Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies - Signed. Faber & Faber (London), 1954.
Price: US$2350.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Faber & Faber (London) 1954 First Edition, Fifth Printing (1960). VERY GOOD in red boards with white titles (slight lean to the spine, light age toning to the end pages, small previous owner name on the top right edge of the front free end paper) in a VERY GOOD DW (slight darkening, light soiling, light rubbing to the flap folds and spine). Not price clipped. SIGNED BY GOLDING on a tipped in leaf to the title page.
Seller: Chris Grobel, Arlington, TX, U.S.A.
William Golding. Lord of The Flies. Faber & Faber, 1954.
Price: US$5500.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: Faber & Faber London, 1960. Fifth impression of first edition of 1954. SIGNED DIRECTLY ON FRONT PAGE by Golding (NOT ON A "STICKER" OR ADDED "CLIP"). Dustwrapper identical in appearance to first edition. Book in NEAR FINE condition, clean pages, no writings except author's inscription, tight and square, minor bumps to lower tips of covers, unfaded spine. Dustwrapper with original price present on front flap, minor wear/chips to spine edges, otherwise whole and vibrant. Pictures on request. SIGNED BY AUTHOR. $5,500
Seller: E. B. Books, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. Faber and Faber Ltd, London, 1954.
Price: US$27500.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: First Edition, First Printing with the words "First Published mcmliv" printed on the copyright page with NO indication of later printings. A spectacular copy SIGNED by William Golding on a laid in signature. This ORIGINAL First Issue dustjacket with the summary of "Lord of the Flies" on the front flap, later changed to blurbs is rich in color with slight wear to the edges. The book is in fabulous shape and is one of the rare publishers trial binding bound in blue color, that the publisher changed to Red color. The blue binding is far more scarce than the red binding. The binding is tight and the boards are crisp. The pages are exceptionally clean with NO writing, marks or bookplates in the book. A stunning copy, with an incredible untouched dustjacket in collector's condition.
Seller: Magnum Opus Rare Books, Missoula, MT, U.S.A.
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. Faber and Faber Ltd, London, 1954.
Price: US$30000.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: First Edition, First Printing SIGNED by William Golding. This inscription reads "For John Dalton with best wishes William Golding. John Dalton was a freelance UK journalist whose career spanned the mid-twentieth century. A wonderful copy. This First Issue dustjacket with the summary of "Lord of the Flies" printed on the front flap later changed to blurbs on later dustjackets is vibrant in color with NO chips or tears. This ORIGINAL sophisticated dustjacket has the publisher's 12S 6d net printed price present on the front flap. The book is in fantastic shape and is bound in the publisher's Red Cloth. The binding is tight with NO cocking or leaning and the boards are crisp. The pages are clean with NO writing, marks or bookplates in the book. A wonderful copy SIGNED by the author on the page before the title page. We buy SIGNED Golding First Editions.
Seller: Magnum Opus Rare Books, Missoula, MT, U.S.A.
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. Faber and Faber, London, 1954.
Price: US$48000.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: First edition, first printing. An advance presentation copy inscribed by William Golding to his next-door neighbors and dated ten days before publication, reading "To Mr and Mrs Nelles with the author's regards 7/9/54" with his name not signed. Bound in original red cloth with titles in white on spine. Near Fine with slight fading to cloth, bleeding to edges of front paste down and several tiny spots to textblock edge. In a Very Good or better unclipped dust jacket with light bleeding from cloth to blindside, light waviness to front panel, light edge wear, short tear at bottom of front spine joint and two short splits to rear spine joint. An allegorical tale of children stranded on a coral island and their disastrous attempt to govern themselves. It was Golding's first novel, who was a middle-aged school teacher when he wrote it. After reading an unrealistic story of stranded youth, he commented to his wife he could do better. He drew upon on his experience as a school teacher, and at one point even divided the children into two groups and told them to fight each other and observed. The manuscript was rejected by many publishers, and even the book's publisher Faber and Faber initially rejected it as well. A lovely association copy from a then-unknown British school teacher on the cusp of becoming a major novelist, inscribing a copy of his soon-to-be published book to his next-door neighbors. The novel would become a titan of twentieth-century literature and would be named as one of the Modern Library 100 Best Novels, ranked number 41 on the editor's list and 25 by readers. In 1983, Golding was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his novels which, with the perspicuity of realistic narrative art and the diversity and universality of myth, illuminate the human condition in the world of today."
Seller: Burnside Rare Books, ABAA, Portland, OR, U.S.A.