Mailer, Norman

An American Dream

New York, NY: The Dial Press, 1965. First Edition. Hardcover. "Norman Mailer would rather dramatize the unthinkable than write a safe book. Here is An American Dream, his first full-scale work of fiction in nearly ten years. Mailer undertook to write An American Dream under the same conditions of serial deadline that Conrad, Dickens and Dostoevsky met in their day. The novel appeared in slightly different form in eight successive issues of Esquire magazine and, from its first installment, created the kind of electric response Mailer has evoked since the publication of The Naked And The Dead in 1948." (from front flap) The best-selling, critically acclaimed novel by Norman Mailer (1923-2007), the prize-winning novelist & a towering figure in American fiction & journalism. This novel describes a thirty-two hour period in the life of its protagonist, Stephen Richards Rojack, whose life & background somewhat resemble that of the author. Rojack "...journeys through every imaginable evil, and some all but unimaginable pleasures- an existential pilgrimage of great peril, of profound suspense" (from front flap) during this intense, brief period. Hardcover in unclipped dust jacket, first edition, published during 1965 as a whole & in different form than the Esquire series. An essential collectible in the Mailer canon, from his provocative prime. Book in fine condition with mild rubbing, fading esp. at/ near edges & corners of front, back covers & spine; mild wear to edges & corners of same; moderate spotting to upper edge of text block. Interior very fine with only light fading to paste-downs & endpapers; side edges of page leaves uncut as issued. Dust jacket near-fine with mild-to-moderate rubbing, browning to front, back covers, spine & flaps; mild wear & some tiny bumps, creases at thin edges & corners of same; several very small creases & closed tear at lower right corner & edge of front cover. Fine / Near Fine. [Item #4007]

Price: $75.00