Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather (18th Printing), 1928 📚🕯️🏜️

This volume of Death Comes for the Archbishop is an early, documented printing of Willa Cather’s historical masterpiece.

The book is an authenticated Eighteenth Printing from the prestigious Alfred A. Knopf imprint, dated December 1928.

Its value is secured by its early printing status and a strong Provenance Premium, including a dated personal inscription and an Ex-Libris bookplate, tying it directly to the literary culture of the 1920s.

2. About the Artwork/Book/Object 📖✍️✨ The novel is a fictionalized historical account of the first Bishop of New Mexico, chronicling the establishment of the Catholic Church in the American Southwest during the mid-19th century. The novel is revered for its lyrical, almost poetic prose and its vivid portrayal of the landscape and cultural collision in the New Mexico territory.

The book is an early printing and features the high production standards of Alfred A. Knopf, including a striking design motif of a sail-driven boat on the bookplate. The multiple printings listed on the copyright page confirm the immediate, overwhelming popularity of the work upon its initial release in 1927.

3. About the Artist/Author/Maker ✍️🏛️ Willa Cather (1873–1947) is one of the most important figures in American modernism, renowned for her novels that chronicle the pioneer experience and the spiritual lives of those in the American West.

Death Comes for the Archbishop is a departure from her Great Plains novels, showcasing her ability to master the historical novel form. Her publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., associated with the Borzoi Books imprint, was known for promoting literary quality and modernist aesthetic design throughout the 20th century.

4. Historical/Political Era Context 🌍🕰️📜 The novel was published during the peak of the Roaring Twenties. The rapid succession of eighteen printings in just 15 months (Sept 1927–Dec 1928) demonstrates the immense cultural appetite for Cather's work during this affluent period.

The novel itself details the history of New Mexico, a territory that had only recently become American via the Mexican-American War. The book’s inscription, dated April 5, 1929, grounds the physical object in the culture immediately preceding the Great Depression, documenting a direct transaction and personal gift before the market crash. The volume is a tangible record of American literary consumption at the close of a golden age.

5. The Ideal Collector 💡🧐🏛️ This volume is an essential acquisition for a curator of Willa Cather’s Canon and American Book Trade History of the 1920s.

It is ideally suited for a collector who specializes in documented early printings and seeks items with verifiable personal inscriptions and decorative bookplates. The book belongs in a collection that prioritizes the traceable narrative of ownership from a specific moment in literary history.

6. Value & Rarity 💎✨🏛️ This book is approximately 97 years old, having survived the cultural shifts of the past century.

Its scarcity is low as a trade printing, but the rarity is significantly elevated by its strong Provenance Premium. The handwritten inscription, dated April 5, 1929, documents the personal history of the book just months after its immense commercial success. Furthermore, the Francesca Simmons bookplate provides a clear non-replicable chain of ownership that commands the premium over a clean copy.

7. Condition 🔎📚✨ The physical condition has been assessed directly from the provided high-resolution photography. The book is deemed to be in Very Good Antique Condition.

• Binding: Bound in original publisher's green cloth with a pasted-down paper label on the cover.

• Printing: Confirmed as the Eighteenth Printing.

• Inscription: Contains a clear handwritten inscription on the front free endpaper detailing the gift date and original price/code.

• Bookplate: Features a pasted-in, custom bookplate for "Francesca Simmons".

• Wear: The cloth binding shows light rubbing and darkening along the spine and edges.

• Interior: The text is clean and secure with toning appropriate for its age.

8. Fun Facts & Unique Features 🤓📜🤩

• The Sales Success: The book was Cather's greatest commercial success, selling over 100,000 copies in its first two years, an extraordinary figure for serious fiction in the 1920s.

• The Roman Numerals: The title page features the date MCMXXVIII (1928) in Roman numerals, a decorative touch used by Knopf to give the book a classical, dignified appearance.

• The Symbolism: The sail-driven boat on the bookplate is a strong symbol that mirrors the themes of long journeys and exploration central to the novel's historical narrative.

• The Matched Printings: The book lists ten different printings in the four months between September and December 1927, confirming the incredible, immediate critical and commercial demand for the novel.

9. Supporting Information 🏷️📦💰

• Object Type: Antique Novel (Literary Provenance Copy)

• Author: Willa Cather

• Title: Death Comes for the Archbishop

• Year/Period: 1928 (Eighteenth Printing)

• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf

• Place of Origin: New York

• Format/Binding: Publisher's Green Cloth (Borzoi Book)

• Edition/Rarity: Eighteenth Printing (Early Edition, Provenance Artifact)

• Transcription of Markings (Front Free Endpaper): #25 8.00 From Fred 4/5/29

• Bookplate Transcription: FRANCESCA SIMMONS