The Condition Of Muzak
London: Allison & Busby, 1977 (March) hardcover and simultaneous trade-sized paperback;
sub-titled “A Jerry Cornelius Novel”;
original prices: £4·50 (h/c), £1·95 (p/b);
313 pages;
I.S.B.N.s: 0-85031-044-X (h/c), 0-85031-214-0 (p/b);
cover artist: Richard Glyn Jones (also interior);
title-page drawing by Jill Riches.
Jerry Cornelius — the ambiguous, amoral, androgynous English Assassin —
Winner of the Guardian Fiction Prize for 1977, The Condition Of Muzak is the fourth volume of the Cornelius tetralogy. It was collected — partially revised (purportedly) — in The Cornelius Chronicles (1977) with The Final Programme, A Cure For Cancer and The English Assassin, then fully revised the following year. In this form it was collected in The Cornelius Chronicles Book Two (1988) with The English Assassin only, and later (with all three other titles) in The Cornelius Quartet (1993). It should be noted, however, that revisions to this title are comparatively negligible.
(Preceded by The English Assassin)
First American edition: Boston, MA: Gregg Press hardcover, 1978 (June);
original price: $13·50;
xii + 313 pages;
includes introduction by Charles Platt (pp. v–xii);
I.S.B.N.: 0-2398-2434-3;
no dust-wrapper, no cover artist;
interior artist: Richard Glyn Jones;
title-page drawing by Jill Riches.
London: Titan trade-paperback, 2016 (May 3rd);
revised text;
edited by John Davey;
original price: $9·95;
404 pages;
I.S.B.N.: 9871783291830;
cover artist: Julia Lloyd;
interior artists: Jill Riches, Harry Douthwaite & Mal Dean;
“Original artwork, by Richard Glyn Jones, withdrawn by artist”.
First revised edition: Glasgow: Fontana mass-sized paperback, 1978 (June 30th);
revision not stated;
original price: 95p;
272 pages;
I.S.B.N.: 0-00-615340-2;
cover artist: Bill Sanderson;
interior artist: Richard Glyn Jones;
no title-page drawing (despite credit on copyright page).
N.B.: All English-language editions contain the following note: “Although these books may be read in any order, the reader might wish to know that the structure of this volume reflects the structure of the overall tetralogy.”
(Click here for Foreign Editions)
The Condition Of Muzak is also available as an e-book: 9871783291823.
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