“A WOMAN MUST HAVE MONEY AND A ROOM OF HER OWN IF SHE IS TO WRITE FICTION”: FIRST EDITION OF VIRGINIA WOOLF’S CLASSIC

WOOLF, Virginia. A Room of One's Own. London: Hogarth Press, 1929. Octavo, original cinnamon cloth, original dust jacket. Housed in a custom cloth chemise. $8200.

First trade edition, printed by the Woolfs’ Hogarth Press, in the scarce original dust jacket designed by Vanessa Bell.

Woolf's compelling essay on women and writing has become a classic feminist text. Her "aim was to establish a woman's tradition, recognizable by its circumstances, subject-matter, and its distinct problems… A Room of One's Own charted this vast territory with an air of innocent discovery which itself sharpens the case against induced ineffectiveness and ignorance that for so long clouded the counter-history of women" (Gordon, 182). "A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction," said Woolf, "and that, as you will see, leaves the great problem of the true nature of woman and the true nature of fiction unsolved." Preceded only by the signed limited edition of the same year. One of only 3040 copies. Woolmer 215B. Kirkpatrick A12b. Bookplate of noted illustrator Nicolas Bentley and his wife, author Barbara Bentley.

Book with mild offsetting to endpapers, one small spot to rear board. Rare unrestored dust jacket with chipping and wear to extremities of toned spine, front panel quite bright. An extremely good unrestored copy.