Updike, John

The Poorhouse Fair with: Rabbit Redux

ISBN: 0394474392
New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1959; 1971. First Editions. Hardcovers. "The Poorhouse Fair concerns the lives of a handful of marvelously eccentric and understandable people in a poorhouse on the undulating plains of central New Jersey...a polished, thoughtful, and unconventional book that deals with the dignity of men in an uncommon habitat. It will be hailed not only for its breathtaking technique, but also for what it says so firmly and so well. It states a strong case for the old truths- faith, honesty, charity, craftsmanship- and finds its climax in a simple statement of civility and understanding." (from front flap) The first published novel by John Updike (1932-2009), the astoundingly prolific, prize-winning author, among the most acclaimed & successful in the history of American letters. Preceded by a collection of poems the previous year (1958), & the first appearance of the bold, bright dust jacket graphic designs by Harry Ford which would go on to characterize many of his subsequent productions. First edition as stated on copyright page (which refers to 1958 as the copyright year, the title page refers to 1959 below publisher's logo), in original, unclipped dust jacket. Per below, the jacket is in superb condition, but this copy of the book itself has several points that render it only fair-to-good by our standards. Therefore, we have priced this very popular Updike rarity quite low compared to other sellers, & have "thrown in" another Updike classic: Rabbit Redux (1971), the second of the four novels in his famous epic series about Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom, a quintessential mid- 20th century middle-American Everyman. Hardcover in clipped dust jacket, first edition as stated on copyright page. Two iconic Updike collectibles in one very favorable offering. The Poorhouse Fair: Book in fair-to-good condition with mild rubbing to front, back covers & spine; mild wear at edges & corners of same; tape remnants & residue near upper & lower left corners of front cover, same at right corners of back cover; lines of glue(?) residue across all near-edges of same (much less at upper front cover & spine near-edges); light rubbing to edges of text block, very slight fading to orange-dyed upper edge of same. Interior fair-to-good with residue lines same as noted above at near-edges of paste-downs & endpapers esp. lower front & upper rear; thin residue of torn paper that had been affixed to rear endpaper near its upper edge with previous owner's signature (a few letters & strokes of which are still present); page leaves very fine with only tiny bumps at lower corners of some page leaves. Dust jacket very fine with only very slight rubbing & a few short, faint creases to front, back covers & spine; mild wear & a few tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; sparse, light spot-staining at edges & corners of same including flaps. Rabbit Redux: Book very fine with only a bit of rubbing, fading & spotting to front, back covers & spine; miniscule amount of wear at edges & corners of same; mild-to-moderate rubbing, spotting & scratching to edges of text block; slight fading of blue dye at upper edge of same. Interior very fine with only slight convex curving at binding; tiny bumps at corners of a few page leaves. Dust jacket near-fine with mild rubbing, slight browning to front, back covers, spine & flaps; mild wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; one somewhat pronounced triangular crease at/ near upper left edges & corner of back cover. An extra handling charge will be added for shipping due to the weight of this bundle. Fair-Good; Very Fine / Very Fine; Near Fine. [Item #3741]

Price: $100.00