"SHE WANTED TO TRANSFORM THE NOVEL": FIRST EDITION OF VIRGINIA WOOLF'S FIRST NOVEL, THE VOYAGE OUT

WOOLF, Virginia. The Voyage Out. London: Duckworth., 1915. Octavo, original green cloth. $4500.

First edition of Woolf's first novel, praised by E.M. Forster as the signal work in which "her passion for truth is here already," one of only 2000 copies printed.

"Virginia Woolf emerged as a novelist through writing The Voyage Out. It was begun early in 1908 and not published until 1915. The fact that she rewrote the book so many times (she left evidence of five drafts, burnt several more) suggests her uneasiness. She wanted to transform the novel in ways that now seem quite consistent with contemporary experiments in modern art but which were for her, in 1908, solitary ambitions" (Gordon, Virginia Woolf, 98). E.M. Forster praised her debut work as "a strange tragic inspired novel… her passion for truth is here already" (Virginia Woolf, 11). Here and in her other writings "Virginia Woolf shaped the modern novel… Her aim was to find in the 'moment of being' a climactic inward event, parallel to what her friend T. S. Eliot termed 'unattended moments' and what James Joyce termed 'epiphany'" (ODNB). "Published 26 March 1915: 2000 copies printed" (Kirkpatrick). With 11 leaves of publisher's advertisements at rear; without rare dust jacket. Kirkpatrick A1a.

Tiny chip to top of title page, text otherwise fine; cloth with light rubbing to edges, one small faint stain to rear board. An extremely good copy.