Beckett, Samuel

8vo, FIRST EDITION OF THE AUTHOR'S FIRST MAJOR WORK, the critic Vivian Mercier's copy, 4pp. of publisher's advertisements at the end, original green cloth, lettered in gilt on the spine, slight offsetting and some slight browning, covers slightly worn, particularly along edges and joints, cloth slightly nicked

Vivian Mercier, with his ownership signature dated February 1939 on the front endpaper

Federman & Fletcher 25

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The Irish literary critic Vivian Mercier (1919-89) is perhaps most famous for his review of Beckett's Waiting for Godot as "a play in which nothing happens, twice" (The Irish Times, 18 February 1956). However, he was a celebrated and sympathetic Beckett scholar, acclaimed in particular for his study Beckett/Beckett (OUP, 1977), which assesses Murphy in terms of one of seven dialectical oppositions ("Painting / Music") identified by Mercier across Beckett's oeuvre to that point.