Bowles, Paul

The Delicate Prey and Other Stories

New York, NY: Random House, 1950. First American Edition. Hardcover. Labeled by the wonderful promotional copy on the back of the book as one of the “NEW SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS OF EXTRAORDINARY INTEREST” Random House was publishing in 1950, they wrote the following about Paul Bowles’ “The Delicate Prey,” a strikingly dark and now-legendary collection of short stories from the celebrated author: “The short stories by the author of ‘The Sheltering Sky’ have already created a sensation among writers and critics despite the fact that many of them have appeared in out-of-the-way places. Most of these seventeen stories have their setting in Arab North Africa or in the Far East, and they share an almost Gothic preoccupation with violence—particularly that violence arising out of the clash of the Westerner with the alien world of the east.” The back flap of the dust-jacket describes Bowles in similarly-amusing, mid-century form as “…a young American writer and musician who for the past several years has been wandering about in North Africa and the Far East. He now lives in a remodeled house in the Arab quarter of Tangier.” Well, I’m not sure how much “wandering” one can do when they are knocked on their ass by a baseball-sized chunk of Majoun, but one thing is for sure: “The Delicate Prey” is quintessential Bowles, among his finest. Our Devoted Founder & Curator here at Third Mind Books, when describing this collection of Bowles, notes that the story which ends the book, “A Distant Episode” is an exceedingly masterful, nightmare-beckoning suite of literary horrors. Bowles himself seems to acknowledge this in the book’s dedication, which reads: “For my mother, who first read me the stories of Poe.” We are proud to offer this beautiful copy, a First American Edition in unclipped dust-jacket designed by E. McKnight Kauffer, whose Moroccan-themed cover epitomizes not only the Bowles of that era but the otherworldly, cosmopolitan expatriation that would mark his entire career as a writer. A true First Printing, as stated on copyright page. Book in very fine condition, with gorgeous spider-web themed illustrated boards and only slightest shelf-wear to fine-edges; dust-jacket in fine condition with modest shelf-wear, chipping to fine-edges; small closed tear to top left-hand corner of front cover; tiny closed tear near topmost fine-edge of spine; moderate stain to interior of front flap; moderate horizontal closed tear to same near center-middle at rightmost fine-edge; small chipping, closed tear at bottom right-hand corner of same; tiny bump to bottom left-hand corner of same; corresponding moderate stain to interior of back flap at bottom left-hand corner; slight chipping, bumping to top left-hand corner of same. We’re really condition grading the book microscopically here, but the pictures don’t lie: as anyone can see, this is a breathtakingly gorgeous copy of this topflight work by Bowles—among the rarest of his work and in a condition you very likely won’t be able to find elsewhere. Very Fine / Fine. [Item #4489]

Price: $400.00