This unique copy of Szuts’ wordless novel, My War, is believed to be a production copy annotated by H. Arnold, an employee of the publisher, John Lane The Bodley Head. Company records indicate he was age 16 when he annotated this copy.
Extract from an email Apr 5, 2023, Bonner to Martens: I can be confident that your edition is a production copy for a number of reasons. The binding in brown paper, with title and brief description typed and stuck to the spine, is very typical of early production copies. As are the hand-written notes within, and the handwritten price on the spine. This is something you will see in file and production copies well into the 20th century. These do not differ massively from proof copies, as they were likely produced at the same time, but the addition of notes from members of staff like H. Arnold tell us that it was being used in office to mock-up changes to the final edition.*
Thanks go to Esmé Bonner (Library and Archive Assistant, Penguin Random House Archive) for diligently researching the matter including information about H. Arnold.
*NOTE: Penguin Random House UK Archive & Library are not experts in antiquarian/rare books or publishing and accordingly make no representations or warranties regarding any information supplied by the PRH UK Archive & Library in response to a detailed query.
This copy has page numbering in pencil and unlike the printed numbers in the book.
The “£35” and “Proof” were presumably added by
a book dealer at some later date.
- This copy is bound with 204 images; no title page or index
- The images are of identical size to the book and done with the same process BUT was printed without image numbers ie numbers must have been added to the plate later or the plates were redone with numbers added for the publication.
- Below each image (up to image 200) has a title in pencil. In the published book the titles with image number are listed in the back.
- The 1931 publication has 206 images (everything this proof copy has plus two more). Also Proof image 204, is 205 in the publication.
- front cover has pencilled title, spine with printed label stuck on
The spine label is worn with portions missing but the best guess is
that it reads, “My War ?204? Illustrations reproduced in facsimile.
With an introduction by R. H. Mottram ?????? C?? 15s.”
