The Big Fisherman by Lloyd C. Douglas (FIRST PRINTING), 1948 🎣📜✝️

This is a rare First Edition, First Printing of The Big Fisherman by Lloyd C. Douglas, a major mid-century American religious bestseller.

The volume is classified as a top-shelf documentary artifact, appealing to collectors of First Editions and Ex-Libris provenance.

Its value is secured by its verifiable First Printing status in 1948 (with a print run of 250,000 copies) and a non-replicable, dated Ex-Libris bookplate confirming its original acquisition.

2. About the Artwork/Book/Object 📖✍️✨ The novel is a piece of acclaimed Biblical fiction that focuses on the life of Simon Peter (The Big Fisherman), detailing his journey and the historical context of early Christianity. The plot narrates the events leading up to the life of Jesus, capturing the political and spiritual tensions of the time.

The book is notable for its detailed blue and white sketch maps of the Eastern Mediterranean and Palestine, which are printed on the endpapers. The binding is a distinctive red cloth with a plaid/crosshatch pattern stamped in blue, featuring the author's monogram "LD" on the cover . The original First Printing size of 250,000 copies confirms its status as a massive cultural event upon release.

3. About the Artist/Author/Maker ✍️🏛️ Lloyd C. Douglas (1877–1951) was an American minister and author whose novels, including The Robe and Magnificent Obsession, dominated bestseller lists in the mid-20th century. His accessible style and inspirational themes made him one of America’s most beloved writers.

The book was published by Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, with production managed by The Riverside Press, Cambridge, confirming its high-quality institutional origins. The commercial success of Douglas’s work established the genre of Biblical fiction in post-war American publishing.

4. Historical/Political Era Context 🌍🕰️📜 The book was copyrighted and published in 1948, placing the volume in the immediate Post-War Boom. This era was marked by immense economic prosperity and a renewed cultural emphasis on traditional values and spiritual themes in the United States.

The novel’s immediate and massive success reflected the public’s thirst for moral certainty and historical narratives rooted in faith following the chaos of World War II. The volume functions as a tangible record of the dominant literary and social priorities of the American middle class at the close of the 1940s.

5. The Ideal Collector 💡🧐🏛️ This volume is an essential acquisition for a curator of Mid-Century American Popular Literature and Ex-Libris Provenance.

It is ideally suited for a collector who specializes in First Editions of religious bestsellers and seeks documented bookplates from the year of publication. The book belongs in a collection that prioritizes the intersection of mass culture, documented ownership, and unique historical context.

6. Value & Rarity 💎✨🏛️ This book is a First Edition, First Printing with a massive print run. The volume is approximately 77 years old.

Its scarcity is low due to the enormous print volume. However, the value is significantly elevated by its strong Provenance Premium. The pasted-in Ex-Libris bookplate, which is dated 1948 and includes the owner's name (Elizabeth Rogers), provides a clear, non-replicable chain of ownership from the exact year of publication.

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, with minimal wear.

• Binding: Bound in original publisher's red cloth with a plaid/crosshatch pattern stamped in blue .

• Printing: Confirmed as the First Edition, First Printing (print run of 250,000).

• Bookplate: Features an intact, dated Ex-Libris bookplate on the front endpaper.

• Wear: The cloth binding shows light rubbing consistent with its age, but the colors remain bright.

• Internal Images: Contains intact blue and white sketch maps of the story's setting.

8. Fun Facts & Unique Features 🤓📜🤩

• The Print Run: The initial 250,000-copy print run was extraordinary for the time, demonstrating the book’s immediate status as a guaranteed bestseller.

• The Ex-Libris Art: The bookplate is highly aesthetic, featuring a silhouette of a twisted tree above a stylized shelf of books, representing the individual library.

• The Dated Acquisition: The handwritten date "1948" on the bookplate confirms the collector acquired this volume immediately upon its release.

• The LD Monogram: The interlocking initials "LD" on the cover are the author's monogram, a decorative flourish emphasizing the book's status as a work of literary merit .

9. Supporting Information 🏷️📦💰

• Object Type: First Edition Novel (Ex-Libris Provenance Copy)

• Author: Lloyd C. Douglas

• Title: The Big Fisherman

• Year/Period: 1948 (Copyright and Publication)

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company

• Place of Origin: Boston

• Format/Binding: Publisher’s Red Cloth with Plaid Stamping

• Edition/Rarity: First Edition, First Printing (Provenance Artifact)

• Transcription of Bookplate (Verbatim): EX LIBRIS Elizabeth Rogers Jan 1 Ht. Bryant 1948