The Yellow Wall-Paper

“The Yellow Wall-Paper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a short story as chilling and relevant today as it was upon its initial publication in 1892. The story is regarded as an important early work of American feminist literature for its depiction of the attitudes towards the mental and physical health of women in the 19th century. It is also lauded as an excellent work of gothic and horror fiction.

Diagnosed by her physician husband with a “temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency” after the birth of their child, a woman is urged to rest for the Summer in an old colonial mansion. Forbidden from doing work of any kind, she spends her days in the house’s former nursery, with its barred windows, scratched floor, and peeling yellow wall-paper.

New England Magazine published “The Yellow Wall-Paper” in January 1892, after it had been rejected by nearly all leading magazines of the day. Gilman’s view of a woman’s place in traditional marriage, along with the spotlight she placed on society’s attitude towards the mental and physical health of women in the 19th century, were considered radical at the time of its publication. Gilman herself was an intellectual voice and staunch supporter of women’s rights, who frequently used her writing to explore the role of women in America. Today, “The Yellow Wall-Paper” is one of the most famous and most analyzed short stories of all time. Through her work, Gilman paved the way for writers such as Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf.

Included in this edition of “The Yellow Wall-Paper” is a new, exclusive afterword by Pulitzer Prize winning author Alice Walker (The Color Purple) on the importance of Gilman’s story. Also included in the edition is the essay “Why I Wrote ‘The Yellow Wall-Paper’” wherein the author reveals the semi-autobiographical nature of the story and how it came to be.

A condemnation of the patriarchy, “The Yellow Wall-Paper” explores with haunting accuracy the oppression, grave misunderstanding, and willful dismissal of women in late nineteenth-century society. With a profound relevancy as terrifying as the tale itself, Gilman’s 6,000 words beg us to ask of ourselves how much in over a hundred years has changed.

NUMBERED EDITION

• 6¼” x 9¼” trim size.
• 64 pages.
• Limited to 340 copies.
• Signed by Alice Walker and Chris Daunt.
• Millimeter style binding covered in Hahnemühle Bugra paper with goatskin leather trim on the spine and fore edges.
• Letterpress printed cover wrap with a design cast in Monotype ornaments.
• Leather is Chieftain Goatskin from J Hewit & Sons.
• New exclusive afterword by Alice Walker.
• Bonus essay "Why I Wrote The Yellow Wall-Paper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
• Three wood engravings by Chris Daunt, printed from the original blocks.
• Endsheets are Hahnemühle Bugra.
• Handmade leather endbands.  
• Printed letterpress from metal type on mouldmade Somerset Book paper.
• Text pages are set in is Monotype Baskerville. 
• Each copy is bound by hand and housed in a clamshell enclosure covered in Dubletta cloth with velour lined floors.
• Bookmark with all pre-orders.