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Authors make their living primarily from royalties on the sale of new, in-print books,
and this site encourages those interested in the work of J.P. Donleavy to purchase new
books from bona-fide book dealers; however, when one wishes to obtain titles that have
gone out of print, there is no choice but to purchase used copies.
Both new and used sources are given on this page with no endorsement of any
particular bookseller or dealer group. While intentional fraud and mislistings are rare,
care must be taken when transacting to ensure that you know which edition you are
getting, its condition (if used), shipping & payment details and so forth. When
contacting a seller, get as much specific information as possible on the edition.
Often important details such as condition of the dust jacket, whether or not the edition
is price clipped, and even which printing the edition is may be omitted from a seller's
listing. A so-called "first edition" that is a later printing is not as collectable as a first
printing and should not be priced as high. Also, know how true first editions, limited
editions, and first printings of new editions differ. For example, the first true edition
of The Ginger Man is the Olympia Press ed., published in Paris in 1955. The Franklin
Library edition is a limited, signed edition, not a true first edition. The Delacorte Press
edition, NY 1965 is the first US and first hardcover unexpurgated edition, and so on.
Verifying an edition by ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is generally a good
way to make sure you're getting the edition you want. Recently published books all have
this number imprinted somewhere near the front or back cover. Many out-of-print, older
books have been issued ISBNs after the fact. I've found several conflicting numbers for
Donleavy titles that were published before ISBNs were imprinted directly on the editions.
The JPD Bibliography page on this site lists ISBNs whenever possible, and conflicting
numbers will be corrected as discovered. |
