posted on 15 Jul 2017

The Works of James Joyce in a 10 Volume Box Set

I have to admit that this is a rather peculiar artefact but, as a great James Joyce fan, one I couldn’t resist. Published by Bath-based Robert Frederick in 1999 it consists of ten individual volumes all about 12cms in height, bound in a vibrant green leather and gilded on the edges.

There are ten volumes because Ulysses and Finnegan’s Wake are split into three parts and the play, Exiles, is also included. I have to say that I’m entirely puzzled by the final volume which is entitled Great Collection of Short Stories which seems to be nothing more than Dubliners (which already has its own volume) repeated in a different order. Sadly, the collection contains none of Joyce’s critical work and none of his poetry.

The presentation of the box is very similar to the boxed miniature collections that were particularly popular in the Victorian and Edwardian periods when cramming Shakespeare or Dickens into tiny editions seemed to be a popular pastime. I was a bit concerned that the text would be so small that it would be illegible but actually that’s not the case – each volume is quite readable and the handy pocket size is potentially a boon.

A bit of digging around on the internet reveals that this collection has something of a dodgy legal history. In 2005 the law firm of Bird & Bird took action on behalf of the Joyce literary estate to prevent publication and sale of this collection. Their website entry from that time says:

 

An injunction prohibiting further publication of copies of this was granted yesterday. Robert Fredericks is also paying £10,000 in damages to the Estate, equivalent to a royalty of 25% for each copy sold, and the Estate’s legal costs.

The case came to court because Robert Fredericks failed to investigate the copyright issues before printing and selling its edition. The Estate of James Joyce, which owns copyright in the works of the world famous author, attempted to negotiate a settlement but in the end took legal action. As well as infringing copyright, the green leather bound 10 volume box set was misleadingly named, in that “The Works of James Joyce” did not actually incorporate the author’s complete works. The texts included numerous errors, and Joyce’s poetry and critical writings were omitted altogether. Further, one of the books in the box set, called “Great Short Stories” is in fact merely a re-ordered collection of the stories in Joyce’s Dubliners, which also appeared in the box set.

The fact that copies of this collection are again out there and being openly traded on just about all book websites must mean that either the injunction against its distribution has been lifted or some kind of accommodation has been reached between the publisher and the Joyce estate. Whether the ‘errors’ referred to in the Bird & Bird statement have been amended isn’t something that’s going to be immediately obvious to establish but I’m going to take a volume away with me when I next go on holiday and see what the experience of reading it is like.

I think you’ll agree that this is just too quirky for any self-respecting James Joyce collector to forego.

 

Terry Potter

July 2017