Chapter summaries Elphie Gregory Maguire

Chapter 65: About the Publisher

Spoiler Notice

No story spoilers: This chapter is the publisher’s colophon. It contains no narrative events or plot revelations about Elphie.

Summary

Chapter 65 of Elphie is not part of the novel’s story but a back-matter page titled “About the Publisher.” It opens with the heading “About the Publisher” and lists the copyright and contact details for HarperCollins Publishers. The information is organized by country:

  • Australia – HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd., Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, with website www.harpercollins.com.au.
  • Canada – HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, Bay Adelaide Centre, East Tower, 22 Adelaide Street West, 41st Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 4E3, web at www.harpercollins.ca.
  • India – HarperCollins India, A 75, Sector 57, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201 301, site www.harpercollins.co.in.
  • New Zealand – HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand, Unit D1, 63 Apollo Drive, Rosedale 0632, Auckland, with www.harpercollins.co.nz.
  • United Kingdom – HarperCollins Publishers Ltd., 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF, UK, web address www.harpercollins.co.uk.
  • United States – HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007, site www.harpercollins.com.

The page provides no characters, dialogue, or plot. It functions solely as the book’s legal and commercial colophon.

Key Events

No plot events occur. The chapter is a formal imprint page listing the publisher’s international addresses and websites. Its placement as the final numbered chapter—rather than unnumbered back matter—is the only notable editorial choice.

Character Development

None. This back matter contains no characters; it is purely publishing metadata.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Paratextual Threshold: The page marks the boundary between the fictional world and the commercial reality of book production.
  • Global Distribution: The multinational list of offices underscores the publisher’s international reach and the book’s simultaneous release across English-language markets.
  • Corporate Imprint as Authority: The publisher’s name and addresses assert a secondary authorship, reminding the reader of the corporate entity behind the artifact.

Why This Chapter Matters

By numbering the colophon as Chapter 65, the book draws attention to its own materiality. Instead of hiding the publisher’s details in unnumbered end pages, the novel makes the production apparatus a formal section. This choice can prompt reflection on how a printed book—and its wide distribution—shapes the reader’s encounter with the story. It also serves as a concrete reminder that Elphie is a product of a global publishing industry, grounding the fairy-tale narrative in material reality.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. Why does Elphie include a chapter titled “About the Publisher”?
    The chapter functions as the publisher’s colophon. Rather than relegating this information to unnumbered front or back matter, the book assigns it a chapter number. This self-conscious editorial choice invites readers to consider the physical book as an object and to reflect on how publishing and commerce intersect with storytelling.

  2. What does the list of international addresses in Chapter 65 reveal about the publication of Elphie?
    The addresses in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States show that HarperCollins published the novel across multiple English-speaking territories. This indicates a coordinated global release strategy and signals the book’s intended mass-market appeal, with distribution networks spanning several continents.

  3. How does Chapter 65 relate to the concept of paratext in literary studies?
    The chapter is pure paratext—material that surrounds and presents the main text, shaping how it is received. As a numbered chapter, it blurs the boundary between story and apparatus, making the publisher’s imprint a visible part of the reading experience. This invites analysis of how elements like copyright pages, colophons, and imprint information influence a reader’s perception of a work’s authenticity, authority, and commercial context.

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