About the Edition
John Crowley's beloved novel Little, Big, is without doubt among the greatest works of the imagination created during the last century. In publishing a deluxe, 40th Anniversary Edition of this masterpiece (originally intended to be the 25th anniversary edition), our goal was twofold: First, we wanted to fulfill the author's dream of how the book should be presented, by creating an edition that in every respect, from beauty of design to accuracy of text to excellence of manufacture, would reflect all the artistry, insight, imagination, and care that John Crowley poured into every sentence of Little, Big. And second, we wanted to create an edition that fans of the book would cherish, an edition that will be a joy to behold and to read, an edition made to last several lifetimes.
The interior design of the first edition of Little, Big, published by Bantam Books in 1981 (and duplicated in the current HarperCollins edition), is certainly quite striking. Yet its sensibility is late Victorian, whereas Crowley's design conception for the book has always been art nouveau. Incunabula brought together the production team of editor Ron Drummond and book designer John D. Berry to create, in close consultation with John Crowley, that ideal edition of Little, Big.
It's an ideal that very much includes art. The 40th Anniversary Edition features superb reproductions of over three hundred details from the drawings, etchings, engravings, and prints of Peter Milton, an artist whom John Crowley feels to be ideally suited to Little, Big. With loving care, we have interwoven Crowley's words with Milton's images to create a tapestry full of subtle and surprising resonances, a uniquely revealing concatenation of the work of two modern masters.
The finishing touch comes with a long, ruminative Afterword to Little, Big written especially for the edition by one of the novel's greatest admirers, Harold Bloom, the late Yale humanities professor and bestselling author of The Western Canon and Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human.
Of course, such an embarrassment of riches deserves nothing less than the finest book manufacturing that money can buy. We are confident we have provided just that.
A Parliament of Readers
As one would expect, the cost of creating such an ambitious edition was enormous. The only way we could do this was in partnership with the people who love the book the most. Thus, the publication of what was intended to be the 25th Anniversary Edition of Little, Big was to be paid for by the Readers, participating on a subscription basis. The idea for this was proposed by John Crowley himself.
This is actually a very traditional approach. In 1795, the 24-year-old Beethoven convinced hundreds of aristocratic fans of his piano playing to subscribe in advance to the publication of his official compositional debut: the Three Piano Trios, Opus 1. They bought copies up front, which monies were then used to pay for the engraving and printing of the trios.
However, Fay plagued mischance and unforeseen mishaps delayed production. The 25th Anniversary Edition of Little, Big became the 40th Anniversary Edition. During those intervening years, the layout grew more ambitious, resulting in a larger and more lavishly illustrated book than what was advertised to the majority of subscribers. Production costs soared since subscriptions began in 2004 and when the book was ready to print in 2021. This gap was closed and printing made possible thanks to the eminently generous volunteer work of early subscriber Ben Kamm and the charity of admiring Readers such as Neil Gaiman, Erik Davis, Aaron Erickson, and others; as well as the cultivated counsel of John Clute. Finally, distribution of this superlative edition to our heroically patient subscribers was made viable through the diligence of Melissa Cook & Krüz Kalke, and by Will Evans and everyone at the non-profit Deep Vellum Publishing. We have all this wonderful Reader support to thank for manifesting an unparalleled, uncanny edition of Little, Big.
Three Graces
The 40th Anniversary Edition is actually three editions, each exemplifying the highest standards of book production, with acid-free papers, cloths, sewn bindings, and each with it's own exclusive dustjacket.
Trade Edition: $175 (+ $10 handling charge)
2,800 copies
Unsigned, unnumbered edition. Includes a long, previously unpublished essay by Harold Bloom. Mohawk Superfine acid-free paper, full cloth over boards, sewn bindings, and exclusive dust jacket featuring an original essay by Neil Gaiman, 800 pp.
Numbered Edition: $750
365 copies
Numbered and signed by John Crowley, artist Peter Milton, and the late Harold Bloom. Includes a never-before-published short story, a bridge between Little, Big and the 2017 novel Ka, that is not included in the Trade Edition; plus a longer, more extensive version of Harold Bloom's previously unpublished essay. Originally planned as just 300 copies, which all pre-sold by 2009. Since that time, every aspect of production greatly intensified and this edition is now longer and much more lavishly illustrated than what was originally advertised. As Fay would have it, extra sheets were signed by the author, the artist, and Harold Bloom before be passed in 2019. When production finally commenced in late 2021, we were able to have these bound into books and thereby increased the Numbered edition from 300 to a total count of 365.
The Numbered edition has a green cloth cover with gold embossed title, an exclusive dustjacket featuring an original essay by author Catherynne M. Valente, and is housed in a sturdy slipcase featuring new artwork by Peter Milton. Mohawk Superfine acid-free paper, full cloth, sewn bindings, 820 pp.
This unparalleled edition is sure to sell out again soon, don't pass up your chance to invest in a copy of this gorgeous literary artifact made to last for generations.
Lettered Edition: Sold Out in 2007
26 copies
Lettered, signed by the author, artist, and designers. Both the Numbered and Lettered Editions include a never-before-published piece by John Crowley related to Little, Big that is not included in the Trade Edition.
Furthermore, each buyer of the Lettered Edition was asked to specify their favorite 350-word passage from Little, Big. John Crowley then inscribed the book personally to the buyer, and copied out, in his incredibly fine italic hand, on two facing pages in the book, the selected 350-word passage from the novel. Thus, every one of the twenty-six copies is unique.
The first six letters were reserved by the publisher. The remaining twenty letters were offered for subscription on a first-come, first-served basis.
Mohawk Superfine acid-free paper, full cloth, sewn bindings, and exclusive dust jacket featuring an original essay by Liz Hand, slipcase, 820 pp.