The Death Ship. The Story of an American Sailor New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1934.
First American edition of Traven’s first novel (first published in German as Das Totenschiff in 1926). This edition was preceded by the British edition by a few months, but that translation was by someone else; this version is Traven’s own English translation, and is considered to be superior (a similar circumstance occurred with his most famous novel, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, 1935).
Octavo. [2, blank], [vi], [1]-372, [4, blank] pp. Publisher’s full black cloth, front cover with sailing ship motif in oval circle stamped in blind, rear cover with Knopf’s familiar Borzoi stamped in blind at lower right, spine lettered and stamped in gilt, dust jacket. Jacket spine somewhat browned, headcap chipped (no loss of text), a few short tears to upper edge of jacket, light edgewear to lower edge of book, a few small soil marks to covers. Previous owner’s bookplate on front pastedown. Still, this book shows overall to be in near fine condition.
B. Traven (possible dates: 1890-1969) is the pen name of an unknown German (?) novelist. His identity has never been conclusively established, but there are some tantalizing (and most likely far-fetched) possibilities: the author Jack London, an illegitimate son of Kaiser Wilhelm II, and even author Ambrose Bierce (who disappeared in 1914). He is best known for The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and typically wrote anti-capitalist, pro-proletariat stories. Death Ship is about an unfortunate merchant seaman who lacks identity papers, and so cannot live or work anywhere on land.
ID:
3470
$
1,500