Strunk and White first edition

November 14, 2011 1:27 PM

I've sniffed around on AbeBooks and a few other sites, but I can't really seem to find anything that's a Strunk and White first edition. Anyone have more ideas about how to find such an animal?

I do realize from my reading that the early editions were for a series of courses taught, and that, if I remember correctly, they were almost like handouts.
But after sniffing around for a while, I have yet to find anything on old book sites proclaiming to be a first edition Strunk and White.
Any help is appreciated.

posted by el riesgo sempre vive to writing & language (9 answers total)

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37134
posted by Gringos Without Borders at 1:37 PM on November 14, 2011

The link above is the first edition that Strunk wrote which White used as his student.
posted by Gringos Without Borders at 1:38 PM on November 14, 2011

Are you looking for the paper that Strunk published in 1919, or the 1959 book "With Revisions, an Introduction, and a New Chapter on Writing by E.B. White"? Only the second is "Strunk and White".
posted by j.edwards at 1:41 PM on November 14, 2011

I'd actually love to find physical editions of each; I think I've seen copies identified as the 1959 edition, but not one ever identified as a first edition Strunk and White.
Always seems to be a third or later edition...
posted by el riesgo sempre vive at 1:43 PM on November 14, 2011

Here's a good collection which runs through the publishing history of Elements of Style. Bartleby's text comes from the 1918 (Geneva, NY: Press of W.P. Humphrey) edition. I would imagine the early imprints don't show up for sale on the internets very often. Maybe auctions?
posted by steef at 1:48 PM on November 14, 2011

Thanks Steef.
Love that first link; will get all over that shortly.
And yeah, I was thinking that I might have to look at auctions to get any closer to holding one in my grubby hands.
posted by el riesgo sempre vive at 1:52 PM on November 14, 2011

Sorry, I didn't get that you were looking for a dead tree version.
posted by Gringos Without Borders at 2:19 PM on November 14, 2011

Nice link! It sounds like printing run is only possible to determine if the book has the dust jacket. I've got a 1st ed (belonged to my grandfather) but the dust jacket is long gone. It doesn't say "first edition" or anything, just:
© The Macmillan Company 1959

The Library of Congress number is given as 59-9950. Though, interestingly, there's a small circle imprinted on the back cover where he says a square would be if it were the book club edition.
posted by j.edwards at 2:27 PM on November 14, 2011

I happen to have a copy of the 1959 first edition, with dust jacket, but didn't know until just now that it must be a book-club version, as it has no price on the jacket and an indentation on the back cover. But the dent is round, not square, so I'm still mystified.
Great book, big influence on us writers of a certain age.
posted by fivesavagepalms at 4:44 PM on November 14, 2011