Category: Staring at the Sun

Staring at the Sun (Random House Canada, 1987)

Notes on this edition: First Canadian edition – Toronto: Random House, 1987. $19.95.

Descriptive Bibliography:

Title Page: JULIAN BARNES | [multiple lines of alternating thickness arranged to suggest the image of a sunset] | STARING | AT THE SUN | [ruled lines of alternating thickness] | RANDOM HOUSE  TORONTO | 1  9 [Random House device]  8 7

Copyright Page: Copyright © 1986 by Julian Barnes | All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright | Conventions. Published in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, | Toronto, and simultaneously in | the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. | Originally published in Great Britain by Jonathan Cape Limited, London. | Canadian Cataloging in Publication Data | Barnes, Julian. | Staring at the sun. | ISBN 0-394-22005-6 | I. Title. | PR6052.A66S7  1987 823’ .914 C86-094603-7 | Manufactured in the United States of America | FIRST CANADIAN EDITION

Collation: 21.2 x 14.4 cm. Untrimmed pages. Pp. [i-viii, 1-8] 9-65 [66-70] 71-137 [138-142] 143-197 [198-200] [Note: no even page numbers were printed]. [i]: blank. [ii]: ‘ALSO BY JULIAN BARNES | Metroland | Before She Met Me | Flaubert’s Parrot’. [iii]: ‘STARING AT THE SUN’. [iv]: blank. [v]: title page. [vi]: copyright page. [vii]: ‘to Pat’. [viii]: blank. [1]: ‘STARING AT THE SUN’. [2]: blank. [3-4]: text. [5]: ‘[multiple lines of alternating thickness arranged to suggest the image of a sunset] | ONE | You ask me what life is? It is like asking what a carrot | is. A carrot is a carrot, and nothing more is known. | –CHEKHOV TO OLGA KNIPPER, 20 April 1904 | [ruled lines of alternating thickness]’. [6]: blank. [7]-[66]: text. [67]: ‘[multiple lines of alternating thickness arranged to suggest the image of a sunset] | TWO | Three wise men—are you serious? | –GRAFFITO, c. 1984 | [ruled lines of alternating thickness]’. [68]: blank. [69]-137: text. [138]: blank. [139]: ‘[multiple lines of alternating thickness arranged to suggest the image of a sunset] | THREE | immortality is no learned question. | –KIERKEGAARD | [ruled lines of alternating thickness]’. [140]: blank. [141]-197: text. [198]: blank. [199]: ‘A NOTE ON THE TYPE | The text of this book was set in a digitized version of Bembo, a | well-known Monotype face. Named for Pietro Bembo, the cele- | brated Renaissance writer and humanist scholar who was made a | cardinal and served as secretary to Pope Leo X, the original cut- | ting of Bembo was made by Francesco Griffo of Bologna only a | few years after Columbus discovered America. | Sturdy, well balanced, and finely proportioned, Bembo is a | face of rare beauty, extremely legible in all of its sizes. | Composed by Creative Graphics, Inc. | Printed and bound by Fairfield Graphics, | Fairfield, Pennsylvania. | Book design by Marysarah Quinn’. [200]: blank.

General description: Binding 22 x 15 cm. White boards, light purple quarter binding gold blocked on spine. White endpapers. White dust jacket lettered in light purple (title), blue (author), and black (quotes on lower panel). Multi-colored cover illustration by Havier Romero. Photograph of the author by Nancy Crampton located on back flap. Appears nearly identical to the First American edition, except for Random House markings to jacket spine and back flap.  No price to front flap.

Staring at the Sun (Picador, 1987)

Notes on this edition: Julian Barnes. Staring at the Sun. London: Picador, 1987. Pp. 195 + [7]. 19.6 x 12.9 cm. ISBN: 0330299301.

Published by Picador (Pan Books) in association with Jonathan Cape. Cover design by Trickett & Webb Limited. Cover price listed at £3.50, but this copy has a bookstore sticker from “Waterstone’s” listing the price as £4.03.

Below is a second printing of the Picador edition:

Mirando al sol | Starting at the Sun (Anagrama, 1987; Spanish)

Notes on this edition: Mirando al sol | Starting at the Sun. Barcelona: Anagrama, 1987). Pp. 207 + [1]. 19.8 x 14 cm. Translated by Agustín Tena. ISBN: 8433931113. (Spanish). First Spanish edition in paper covers issued in “octubre 1987”.

Below, the second printing of this edition from “noviembre 1987”.

Staring at the Sun (Alfred A. Knopf, 1986)

Notes on this edition: First American edition – New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1987. $15.95.

Descriptive Bibliography

Title Page: JULIAN BARNES | [multiple lines of alternating thickness arranged to suggest the image of a sunset] | STARING | AT THE SUN | [ruled lines of alternating thickness] | ALFRED A. KNOPF  NEW YORK | 1  9  [Knopf device]  8  7

Copyright Page: THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK | PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF, INC. | Copyright © 1986 by Julian Barnes | All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright | Conventions. Published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., | New York. Distributed by Random House, Inc., New York. | Originally published in Great Britain by Jonathan Cape, Limited, London. | Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data | Barnes, Julian. | Staring at the sun. | I. Title. | PR6052.A6657S7  1986  823’.914  86-40443 | ISBN 0-394-55821-9 | Manufactured in the United States of America | FIRST AMERICAN EDITION

Collation: 21.2 x 14.4 cm. Untrimmed pages. Pp. [i-viii, 1-8] 9-65 [66-70] 71-137 [138-142] 143-197 [198-200] [Note: no even page numbers were printed]. [i]: blank. [ii]: ‘ALSO BY JULIAN BARNES | Metroland | Before She Met Me | Flaubert’s Parrot’. [iii]: ‘STARING AT THE SUN’. [iv]: blank. [v]: title page. [vi]: copyright page. [vii]: ‘to Pat’. [viii]: blank. [1]: ‘STARING AT THE SUN’. [2]: blank. [3-4]: text. [5]: ‘[multiple lines of alternating thickness arranged to suggest the image of a sunset] | ONE | You ask me what life is? It is like asking what a carrot | is. A carrot is a carrot, and nothing more is known. | –CHEKHOV TO OLGA KNIPPER, 20 April 1904 | [ruled lines of alternating thickness]’. [6]: blank. [7]-[66]: text. [67]: ‘[multiple lines of alternating thickness arranged to suggest the image of a sunset] | TWO | Three wise men—are you serious? | –GRAFFITO, c. 1984 | [ruled lines of alternating thickness]’. [68]: blank. [69]-137: text. [138]: blank. [139]: ‘[multiple lines of alternating thickness arranged to suggest the image of a sunset] | THREE | immortality is no learned question. | –KIERKEGAARD | [ruled lines of alternating thickness]’. [140]: blank. [141]-197: text. [198]: blank. [199]: ‘A NOTE ON THE TYPE | The text of this book was set in a digitized version of Bembo, a | well-known Monotype face. Named for Pietro Bembo, the cele- | brated Renaissance writer and humanist scholar who was made a | cardinal and served as secretary to Pope Leo X, the original cut- | ting of Bembo was made by Francesco Griffo of Bologna only a | few years after Columbus discovered America. | Sturdy, well balanced, and finely proportioned, Bembo is a | face of rare beauty, extremely legible in all of its sizes. | Composed by Creative Graphics, Inc. | Printed and bound by Fairfield Graphics, | Fairfield, Pennsylvania. | Book design by Marysarah Quinn’. [200]: blank.

General description: Binding 22 x 15 cm. White boards, light purple quarter binding with gold blocked letters on spine. White endpapers. White dust jacket lettered in light purple (title), blue (author), and black (quotes on lower panel). Multi-colored cover illustration by Havier Romero. Photograph of the author by Nancy Crampton located on back flap.

太陽を見つめて | Staring at the Sun (白水社 | Hakusuisha, 1992; Japanese)

Notes on this edition: 太陽を見つめて | Staring at the Sun. Tokyo: 白水社 | Hakusuisha, 1992. Pp. 287 + [3]. 19.3 x 13.7 cm. Translated by 加藤光也 (Mitsuya Katō). ISBN: 4560044759. (Japanese).

Staring at the Sun | Uncorrected Proof (Jonathan Cape, 1986)

Notes on this edition: Julian Barnes. Staring at the Sun. London: Jonathan Cape, 1986. Pp. 195 + [1]. 20.6 x 13.8 cm. Uncorrected Proof in brown, white and orange pictorial wraps. Image is similar to the final dust jacket. White lettering, except ‘UNCORRECTED PROOF’ in black along bottom.

Provisional U.K. publication date set for 18 September 1986, for a provisional price of £9.95.

Staring at the Sun (Marlies Louwes, 1997)

Notes on this edition: Julian Barnes. Staring at the Sun. Groningen: Marlies Louwes, 1997. Pp. [12]. 11.7 x 18.5 cm.

Limited, letterpress edition of the opening section of Julian Barnes’s novel Staring at the Sun. This pamphlet features artwork by Marlies Louwes. The colophon states: ‘Typeset in Bembo and Printed in 40 copies on Zerkall-Bütten.’ Text reprinted with the author’s permission. Yellow paper cover. 

A napba nézve | Staring at the Sun (Ulpius-ház, 2002; Hungarian)

Notes on this edition: Julian Barnes. A napba nézve | Staring at the Sun. Budapest: Ulpius-ház, 2002. Pp. 305 + [7]. 20 x 12.4 cm. Translated by Lukács Laura. ISBN: 9789639475052. (Hungarian).

Staring at the Sun (Random House, 1987; Canadian Paperback)

Notes on this edition: Julian Barnes. Staring at the Sun. Toronto: Random House, 1987. Pp. 197 + [3]. 21.5 x 13.9 cm. ISBN: 0394220471.

Second Canadian edition issued in paperback, as stated on the copyright page.

Staring at the Sun | Uncorrected Proof (Alfred A. Knopf, 1987)

Notes on this edition: Julian Barnes. Staring at the Sun. Alfred A. Knopf, 1987. Pp. 195 + [5]. 21.2 x 13.7 cm.

Uncorrected Proof of Julian Barnes’s fourth novel Staring at the Sun. Published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1987, and bound in orange wraps with black lettering.

Two versions of this proof are shown. The first is as published, while the second has a slip of paper taped to the cover directly under the author’s name. The paper states, “Author of FLAUBERT’S PARROT.” This version also includes a handwritten tentative publication date of “April 2, 1987” and the tentative price of “$15.95.” Stapled inside the front cover are two promotional sheets. The first describes and promotes Staring at the Sun, and the second features review blurbs in promotion of Barnes’s widely acclaimed novel Flaubert’s Parrot.