde.]
Seller: Justin Croft Antiquarian Books Ltd ABA, Faversham, United Kingdom
Price: US$448.30 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: A scarce Limited Edition translation of Petronius' satire, initially claimed by the publisher to be the work of Oscar Wilde. The first edition of this scarce translation of Roman author Petronius' 'Satyricon', a Menippean satire written in both prose and verse. A Limited Edition work, of which 440 copies were printed, bound in the publisher's original quarter paper vellum.This new translation, credited to 'Sebastian Melmoth', was spuriously claimed by the publisher to be the work of Oscar Wilde. With its overt homosexual themes - following the exploits of the narrator, Encolpius, and his young slave-boyfriend Giton - the work was esteemed by Wilde, who directly referenced it in 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'.A retraction of the claim that this was the work of Wilde was issued by the publisher in 1909.With a two page advertisement to the start of the work, and a further two pages of publisher's advertisements to the rear, recommending privately printed works of a pornographic nature. The final leaf advertises the printer of the work.Numerous clippings referring to the work pasted to front pastedown and front free endpaper, with former owner's inscription to verso of front free endpaper. In the publisher's original half paper vellum binding, with marbled paper covered boards. Bumping to back strip tail, with morocco label to back strip tail removed. Discolouration and marks to paper vellum. Front and rear hinges starting, with boards holding firm. Numerous clippings pasted to front pastedown and front free endpaper, with former owner's inscription to verso of front free endpaper. Internally, firmly bound. Pages clean and bright. Very Good
Seller: Rooke Books PBFA, Bath, United Kingdom
Petronius. The Satyricon of Petronius. Charles Carrington, Paris, 1902.
Price: US$450.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: 1902 ediiton limited to 515 copies. This copy is bound in plain brown wrappers that form a jacket around the book's wrappers. Underneath the jacket are plain white wrappers. The title page, table of contents pa ges and headings are in red type. The text is in black type. The brown outer wrappers are edge worn and soiled. The brown wrapper is glued t o the page block around the spine and has creasing along with tiny chi ps. The outer edges of the page blocks have moderate soiling. For the most part, the interior is clean and unmarked. There are small splits starting to the edge of the plain white rear wrapper. The sewing is st ill firmly attached. 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", 521 pages + colophon at the rear . Note: Carrington claimed that the translation of this edition was do ne directly from the original Latin by "Sebastian Melmoth" (Oscar Wild e). The consensus today is that this is not true. An unusual and quite scarce edition of this work.
Seller: Dearly Departed Books, Alliance, OH, U.S.A.