Godfried Bomans - Capriolen: A Second Collection of Outcasts - 2nd Edition 1953

An early bound edition of Capriolen – Een tweede bundel Buitelingen by Godfried Bomans, published by Elsevier in 1953. This copy is the second edition, which, like the first edition, was published in the original year of publication.

In Capriolen, Bomans collected a motley array of satirical essays, humorous stories, biographical sketches, and literary nonsense. The contents are divided into sections such as Satires, Psychological Explorations, Nonsense, Biography, and In the Museum, showcasing the characteristic combination of seriousness, mockery, and absurdism for which Bomans was known.

The extensive pictorial narrative Het geheim van de roestige spijker, a comic detective parody with drawings by Rein van Looy, is particularly noteworthy. In dozens of consecutive illustrations, the clichés of the then-popular detective pulp novels are taken to absurd extremes, complete with mysterious corpses, shootouts, chases, and the unflappable detective Dick Parker.

The original ochre-colored linen binding features a gold-colored fool's motif on the front cover. The top edge of the text block is decoratively colored orange.

Details:

• Title: Capriolen – Een tweede bundel Buitelingen
• Author: Godfried Bomans
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Place of publication: Amsterdam / Brussels
• Year: 1953
• Edition: second edition
• Language: Dutch
• Genre: humor, satire, essays, and short stories
• Extent: 287 numbered pages
• Binding: hardcover
• Binding: ochre-colored linen
• Binding design: C. Boost
• Cover design of original edition: H. Prenen
• Illustrations: J.F. Doeve, Rein van Looy, et al.
• Printer: N.V. Drukkerij G.J. Thieme, Nijmegen
• Decoration: gold-colored fool's motif on the front cover
• Top edge: orange-colored
• Dimensions: approx. 21.5 × 13 cm
• Thickness: approx. 2.5 cm
• Country of origin: Netherlands

Condition:
Reasonably good vintage condition. The text block is firm and the interior is generally neat. The linen binding shows signs of age and wear, including discoloration, wear, and fraying, particularly at the ends of the spine. The gold-colored lettering on the spine is largely faded. The interior contains some age spots and occasional stains. The front endpapers contain an old sticker/sticker residue and some pencil marks. The original dust jacket is not present. See the photos for a complete picture of the condition.