I'm a huge collector of Anais Nin's works -especially anything published by the original Swallow Press. Sadly one thing I don't own is the Swallow Press (some of the later books being published by Harcourt/Harvest) of her complete set of diaries.
I've seen copies, but always thought they were over-priced and with so many different "versions" of Nin's diaries out there it's only my nostalgia for the Swallow Press editions of Nin's work that leans me towards this set in particular. They are the "expurgated" versions, as the unexpurgated versions weren't published until 1986 when Nin's widow Rupert Pole decided to have them republished.
Nin began her "diary" at the age of 11. The diaries I'm looking for start in 1931 and end in 1974, but there is also a 4 volumes set of Nin's earlier diaries starting in 1914 and ending in 1931. Her diaries was famously denounced when it became apparent that Nin edited her life a great deal, still it is a singular and amazing literary document nonetheless.
I have a small but proud collection of Nin's works, which recently got a little bigger. I picked up "A Photographic Supplement to The Diary of Anais Nin" for 5,00 euros. There appear to be two versions, published by Harvest/Harcourt (they are a supplement to the Harvest/Harcourt editons of the diaries), one published with the harcover volumes in 1966 and a second published in 1974 (which I have) for the tradeback editions.
While I've seen the Harvest/Harcourt First/First for about 600,00 euros - an incomplete set of the Swallow Press (buying the first volumes separately as a First/First) is slightly more affordable. In reality I'd like to have both, but for the purposes of collecting, the Swallow Press of the diaries and the Swallow Press hardcover of the Anais Nin Reader (I have a Swallow Press tradeback) would be the real coup. The Reader costs almost as much as all six of the diaries, so I better start saying my petits pieces!
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| First Edition/First Printing of Volume One Swallow Press |
Nin began her "diary" at the age of 11. The diaries I'm looking for start in 1931 and end in 1974, but there is also a 4 volumes set of Nin's earlier diaries starting in 1914 and ending in 1931. Her diaries was famously denounced when it became apparent that Nin edited her life a great deal, still it is a singular and amazing literary document nonetheless.
I have a small but proud collection of Nin's works, which recently got a little bigger. I picked up "A Photographic Supplement to The Diary of Anais Nin" for 5,00 euros. There appear to be two versions, published by Harvest/Harcourt (they are a supplement to the Harvest/Harcourt editons of the diaries), one published with the harcover volumes in 1966 and a second published in 1974 (which I have) for the tradeback editions.
While I've seen the Harvest/Harcourt First/First for about 600,00 euros - an incomplete set of the Swallow Press (buying the first volumes separately as a First/First) is slightly more affordable. In reality I'd like to have both, but for the purposes of collecting, the Swallow Press of the diaries and the Swallow Press hardcover of the Anais Nin Reader (I have a Swallow Press tradeback) would be the real coup. The Reader costs almost as much as all six of the diaries, so I better start saying my petits pieces!
