Dictionary of Received Ideas (Syrens, 1994; Preface)


Notes on this edition: Flaubert, Gustave. The Dictionary of Received Ideas. London: Syrens, 1994. Translated by Geoffrey Wall. Preface by Julian Barnes (pp. v-xi).

Syrens is a division of Penguin books, and they released this small, thin paperback edition of Flaubert’s The Dictionary of Received Ideas in 1994. They Syrens series included several titles of note, including James Fenton’s slim publication On Statues (1995) and Proust’s On Reading (1995).

For the Flaubert edition, Julian Barnes provides a preface in the format of a dictionary with one entry per letter. This format resembles (but is entirely different in content from) the dictionary chapter in his novel Flaubert’s Parrot.

Папагалът на Флобер | Flaubert’s Parrot (Narodna Kultura, 1990; Bulgarian)


Notes on this edition: Julian Barnes. Папагалът на Флобер | Flaubert’s Parrot. Sofia: Narodna Kultura, 1990. Pp. 251 [252] + [4]. 16 x 11.5 cm. Translated by Dimitrina Kondeva. (Bulgarian).

To support the Bulgarian translation of Flaubert’s Parrot, Barnes visited the country and later wrote about his experiences for the London Review of Books [Barnes, Julian. “Candles for the Living.” LRB, vol. 12, no. 22 (22 November 1990): 6-7.]

While in Bulgaria, Barnes met his translator Dimitrina Kondeva and they soon built a friendship. Barnes wrote to Kondeva for feedback and insights into a new novel he was writing, The Porcupine, which centered on a fictional country similar to Bulgaria.

Flaubert’s Parrot (McGraw-Hill, 1985)


Notes on this edition: Julian Barnes. Flaubert’s Parrot. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1985. Pp. 216. 17.1 x 10.3 cm. ISBN: 0070037485. 

Following the critical success of Julian Barnes’s novel Flaubert’s Parrot, McGraw-Hill published a series of small-format paperbacks to promote his backlist. After releasing Flaubert’s Parrot in paperback (1985), McGraw-Hill issued Barnes’s second novel Before She Met Me (1986), followed by Metroland (1987).

Cross Channel | Uncorrected Proof (Alfred A. Knopf, 1996)


Notes on this edition: Julian Barnes. Cross Channel. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996. Pp. 211 + [1]. 19.1 x 13.3 cm.

Uncorrected Proof of the U.S. edition of Cross Channel published by Alfred A. Knopf. Bound in cream paper wraps with black lettering. Publication information and the statement, ‘THIS IS AN UNCORRECTED PROOF’ on bottom of upper panel.

The publisher stapled three promotional items to the inside front cover, including two sheets of paper featuring review blurbs for Talking It OverFlaubert’s Parrot, and A History of the World in 10½ Chapters, and a sample dust jacket for the first U.S. edition, as pictured.

Cross Channel | Uncorrected Proof (Random House Canada, 1996)


Notes on this edition: Julian Barnes. Cross Channel. Random House Canada, 1996. Pp. 211 + [1]. 19.1 x 13.3 cm.

The Random House Canada uncorrected proof of Julian Barnes’s Cross Channel appears nearly identical to the American uncorrected proof issued by Alfred A. Knopf. The text block is, in fact, identical, as the Canadian proof’s title page lists the publisher as “Alfred A. Knopf”. The two proof editions differ in their paper covers, however, with the Canadian proof listing the publisher as “Random House Canada”. Both proofs list the publication date as “25 March 1996”.

Metrolandia | Metroland (Anagrama, 2000; Spanish)


Notes on this edition: Metrolandia | Metroland. Anagrama, 2000. Pp. 236 + [4]. 19.7 x 13 cm. Translated by Enrique Juncosa. ISBN: 8433931636. (Spanish).

Editorial Anagrama publishes Spanish translations of Julian Barnes’s works. This second edition of Metroland was published in June 2000 and features a cover made up of images from the film adaptation released in 1997. Anagrama published the original Spanish translation in 1989. Paper cover, as shown.

Before She Met Me Uncorrected Proof (Jonathan Cape, 1982)


Notes on this edition: Uncorrected Proof of Julian Barnes’s second literary novel Before She Met Me bound in red wraps with black lettering. Scheduled publication date of 15th April 1982. (19.5 x 14.3 cm).

Cross Channel | Uncorrected Galley Proof (Alfred A. Knopf, 1996; Large Format)


Notes on this edition: Julian Barnes. Cross Channel. Alfred A. Knopf, 1996. 27.9 x 21.5 cm.

Marked as an “Uncorrected Proof”, this galley proof of Julian Barnes’s Cross Channel was intended for in-house use and precedes the standard uncorrected proof normally issued to reviewers. The galley features a white paper cover with black lettering. Pages are reproduced two per sheet with each text line numbered, as pictured in the example images.

Note: Full inscription has been edited for privacy.

愚か者の街 | Fiddle City (Hayakawa, 1982; Japanese)


Notes on this edition: Dan Kavanagh. 愚か者の街 (Orokasha no machi) | Fiddle City. Tokyo: Hayakawa Publishing, 1982. Pp. 165 + [3]. 18.3 x 10.5 cm. Translated by Yoshinobu Tamura. 

Hayakawa published this Japanese translation as part of their “Pocket Mystery” series the year after the first U.K. edition of Fiddle City. The paperback covers of the book are wrapped in a transparent plastic, as pictured.

Something to Declare (Picador, 2002)


Notes on this edition: Something to Declare is Julian Barnes’s second collection of essays. The contents focus on topics related to France, its authors, artists, culture, and sport. Published as a Picador paperback, this edition represents the first U.K. edition. Also included in the photographs is a review slip that accompanied a review copy of the finished first edition of this collection.

Descriptive Bibliography: First edition – London: Picador, 2002. £8.99. 

Title Page: Julian Barnes | Something to Declare | PICADOR

Copyright Page: [Picador device] | First published 2002 by Picador | an imprint of Pan Macmillan Ltd | Pan Macmillan, 20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR | Basingstroke and Oxford | Associated companies throughout the world | www.panmacmillan.com | ISBN 0 330 48916 X | Copyright © Julian Barnes 2002 | The right of Julian Barnes to be identified as the | author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance | with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. | The acknowledgements on pages 303–4 constitute an extension of | this copyright page. | Every effort has been made by the publishers to contact copyright holders | of material reproduced in this book. If any have been inadvertently overlooked, | the publishers will be pleased to make restitution at the earliest opportunity. | All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be | reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or | transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, | photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written | permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized | act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal | prosecution and civil claims for damages. | 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 | A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from | the British Library | Typeset by Intype London Ltd | Printed and bound in Great Britain by | Mackays of Chatham plc, Chatham, Kent | This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, | by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, | or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent | in any form of binding or cover other than that in which | it is published and without a similar condition including this | condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Collation: 19.6 x 12.9 cm. Pp. [i-vi] vii-xviii [1-2] 3-16 [17-18] 19-33 [34-36] 37-47 [48-50] 51-62 [63-64] 65-76 [77-78] 79-97 [98-100] 101-108 [109-110] 111-144 [145-146] 147-170 [171-172] 173-192 [193-194] 195-208 [209-210] 211-214 [215-216] 217-234 [235-236] 237-249 [250-252] 253-267 [268-270] 271-287 [288-290] 291-318. [i]: ‘Something to Declare | JULIAN BARNES has published nine novels, Metroland, Before | She Met Me, Flaubert’s Parrot, Staring at the Sun, A History of the | World in 10½ Chapters, Talking It Over, The Porcupine, England, | England and Love, etc. He is the author of a book of short stories, | Cross Channel, and also a collection of journalism, Letters from | London 1990–1995. His work has been translated into more | than thirty languages. He is the only British writer to have won | both the Prix Médicis (for Flaubert’s Parrot) and the Prix Fémina | (for Talking It Over). In 1993 he was awarded the Shakespeare | Prize by the FVS Foundation of Hamburg. He lives in London.’. [ii]: ‘Also by Julian Barnes in Picador | Metroland | Before She Met Me | Flaubert’s Parrot | Staring at the Sun | A History of the World in 10½ Chapters | Talking It Over | The Porcupine | Letters from London 1990–1995 | Cross Channel | England, England | Love, etc’. [iii]: title page. [iv]: copyright page. [v]: ‘A.L.B. | 1909–1992 | K.M.B. | 1915–1997’. [vi]: blank. vii-viii: contents. ix-xviii: preface. [1]: ‘One | An Englishman Abroad’. [2]: ‘[photo] | A typical Ultimate Peasant’. 3-16: text. [17]: ‘Two | Spending Their Deaths | on Holiday’. [18]: ‘[photo] | Three beers, one ashtray, three singers: (l to r) | Jacques Brel, Leó Ferré, George Brassens’. 19-33: text. [34]: blank. [35]: ‘Three | The Promises of Their Ordination’. [36]: ‘[photo] | Jean Seberg kisses Jean-Paul Belmondo | to advertise A bout de souffle’. 37-47: text. [48]: blank. [49]: ‘Four | The Land Without Brussels Sprouts’. [50]: ‘[recipe for tomato soup] | A simple recipe’. 51-62: text. [63]: ‘Five | Tour de France 1907’. [64]: ‘[photo] | The Pont du Gard: ‘a little stupid’, | according to Henry James’. 65-76: text. [77]: ‘Six | Tour de France 2000’. [78]: ‘[photo] | ‘To the memory of Tom Simpson, Olympic medallist, | World champion, British sporting ambassador, | died 13th July (Tour de France 1967)’’. 79-97: text. [98]: blank. [99]: ‘Seven | The Pouncer’. [100]: ‘[photo] | George Simenon with all his needs | (the maid is off camera), 1930s’. 101-108: text. [109]: ‘Eight | French Letters’. [110]: ‘[photo] | Not an Ultimate Peasant but a | sophisticated poet: Stéphane Mallarmé’. 111-144: text. [145]: ‘Nine | Flaubert’s | Death-Masks’. [146]: ‘[photo] | Flaubert’s death mask’. 147-170: text. [171]: ‘Ten | Not Drowning But | Waving: The Case of | Louise Colet’. [172]: ‘[photo] | Louise Colet in riding costume, | by Courbet’. 173-192: text. [193]: ‘Eleven | Drinking Ink’. [194]: ‘[photo] | Alphonse Karr in his garden at Saint-Raphaël’. 195-208: text. [209]: ‘Twelve | Two Moles’. [210]: ‘[photo] | Turgenev at forty: the age of renunciation’. 211-214: text. [215]: ‘Thirteen | Consolation v. | Desolation’. [216]: ‘[photo] | George Sand, by Nadar’. 217-234: text. [235]: ‘Fourteen | Tail-Flaying’. [236]: ‘[photo] | A bad sight for Flaubert: Prussians in the | studio of a Rouen photographer, 1871’. 237-249: text. [250]: blank. [251]: ‘Fifteen | The Cost of | Conscientious | Literature’. [252]: ‘[photo] | Caroline Commanville, | Flaubert’s niece’. 253-267: text. [268]: blank. [269]: ‘Sixteen | Faithful Betrayal’. [270]: ‘[photo] | Isabelle Huppert as Emma Bovary, ‘a victim who | does not behave as a victim’’. 271-287: text. [288]: blank. [289]: ‘Seventeen | Justin: A Small | Major Character’. [290]: ‘[photo] | J. B. at the tomb of G. F., Rouen, 1983’. 291-302: text. 303-304: acknowledgements. 307-318: index.

General description: Binding 19.6 x 13 cm. Card wrappers with French flaps reproducing a painting by Howard Hodgkin in red, blue, and white. Lettered in white and blue on upper panel, black and blue on spine, black on lower spine, and black and red on flaps. Blue endpapers. Photograph of a Triumph Mayflower RTWI on back flap.


Below is the third printing of the same Picador edition: