| Patrick O'Brian acknowledges his earlier
work. British Library honors him with edition of his earlier work. Boxed set includes: Caesar and Hussein: An Entertainment in signed, limited, numbered edition. |
To Order by Mail. | ||
| In
1999, the venerable and prestigious British Library honored Patrick
O'Brian with a beautiful edition of his earliest work which had been
out-of-print for many years. O'Brian was at the height of his popularity resulting from the series of UK novels he initiated in 1960 addressing the adventures of his two characters Jack Aubrey, a naval captain during the Napoleonic Wars, and Stephen Maturin, ship surgeon, spy, and close friend. Ironically, collectors seeking the first edition of his Master and Commander first novel of the Aubrey-Maturin series, learn that it was published in the US by Lippincott of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. |
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| His Aubrey-Maturin series had its US publication in 1990 to a
much larger audience and his series earned much acclaim and critical
approval. His previous life of penury in the south of France
writing novels, translations, and reviews was replaced with
financial success and a 1995 US tour to accompany the publication of
Wine-Dark Sea, 16th in the series, with the usual lectures and
media interviews. (You can read O'Brian's description of this trip
at
http://www.wwnorton.com/POB/vol3i.htm.) Rumors had begun to arise that O'Brian had a secret identity prior to WW2 which he used to hide unpleasantries. O'Brian's reputation for reclusiveness and his extraordinary penchant for privacy exacerbated the rumor but throughout his life he refused to address this issue. This provided the British Library an opportunity to republish two early novels that he had written and published before age 21. O'Brian never overtly acknowledged his earlier name but provided a link to his past by providing a foreword to this edition and autographing them as author. |
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O'Brian returned to the US for a 1998 tour accompanying the publication of the 20th book, Blue at the Mizzen. Unfortunately he died shortly after returning to the UK in January, 2000. We now know that at the end of WW2, Patrick O'Brian married his beloved Mary, both of whom were recently divorced. She died in 1998. He dedicated many of his books to Mary and legally assumed the name to which his talent gave renown. O'Brian was one of those authors who spent forty years in comparative obscurity until his "sudden" fame and fortune. |
 Patrick O'Brian reads from Wine-Dark Sea at the National Archives, Washington DC. Copyrighted 2009 John L. Berg. |
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For more details on Patrick O'Brian, see his wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_O%27Brian The Lilly Library of Indiana University holds Patrick O'Brian's manuscripts: http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/findingaids/lilly/view?doc.view=entire_text&brand=ead&docId=InU-Li-VAA1281 |
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| The following two items are available for sale: | |||
| General description of both items: The British Library issued this edition of Caesar and Hussein in 1999 as two volume Octavo boxed set in a numbered, limited edition of 1000 with 250 signed by Patrick O'Brian. New with a two-page Foreword by Patrick O'Brian bound in Caesar for the edition. Quarter leather, patterned boards, gilt stamping and top-edge, burgundy cloth slipcase with silk ribbon to assist book removal. Caesar was originally published in 1930; Hussein, in 1938. ISBN 9780712311106 | |||
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The Autographed Collector's Set of Caesar and Hussein: An
Entertainment. by Richard Patrick Russ/Patrick O'Brian, --Two volumes in boxed Set, edition limited to 250 published by the British Library as a tribute to O'Brian. Born Richard Patrick Russ, Patrick O'Brian legally changed his name shortly after WWII and signed all subsequent books with his new name. These two were originally published under his Russ name and received great praise for one so young. With this publication O'Brian acknowledged these works as his and he provided the set with a new Foreword. Autographed by Patrick O'Brian. List Price $500.00, Your price $305.00, Book Number B00808. Compare to prices in: |
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The Limited Edition Boxed Set of Caesar and Hussein:
An Entertainment. by Richard Patrick Russ/Patrick O'Brian, --Two books, Caesar and Hussein: an entertainment form the collector's set, an edition limited to 1000 published by the British Library as a tribute to O'Brian. Born Richard Patrick Russ, Patrick O'Brian legally changed his name shortly after WWII and all subsequent books he wrote were signed with his new name. These two, Caesar and Hussein were originally published under his Russ name and received great praise for one so young. With this publication O'Brian acknowledged these works as his and provided the set with a new Foreword. Two volumes, in pictorial boards with leather spines, in a red cloth slipcase., H, , . List Price $195.00, Your price $99.00, Book Number B00640. |
Shipping fee is $10.00 for Priority Mail and
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