THREAD CLOSED Seduction of the Innocent, first prints: one affordable, one grail 0

[SOTIcollector]

I have a couple copies of SOTI to offer.

WHY SOTI?

This book was a major part of the anti-comics crusade of the 1940's and 50's, a crusade that nearly killed the entire comic book industry.  From 1948 through at least 1955, Dr. Fredric Wertham spoke out against what he perceived to be the dangers of comic books.  He asserted that comic books were significant contributing factors to juvenile delinquency in the US, and he told his tale to reporters, legislators and the public whenever he got the chance.  The same week this book was released, the US Senate held hearings into the dangers of comic books.  It was pressure from lawmakers and the Senate that led to the adoption of the Comics Code and to the collapse of a huge number of comic book publishers.  

TERMS 

 in thread trumps any other discussions.

Payment by PayPal G&S or (if transaction is in person) cash. 

No buyers from the naughty lists.
Returns accepted within 30 days.

I am located in the US.  I ship only via fully insured methods, so international shipping will be expensive.

Edited October 22, 2023 by SOTIcollector

[SOTIcollector]

Seduction of the Innocent by Fredric Wertham, MD
First edition, first print, second state without dust jacket.  
Price:  $200 + $10 shipping in the US.  I'll consider trades if you have any cool comics (GA war covers; crime, or horror) or anti-comics items that pique my interest. 

BOOK DETAILS

This is a complete second state book with extremely minor interior markings, and no dust jacket.

A few words are underlined on the second page, and otherwise the book is unmarked. 

Photos to come, most likely later today.

FIRST PRINT
The page with publication information contains the colophon ("R" in a circle) that is present only on first prints.  

SECOND STATE
The phrase "second state" refers to the fact that the bibliography is not present in this copy.  All first and second printings of Seduction of the Innocent were printed with a bibliography on the leaf that makes up pages 399-400.  Some copies were released with that bibliography intact, but the bibliography page was removed by the publisher from nearly all first prints and (as near as I can tell) all second prints of this book due to fear of lawsuits from the named comic book publishers.  If you look at this book or other first or second printings, you'll typically see a stub where pp. 399-400 used to be.

BOOK CONDITION
All 16 pages of illustrations are present.  All of the 400 other pages are present, with the exception of the bibliography as noted above.  A photocopy of the bibliography will be tipped into this book for your enjoyment.
This book was marked by a previous owner with underlining on the page 2.

 

Edited September 30, 2023 by SOTIcollector

[SOTIcollector]

Seduction of the Innocent by Fredric Wertham, MD
First edition, first print, FIRST state with no interior writing, a small piece out of one page, and with a sharp dust jacket.  
Price:  $1600 shipped in the US.  I'll consider trades if you have any cool key comics (GA war covers; crime, or horror) or anti-comics items that pique my interest. 

BOOK DETAILS

In summary, this is a complete FIRST state (with bibliography) book with no interior markings, and with a beautiful dust jacket that I added from a different copy of SOTI.

FIRST PRINT
There are two indicators that this is a first print.  1) The page with publication information contains the colophon ("R" in a circle) that is present only on first prints.  2) The dust jacket does not have the phrase "SECOND PRINTING" at the top of the inner front flap.

FIRST STATE
The phrase "first state" refers to the fact that the bibliography is present in this copy.  All first and second printings of Seduction of the Innocent were printed with a bibliography on the leaf that makes up pages 399-400.  Some copies of the book were released with that bibliography intact.  However, the bibliography page was removed by the publisher from nearly all first prints and (as near as I can tell) all second prints of this book due to fear of lawsuits from the named comic book publishers.  If you look at other first or second printings, you'll typically see a stub where pp. 399-400 used to be. If it were without the bibliography, the book would be referred to as "second state."

BOOK CONDITION
All 16 pages of illustrations are present.  One illustration page has a piece torn off of the corner.  All of the 400 other pages are present, including the bibliography.  

DUST JACKET CONDITION
The jacket shows minor wear and looks great.  There is some fading of the red text on the spine, which is common with this book.  FULL DISCLOSURE: When I bought this book, it had no dust jacket.  I took the first print dust jacket from a different copy of SOTI and added it to this one.  Because the jacket is not attached and was manufactured completely separately from the book, there is literally no way to know whether particular book and jacket have been paired up for their entire 70-year history.  I don't think that a "swapped jacket" would matter to a buyer, and at the same time I feel that disclosure is important.  I welcome input on the subject, particularly if your opinion differs from mine.
 

Edited September 30, 2023 by SOTIcollector

[vaillant]