First published in 1974, Jaws by Peter Benchley is a riveting novel of suspense and horror that terrified millions of readers and inspired an iconic film franchise.
When a great white shark preys upon the small seaside resort town of Amity, New York, police chief Martin Brody is one of the few residents taking the threat seriously. Nearly everyone in Amity wants to downplay the shark’s presence to not scare away the tourists. But when the body count starts to rise, Brody realizes he must find a way to kill it, even if means putting his own life on the line.
Peter Benchley
When Peter Benchley wrote Jaws in the early 1970s, he meticulously researched all available data about shark behavior. Over the ensuing decades, Benchley was actively engaged with scientists and filmmakers on expeditions around the world as they expanded their knowledge of sharks.
During this time, there was an unprecedented upswing in the number of sharks killed to make shark-fin soup, and Benchley worked with governments and nonprofits to sound the alarm for shark conservation. He encouraged each new generation of Jaws fans to enjoy his riveting tale and to channel their excitement into support and protection of these magnificent, prehistoric apex predators.
This edition of Jaws contains bonus content from Peter Benchley’s archives, including the original typed title page, a brainstorming list of possible titles, a letter from Benchley to producer David Brown with honest feedback on the movie adaptation, and excerpts from Benchley’s book Shark Trouble highlighting his firsthand account of writing Jaws, selling it to Universal Studios, and working with Steven Spielberg. Also included is a reproduction and sketches of the iconic painting by Roger Kastel used on the original paperback cover and film poster.
Since its original publication, Jaws has spawned a movie franchise, two video games, a Universal Studios theme park attraction, and two musicals.
About The Editions
The limited edition of Jaws by Peter Benchley is presented in four states: Artist, Numbered, Lettered and Roman Numeral. The editions are oversized at 7” x 10” and feature six full color illustrations by John Anthony Di Giovanni as well as a new exclusive introduction by Wendy Benchley. The Roman Numeral and Lettered editions are signed by Wendy Benchley, John Anthony Di Giovanni and Roger Kastel. The Numbered edition is signed by Wendy Benchley and John Anthony Di Giovanni. The Artist edition is signed by John Anthony Di Giovanni.
Artist Edition
The Artist edition ($155) is limited to 1000 copies with a dust jacket featuring the iconic painting by Roger Kastel used on the original paperback cover and film poster. It is a full cloth, smyth sewn binding with two-hits foil stamping. It is the only edition of the three with the dust jacket, and is signed by artist John Anthony Di Giovanni. The edition is housed in an embossed paper covered slipcase with an acrylic coating. The bookcloth grade linen covering the edition is made using plastic collected from the ocean.
Pre-order HERE.
Numbered Edition
The Numbered edition ($595) of 350 copies is a quarter Japanese cloth binding with the cloth covering the lower section of the boards, and goatskin covering the upper section. A bonded leather fin is laser cut and inset into the cover. Endsheets are handmade from acid free Indian batik cotton rag paper and screenprinted. The edition is printed offset on Mohawk Loop, and is housed in a unique capped slipcase featuring a charcoal illustration by Robert Longo from his Perfect Gods series, printed on cloth. The edition is signed by Wendy Benchley and John Anthony Di Giovanni.
If there are any copies of the Numbered edition remaining after the Matching Pre-Order, depending on quantities, these copies will be available for purchase either by lottery or directly through the online store.
Lettered Edition
The Lettered edition ($2,950) is limited to 26 copies and is a bradel binding featuring genuine fish leather on the spine and leather boards. Endsheets are hand marbled for this edition. The enclosure is a custom built wooden box with glass portholes on the lid and a laser engraved metal plate at the top edge, which is inspired by the Orca fishing boat from the novel. The edition is printed offset on moldmade Arches Text and is signed by Wendy Benchley, John Anthony Di Giovanni and Roger Kastel.
If any copies of the Lettered edition are available when it opens up for public pre-order, those will be sold through a lottery only.
Roman Numeral Edition
The Roman Numeral edition ($6,750) is limited to 10 copies and is a full leather binding with a hand dyed airbrush gradient overdyed with craquelure resist technique. The title is hand tooled with genuine silver leaf. Endpapers are leather jointed with a hand painted flyleaf, sprinkled with silver leaf sunago and edge to edge leather doublures, which are dyed to match the covering leather. All edges are decorated with an airbrushed gradient of acrylic ink, sprinkled with silver leaf sunago. Endbands are hand sewn with Italian silk.
The edition is housed in a leather clamshell enclosure with cloth trays, decorated with hand painted gradient and pigment foil tooling and lined in velvet. The spine label is inlaid leather. The edition is sewn and bound entirely by hand by master bookbinder, Gillian Stewart in Glasgow’s East End. It is printed offset on moldmade Arches Text and is signed by Wendy Benchley, John Anthony Di Giovanni and Roger Kastel.
The 296 page book is slated to be published in the Spring of 2022.
