Neruda, Pablo

Canto General.  Mexico City: Printed by Talleres Gráficos de la Nación, 1950

4to (14 x 9 1/4 in.; 355 x 235 mm, uncut and unopened).  Printed in red and black, typography by Miguel Prieto, list of subscribers, green ribbon marker.  Original red cloth, spine gilt-lettered, upper cover with gilt vignette, front endpapers designed by Diego Rivera, rear endpapers by David Alfaro Siqueiros, top edges stained purple; minor wear, inner hinges starting.  Original dust-jacket; defective.

Condition as described in catalogue entry.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

First edition.  Copy 133 of 500 numbered copies, signed by Neruda, Rivera, and Siqueiros, and "published in Mexico City under the care of a committee formed by Maria Assunsolo, editor," and others.  This monumental publication was funded by subscribers, and the list is formidable: Picasso, Léger, Éluard, Aragon, Ilya Ehrenberg, Frida Kahlo, Luis Barragan, Jorge Amado, Paul Robeson, Nancy Cunard, the Weyhe Bookshop, and others.

Neruda began Canto General in 1938.  It comprises 15 sections, 231 poems and 15,000 lines, chronicling the history, topography, flora and fauna of South America.  The poet's chief inspiration was Leaves of Grass, with which it compares favorably.  The best-known section if the book is "Alturas de Machu Pichu."