The Ginger Man 70s Editions

Photo courtesy The J.P. Donleavy Archives.

"My heart is like
A squeezed grape
Only the pip
Is left.
Only the pip."

- J.P. Donleavy from The Ginger Man

Editions from 1970 - 1979

The Ginger Man

Wraps | Berkley Medallion, New York, Aug. 1970 - 304 pages - ISBN 425020908

12th Berkley printing.

The Ginger Man

Wraps | Dell, New York, Oct., 1970 - 315 pages - ISBN 0440328861

New Dell Contemporary Classic edition.

The Ginger Man

Wraps | Penguin, Middlesex, 1970 - 347 pages - ISBN 014002705X

3rd Penguin printing. 1969 reprint omitted from Penguin publishing history on subsequent reprints and this is listed as a second printing, but the 1969 reprint does exist (see Ginger Man '60s Editions page).

To purchase books by J.P. Donleavy, go to the Buyers' Guide.

Ginger Man

Wraps | Fischer-Bücherei, Frankfurt a.M., 1970 - 292 pages

German translation. Special thanks to Thomas Reginek for publishing info and cover scan.

Limited, signed edition of The Ginger Man audio book read by J.P. Donleavy. To place an order, email me and I will put you in touch with distribution.

The Ginger Man

Wraps | Penguin, Middlesex, 1971 - 347 pages - ISBN 014002705X

4th Penguin printing.

The Ginger Man

Wraps | Berkley Medallion, New York, Nov. 1971 - 304 pages - ISBN 425020908

13th Berkley printing.

The Ginger Man

Wraps | Berkley Medallion, New York, 1973 - 304 pages - ISBN 425020908

14th Berkley printing.

The Ginger Man

Wraps | Dell, New York, May, 1973 - 315 pages - ISBN 0440328861

First Dell Laurel printing.

The Ginger Man

Leatherette | Edito-Service, Geneva, 1973 - 298 pages

English language special edition, printed in France with illustrations by Graham McCallum. Issued without dust jacket. Gilt edges and place-holder ribbon. Colophon states "by special arrangement with Neville Spearman," so this may be the expurgated text as contained in the Spearman UK editions. It may also be an unauthorized edition. Scarce.

The Ginger Man (Heron Brown/gilt Edition)

Leatherette | Heron Books, 1973 - ISBN B000J37BNC

London-based associate of Edito-Service, Switzerland. A membership book service that presented a book of the month for approval, as well as special sets. The Ginger Man is part of set of contemporary literature.

The Ginger Man

Wraps | Penguin, Middlesex, 1973 - 347 pages - ISBN 014002705X

5th Penguin printing.

The Ginger Man

Wraps | Berkley Medallion, New York, 197? - 304 pages - ISBN 425020908

15th Berkley printing. No printing date given.

En farlig mann

Wraps | Gyldendal, Oslo, 1973 - 320 pages - ISBN 8205056234

Norwegian translation.

The Ginger Man

Cloth | Delacorte Press, New York, 1974 - 347 pages - ISBN 044002885X

3rd Delacorte Press printing.

The Ginger Man

Wraps | Penguin, Middlesex, 1974 - 347 pages - ISBN 014002705X

6th Penguin printing.

The Ginger Man

Wraps | Dell, New York, March, 1974 - 315 pages - ISBN 0440328861

2nd Dell Laurel printing.

En inpiskad gentleman

Wraps | Wahlström & Widstrand, Stockholm, 1974

Swedish translation, published by arrangement with Dell, New York.

Special thanks to Gareth Griffiths for the cover scan and publishing info for this edition.

The Ginger Man

Wraps | Penguin, Middlesex, 1975 - 347 pages - ISBN 014002705X

7th Penguin printing.

The Ginger Man

Wraps | Dell, New York, Feb., 1975 - 315 pages - ISBN 0440328861

3rd Dell Laurel printing.

* Ingverjev cvet

Cloth | Ljubljana, Slovenije, 1975

Slovenian translation. From the library of J.P. Donleavy. Cover photo by Bill Dunn. Very special thanks to J.P. Donleavy and Bill Dunn for adding this edition to the Compendium site. [see footnote]

The Ginger Man

Wraps | Berkley Medallion, New York, 1976 - 304 pages - ISBN 425020908

16th Berkley printing.

Hombre de mazapan

Wraps | Sudameridana, Buenos Aires, 1976

Spanish translation.

The Ginger Man

Wraps | Penguin, Middlesex, 1977 - 347 pages - ISBN 014002705X

8th Penguin printing.

Holtiton mies

Cloth | Kustannusosakeyhtiö Tammi, Helsinki, 1977 - 358 pages

Finnish translation. From the library of J.P. Donleavy. Cover photo by Bill Dunn. Very special thanks to J.P. Donleavy and Bill Dunn for adding this edition to the Compendium site.

The Ginger Man

Wraps | Dell, New York, Aug., 1977 - 315 pages - ISBN 0440328861

4th Dell Laurel printing.

The Ginger Man

Wraps | Penguin, Middlesex, 1978 - 347 pages - ISBN 014002705X

9th Penguin printing.

The Ginger Man

Leather | Franklin Library, Franklin Center, PA, 1978 - 378 pages - ISBN 1117075893 or 1111623821

Special signed edition, with gilt edges and place marker ribbon. New introduction by Donleavy. A 26-page booklet by the editors regarding the background of The Ginger Man and Donleavy was originally laid in. Many copies now offered lack the booklet. This edition is listed with either of the two ISBNs above (neither is imprinted)

Accompanying booklet for Franklin Library special edition. (not shown to scale; much smaller than book dimensions).

Holtiton mies

Binding? | Weilin & Göös, Helsinki, 1978, - 408 pages - ISBN 9513119750

Finnish translation.

The Ginger Man

Wraps | Berkley Medallion, New York, 1978 - 304 pages - ISBN 425020908

17th Berkley printing.

The Ginger Man

Wraps | Penguin, Middlesex, 1979 - 347 pages - ISBN 014002705X

10th Penguin printing.

L 'homme de gingembre

Cloth | French & European Publishing, Inc., Paris, 1979 - 406 pages - ISBN 0785919015

French translation.

L 'homme de gingembre

Wraps | Editions Denoël, Paris, 1979 - 405 pages - ISBN 2070371409

2nd Denoël edition.

The Ginger Man

Wraps | Dell, New York, June, 1979 - 315 pages - ISBN 0440328861

5th Dell Laurel printing.

De rosse bietser

Wraps | De Bezige Bij, Amsterdam, 1979 - 354 pages - ISBN 9023406753

Dutch translation. 4th De Bezige Bij edition; 3rd paperback printing.

* How did The Ginger Man come to be published in a communist bloc country? Here are some thoughts: Slovenia was part of Tito's united Yugoslavia then and Tito had a long history of resistance to Moscow. He was the only communist leader to openly defy Stalin's demand for complete allegiance and survive. Stalin sent quite a few assassins and Tito (having an excellent army and intelligence network) sent them all back in coffins. Tito finally wrote Stalin saying, quit sending all these people to kill me or I'll send someone to kill you, and I'll only have to do it once. For the first and only time Stalin capitulated and allowed Tito's regime to be more or less autonomous (within certain guidelines).Tito's Yugoslavia was the first communist country to open its boarders to the entire world (Jan 1, 1967), requiring simple passports and visas like any other European country. When Khrushchev took power in the USSR, he tried to apologize for the wrongdoings of Stalin, but Tito still remained as distant from Moscow as he could. So, we have an anti-Moscow rebel with a lifetime history of being a rebel everywhere he went and who was open to some exchange with the West. So I think he himself would have liked The Ginger Man and would have had no problem allowing it to be published. But of course, unless one is fluent in the language, there's no way to tell if this edition is expurgated or reworked in any way.

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