Book of the Day: “Why do old men wake so early? Is it to have one longer day?”

Today in 1952, Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea was published in an issue of Life Magazine. It sold five million copies in two days.

The story of an aging Cuban fisherman cursed by 84 days without a bite on his line, the novella revived Hemingway’s flagging reputation. It won the 1952 Pulitzer Prize, and was cited in Hemingway’s 1954 Nobel Prize award.

The first edition was of 50,000 copies, and Henry Bemis Books has one:

Hemingway, Ernest, The Old Man and the Sea (Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1952, 1st. ed, 1st printing). Ex-library copy. Hardcover, octavo, 140 pp. Some foxing on the end papers; library stamps on front end papers. With unclipped dust jacket in mylar covering. No library tags on the spine. Blue-tinted author photo on back cover. Overall, very good condition. HBB price: $275.

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Henry Bemis Books is one man’s attempt to bring more diversity and quality to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg market of devoted readers starved for choices. Our website is at www.henrybemisbookseller.blogspot.com. For more information about any listed book, or more photos, please contact Lindsay at henrybemisbookseller@gmail.com. Henry Bemis Books is also happy to entertain reasonable offers on items in inventory. Shipping is always free; local buyers are welcome to drop by and pick up their purchases at our location off Peachtree Road in Northwest Charlotte if they like. #RareBooks #HenryBemisBooks #Hemingway #OldManAndTheSea #FirstEdition