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Lady Chatterley's Lover. By D H Lawrence. 313 pages.
Released as Volume One of the "Modern Amatory Classics" series, this specific book represents the very first, albeit illicit, American hardcover edition of D.H. Lawrence's masterpiece.
When D.H. Lawrence finished writing Lady Chatterley's Lover in 1928, it was immediately banned in both the UK and the United States for its explicit language and themes. Because it was banned, it could not secure standard copyright protection in America, rendering its text legally vulnerable.
Enter Samuel Roth, a notoriously brilliant and controversial underground publisher in New York who operated under several aliases, including William Faro, Inc.
- The Intercepted Market: Roth saw an opportunity to capitalize on the massive black-market demand for the text. Lawrence had just died in March 1930. Roth contacted Lawrence's widow, Frieda, for permission to publish a U.S. edition. When she refused, Roth illegally went ahead and printed it anyway, creating the First Pirated American Edition.
- The "Expurgated" Compromise: To avoid being arrested by anti-vice crusaders under American obscenity laws, Roth didn't publish Lawrence's raw text. Instead, he creatively edited and toned down the most legally dangerous vocabulary while still preserving enough titillation to market it to eager readers.
Published 1930 by William Faro, Inc, New York. Good condition with some wear. Bright cover and paste down label on spine, firm binding, crack between the title and "Amatory Classics" page.
