The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway - LIMITED EDITIONS CLUB 1990

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway - LIMITED EDITIONS CLUB 1990

A PICTORIAL REVIEW

No. 334 of 600 copies
Illustrated and signed by photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt.
5 photogravures reproduced from the original negatives taken in 1952 for Life Magazine, each protected by a sheet of translucent paper.
Introduced by Charles Scribner.
Plain white endpapers.
Three blank leaves at front of book and five blank leaves at back of book.
Quarter bound in blue goatskin with fawn linen boards.
Spine lettering “The old Man and the Sea” stamped in 22 karat gold.
Printed on French-made Arches paper.
Black clamshell case lined with dark blue felt, gilt lettered “Hemingway” on black leather spine label.
Limited Editions Club newsletter dated June 1990 laid in.
31.3x41.2cm. Landscape format
82 pages
US$660

































































An index of the other illustrated reviews in the this series can be viewed here.

This is an interesting title from a market price standpoint, insofar as its price has steadily declined over the last 25 years by almost 50% (more than 75% when adjusted for inflation). In the late 90s this title (when you could find it) in fine condition typically went for $1,200-$1,400 (letter included) which is $2,256 - $2,632 in 2023 dollars. It's a bit of a head-scratcher given the larger and traditionally deep-pocketed Hemingway collector market and the fine press quality of the title. It's a very well done production. Still, even though I now lament the price I paid for it back then, I'm still glad it's in my library.

>1 wcarter: Great pictures. Thanks for posting.

>2 Sport1963: Besides this volume, and the LEC For Whom the Bell Tolls, do you know of any other fine press publication of any Hemingway title?

>4 blue.eyes2: Century Press recently did The Sun Also Rises

>2 Sport1963: When I was considering buying this one I searched for it on this site and there were several collectors on some old threads saying they were happy to have gotten it for between $900-$1,200. That made me pull the trigger earlier this year on a $725 copy, which was the best price at the time for one with the letter. Since then I've seen a $550 copy and now this $660. $660 with the tissue guards is a great deal. Amazing photos as always!

One can debate whether selected Sidney Shiff LEC titles are worth the cost at current prices, and there is great variation in price between them. However, the use of world class photography reproduced to the highest standards - usually with costly photogravure technique - remains a hallmark of the Sidney Shiff LEC bibliography. Several other Shiff LEC books in this vein are:

1. The Man Who Planted Trees
2. Song of the Open Road
3. The Heights of Machu Picchu

All are highly recommended.

>4 blue.eyes2: The only other Fine Press Hemingway treatment I am aware of are two Contre Coup Press titles "Big Two-Hearted River" (2011) and "The Northern Woods, Five Nick Adams Stories" (2017). Contre Coup titles typically have low limitations of between 20 to 40 copies, and consequently don't often appear in the secondary market. Here's an old thread from early last year that has a few more posts about Contre Coup

https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/3279/Fine-Press-Forum

This edition has been relatively affordable for a number of years. I bought my copy back in 2018 for $650. On the whole I like larger folios but I found this form factor to be a little awkward even when reading in my Eames lounger.

I believe there's another edition of Big Two-Hearted River out there, printed by the Coyote Love Press out of Portland ME. I don't know much about either the edition or the press, but I've occasionally come across it when looking through listings.

Man Ben Shiff really liked his landscape orientation layouts.

As soon as I saw the first cover shot I thought, I bet Ben designed this. And indeed.