A descriptive bibliography of Lady Chatterley's lover : with essays toward a publishing history of the novel /

Gathering information for the introductory essays to the eight sections of this volume (each of which covers a different edition of Lady Chatterley's Lover, together with its "subeditions" and "variations") and for the bibliographical descriptions themselves required prodigious enterprise and thorough research. The result is a work of scholarship impressive in the amount and kind of detailed information provided. Moreover, the presentation of and distinctions between fact and hypothesis in the essays and descriptions are scrupulously careful. Coverage of the sections, each presenting the various versions of an edition in chronological order, is indicated by their titles: The First Edition and Its Authorized Impressions; Piracies, 1928-50, and the "Third Edition"; The Authorized Abridged Edition, 1932-68; Continental Editions in English, 1933-60; Post-Censorship U.S. Editions, 1959-88; Post-Censorship British Editions, 1960-88; The First Lady Chatterley, 1944-88; and John Thomas and Lady Jane, 1972-88. Five appendixes present various kinds of additional information. The only weakness is that the photographically reproduced computer printout, typical for a book of this kind, is difficult to read. Especially useful for graduate libraries. -J. E. Steiner, Drew University