Kahlil Gibran

Scarce first edition of Kahlil Gibran’s masterpiece of verse in remarkably sharp condition.

• Written and illustrated by Kahlil Gibran (Lebanese-American).
• New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1923.
• 108 pages, some leaves unopened.
• Black-and-white frontispiece with 11 black-and-white plates.
• Bound in original black cloth binding with gilt lettering and roundel, black topstain.

Translated into over 100 languages, extensively quoted and never out of print, The Prophet is one of the most popular books ever published. That popularity came directly from readers, rather than critical acclaim: contemporary reviewers gave the work a frosty reception, but it maintained brisk sales and went on to become “the bible of the counter culture” by the 1960s (BBC). The Prophet is filled with delicate and emotional verses that touch on subjects from marriage to personal conflict to the concepts of good and evil, the result of Lebanese-American author and philosopher Kahlil Gibran’s training and unflinching dedication to the Romantic style. Scholar Juan Cole, speaking to the BBC, observes that this title has resonated with generations of readers, noting that Gibran’s “dogma-free universal spiritualism” encouraged the disillusioned to turn away from establishments in favor of living nonjudgmentally and without basing value on empty moral codes. This copy is from the scarce first edition – only 2,000 were published.

Shoku Amirani and Stephanie Hegarty, Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet: Why is it so loved?, BBC.