Happiness
Is
A big cat
With a mouse
On a square mile
Of linoleum."
- J.P. Donleavy from A Fairy Tale of New York
A long
time coming, the novel version of this story was finally issued by Seymour
Lawrence/Delacorte Press in 1973. Donleavy published segments earlier as a
short story by the same title and scenes from the stage adaptation (see Anthologies
and Periodicals
for more on the short story and Donleavy
- Playwright
for more on the complete stage version).
The book was begun after The Ginger Man and was titled "Helen,"
which is the name of Cornelius Christian's deceased wife in all versions of
the story, as well as the title of the first act in the stage adaptation.
For reasons unknown the novel "Helen" was set aside, later to be
completed as A Fairy Tale of New York.
There is a considerable amount of confusion regarding this title A Fairy Tale of New York (the novel) and Fairy Tales of New York (the play). And then there's the Pogues' song "Fairy Tale of New York."
A
Fairy Tale of New York
Cloth
| Delacorte Press, New York, 1973 - ISBN 0440026245 - 341 pages
First trade edition. Green boards.
A
Fairy Tale of New York
Cloth
| Eyre Methuen, Ltd., London, 1973 - ISBN 413450309 - 410 pages
First UK edition.
To purchase books by J.P. Donleavy, go to the Buyers' Guide.
A
Fairy Tale of New York
Cloth
| Delacorte Press, New York, 1973 - ISBN 0440026245 - 341 pages
2nd Delacorte Press printing. Only noticeable difference is the second printing statement on front end papers. No month given.
A
Fairy Tale of New York
Cloth
| Delacorte Press, New York, 1973 - ISBN 0440026245 - 341 pages
3rd Delacorte Press printing. Only noticeable difference is the third printing statement on front end papers. No month given.
A
Fairy Tale of New York
Cloth
| Delacorte Press, New York, 1973 - ISBN 0440026245 - 341 pages
4th Delacorte Press printing. Same DJ and green boards as prior printings but with green edges on pages. 4th printing statement appears on front end papers, again with no month of printing given.
A
Fairy Tale of New York
Cloth
| Delacorte Press, New York, 1973 - ISBN 0440026245 - 341 pages
5th Delacorte Press printing. Same green page edges as 4th printing; DJ and boards same as all other printings. Again only printing number given, no month.
A
Fairy Tale of New York
Wraps
| Dell Laurel, New York, September, 1974 - ISBN 44003233175 - 379 pages
First US paperback edition; first Dell printing.
A
Fairy Tale of New York
Wraps
| Dell Laurel, New York, December, 1974 - ISBN 44003233175 - 379 pages
2nd Dell printing.
Cuento
De Hadas En Nueva York
Wraps
| Editorial Sudamericana, Buenos Aires 1974 - 391pages
First Spanish language translation.
A
Fairy Tale of New York
Wraps
| Penguin, Middlesex, England, 1975 - ISBN 0140039643 - 334 pages
First Penguin printing; first UK paperback edition.
Fiaba a New York
Cloth
| Garzanti Libri, Italy, 1975 - ISBN 8811660106 - 360 pages
Italian translation.
Un
conte de fées new-yorkais
Wraps
| Folio/Editions Denoël, Paris, 1977 - ISBN 2070380645 - 465 pages
French translation.
A
Fairy Tale of New York
Wraps
| Dell Laurel, New York, November, 1977 - ISBN 44003233175 - 379 pages
3rd Dell printing.
cuento
de hadas en nueva york
Wraps
| Bruguera/Libra Amigo, Barcelona, 1977
Spanish translation.
A
Fairy Tale of New York
Wraps
| Penguin, Middlesex, England, 1978 - ISBN 0140039643 - 334 pages
2nd Penguin printing.
A
Fairy Tale of New York
Wraps
| Penguin, Middlesex, England, 1979 - ISBN 0140039643 - 334 pages
3nd Penguin printing.
A
Fairy Tale of New York
Wraps
| Penguin, Middlesex, England, 1980 - ISBN 0140039643 - 334 pages
4th Penguin printing.
A
Fairy Tale of New York
Wraps
| Penguin, Middlesex, England, 1982 - ISBN 0140039643 - 334 pages
5th Penguin printing.
A
Fairy Tale of New York
Wraps
| Penguin, Middlesex, England, 1984 - ISBN 0140039643 - 334 pages
6th Penguin printing.
Cuento
De Hadas En Nueva York
Wraps
| Editorial Sudamericana, Buenos Aires 1986 - ISBN 9500703912
Argentine translation in Spanish.
Cuento de hadas en New York
Wraps
| Pocket-Edhasa, April 1988, Barcelona - ISBN 8435015645 - 423 pages
New Spanish translation; first Edhasa printing.
Un
conte de fées new-yorkais
Wraps
| Collection Folio (an imprint of Gallimard) #1976, Paris, September 1988
- ISBN 2070380645 - 465 pages
French translation. 2nd Folio printing.
A Fairy Tale of New York
Wraps
| Atlantic Monthly Press (now Grove-Atlantic), March, 1989 - ISBN 0871132648
- 341 pages
First AMP printing.
Cuento de hadas en New York
Wraps
| Pocket-Edhasa, April 1990, Barcelona - ISBN 8435015645 - 423 pages
2nd Edhasa printing.
A Fairy Tale of New York
Wraps
| Atlantic Monthly Press (now Grove-Atlantic), 19?? - ISBN 0871132648 - 341
pages
2nd AMP printing. No dates are given on AMP reprints between the first printing date of March, 1989 and the 10th printing in 2001.
A Fairy Tale of New York
Wraps
| Atlantic Monthly Press (now Grove-Atlantic), 19?? - ISBN 0871132648 - 341
pages
3rd AMP printing. No dates are given on AMP reprints between the first printing date of March, 1989 and the 10th printing in 2001.
A Fairy Tale of New York
Wraps
| Atlantic Monthly Press (now Grove-Atlantic), 19?? - ISBN 0871132648 - 341
pages
4th AMP printing. No dates are given on AMP reprints between the first printing date of March, 1989 and the 10th printing in 2001.
A Fairy Tale of New York
Wraps
| Atlantic Monthly Press (now Grove-Atlantic), 19?? - ISBN 0871132648 - 341
pages
5th AMP printing. No dates are given on AMP reprints between the first printing date of March, 1989 and the 10th printing in 2001.
Volshebnaya skazka N'yu-Jorka
Cloth
| Gumanitarnoe agentstvo "Akademicheskii proekt", Sankt-Peterburg,
1995 | 430 pages | ISBN 5733100109
Russian
translation. Edition includes the complete novel, plus several stories from
the collection Meet My Maker the Mad Molecule: "Meet My Maker,"
"One For Yes," "When I Bought a Bear," and "Franz
F." Special thanks to Ivan Denisov for contributing the information on
this edition and cover photo.