The Cantos (1948)
A61
Editions
a. First collected edition
THE CANTOS | OF | EZRA POUND | A NEW DIRECTIONS BOOK 2 leaves, 149, 56, 46 pp., 1 leaf, 167, 118 pp. front.(port.) 21.7 X 14.5 cm. Black cloth boards lettered in silver down the spine; end-papers. Green dust-jacket printed in purple. Published 30 July 1948 at $5.00; 2897 copies printed. On verso of title-leaf: ... Manufactured in the United States by the Vail-Ballou Press [Printed from the plates of the original editions] New Directions Books are published by James Laughlin New York Office—soo Fifth Avenue—18 77 The frontispiece is a reproduction of a photograph of Ezra Pound by Arnold Genthe. “The present volume brings together all the Cantos which have been completed to date. “—(Dust-jacket). Contents: A Draft of XXX Cantos [A31¢|—Eleven New Cantos XXXI-XLI[A37b|—The Fifth Decad of Cantos [XLII-LI, A43c|—Cantos LI-LXXI[A47b|—The Pisan Cantos [LXXIV-LXXXIV; A6oa]. Notes: A second impression of 2228 sets of sheets, identified on the verso of the title-leaf, was prepared and about 1000 copies were bound up in January 1951. The remaining sheets of this impression were bound up in December 1952 with a number of corrections supplied by cancel leaves. Subsequent impressions, with all cancels reprinted, are identified on the verso of the title-leaf. The fifth and later impressions contain “Author’s Errata” facing page 3. Some notes to Cantos XIV, XVI, XX, XXI, XXXIX, and xiv, sent by Ezra Pound to one of the editors in June 1947, are incorporated in the notes to these Cantos in Modern Poetry, American and British, Edited by Kimon Friar and John Malcolm Brinnin (New York, [1951]), pp525-7 and 561.
b. First English collected (offset) edition ([1950})- EZRA POUND | SEVENTY | CANTOS | FABER & FABER | LON- DON 447 pp. 20.8 X 15 cm. Black cloth boards lettered in gold on spine; end-papers. White dust-jacket printed in red and black (with title on front
LXXI [sic] SEVENTY CANTOS ... ) Published 1 September 1950 at 255.; 1633 copies printed. On verso of title-leaf: First published in mcmx ... Printed in Great Britain by Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons Limited ... [by offset from original editions] “These cantos have previously appeared, under our imprint, in four separate volumes issued from time to time as the author released his work for publication. During the war we were unable to keep all four instalments in print; rather than reprint those which we cannot supply, we have thought that the time had come to collect them all into one volume.” (Dusz-jacket) Contents: A Draft of XXX Cantos—A Drafi of Cantos XXXI-XLI—The Fifth Decad of Cantos [XLIJ-LI|}—Cantos LI--LXXT Note: The book actually contains 71 cantos. The textual differences between this and the earlier separate editions are easily detected because emendations and corrections in this photographic reprint are in slightly lighter type than the original texts.
c. Second English collected (offset) edition ([1954])
THE CANTOS | OF EZRA POUND | FABER & FABER | LONDON 576 pp. 20.8 X 14*7 cm. Black cloth boards lettered in gold on spine; endpapers. Yellow dust-jacket printed in black and re
d. 78 Published 18 June 1954 at 255.; 2000 copies printed. On verso of title-leaf
First published in mcmuty ... Printed in Great Britain [by offset] by Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons Limited... An “Errata” slip, listing 11 items in 12 lines, is tipped in after page 576. Contents: A Draft of XXX Cantos—A Draft of Cantos XXXI-XLI—The Fifth Decad of Cantos [XLIF-LI |—Cantos LIT-LXXI—The Pisan Cantos [ZXXTP-LXXXIP}. (For textual differences between this and the American collected edition—A61a— see Guy Davenport’s “A Collation of Two Texts of the Cantos” in Pound Newsletter, 6 (April 1955) pp. 5-13.) d. Third English collected (offset) edition ([1964]): Title-page as in AGRe. 798 pp., 1 blank leaf. 20-6 x 14-7 cm. Black cloth boards lettered in gold on spine; end-papers. White dust-jacket printed in black. Published 29 October 1964 at 50 5.3 7686 copies printed. On verso of title-leaf: ... New Collected edition (cantos 1-109) published in memlxiv ... Printed in Great Britain [by offset] by Sir Isaac Pitman and Son Limited . . . Contents: A Draft of XXX Cantos—A Draft of Cantos XXXI-XLI—The Fifth Decad of Cantos [XLII-LI|—Cantos LIF-LXXI—The Pisan Cantos |LXXIV-LXXXIV |— Section: Rock-Drill |LXXXV—XCV \—Thrones |XCVI-CIX |.
e. Second American collected edition ([1965])
THE CANTOS | (1-95) | EZRA POUND | A NEW DIRECTIONS Book 2 leaves, 149, 56, 46 pp., 1 leaf, 167, 118, 107 pp., 2 blank leaves. front.(port.) 21.7 X 14.7 cm. Black cloth boards lettered in silver on spine, end-papers. White dust-jacket printed in black. Published 30 October 1965 at $7.50; 3000 copies printed. On verso of title-leaf: ... First printing Manufactured in the United States New Directions books are published for James Laughlin by New Directions Publishing Corporation, 333 Sixth Avenue, New York 10014. The frontispiece is a reproduction of a photograph of Ezra Pound by Arnold Genthe. Contents: A Draft of XXX Cantos (with 20-line “Author’s Errata” for Cantos XILXXXII added on page [2])—Eleven New Cantos XXXI-XLI—The Fifth Decad of Cantos (XLH-LI |—Cantos LIT-LXX!—The Pisan Cantos |LXXIV-LXXXIV \|— Section: Rock-Drill 85-95 de Los Cantares.
f. Third American collected edition ({1970])
THE CANTOS | OF | EZRA POUND | A NEW DIRECTIONS BOOK 79 3 leaves, 802 pp., 4 blank leaves, incl. front.(port.) 208 X 14:3 cm. Buff cloth boards lettered in black on spine; end-papers. Orange dust-jacket printed in black. Published 11 November 1970 at $12.00; 3000 copies printed. On verso of ttleleaf: ... Frontispiece photograph by Arnold Genthe. Manufactured in the United States of America. ... First printing of Canzos 7-777 in one volume, 1970 New Directions Books are published for James Laughlin by New Directions Publishing Corporation, 333 Sixth Avenue, New York 10014. Contents: A Draft of XXX Cantos—Eleven New Cantos XXXI-XLI—The Fifth Decad of Cantos XLII-LI—Cantos LI-LXXI—The Pisan Cantos LXXIV-LXXXIV —Section: Rock-Drill de Los Cantares LXXXV-XCV—Thrones de Los Cantares XCVIC/X—Drafis and Fragments of Cantos CX—CXVH. (The third printing—of 1900 copies—so identified, issued in 1972 at $12.50, and described on the jacket as “Revised,” has corrections and adds “Canto CXX” on page 803. It collates: 3 leaves, 803 pp., 3 blank leaves, incl. front.(port.) Size, binding, and (reprinted) jacket as for first printing.)
g. Fourth English collected edition ((1976]), hardbound copies
THE CANTOS OF | EZRA POUND FABER AND FABER’ LONDON 3 leaves, 802 pp., 4 blank leaves. 21:9 X 14 cm. Red cloth boards lettered in gold on spine; end-papers. White dust-jacket printed all-over in red. Published 17 May 1976 at £8.50; 1000 copies printed. On verso of title-leaf: ... Revised Collected edition (Cantos 1-117) published in 1975 [sic] ... Printed in the United States of America ... The sheets of the third American collected edition, but without “Canto CXX.” “... where certain names were omitted from our edition (for example, Churchill and Pétain [see AGOB nove] in deference to the libel laws, these are now restored.” (Dust-jacket)
h. Paperbound copies
Title-page and pagination as in hardbound copies. 21-2 X 13:6 cm. Heavy white paper wrappers printed all-over in red on page [i] and spine, in red and in black Published 17 May 1976 at £4.95 in the series of Faber Paperbacks; 6000 copies printed. Verso of title-leaf and contents as in hardbound copies.
Content is now editable.