Gardner, John

Nickel Mountain

ISBN: 0394488830
New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1973. First Edition. Hardcover. "Nickel Mountain, in its simplicity and warmth, seems at first a startling departure from the complexity of The Sunlight Dialogues, the darkness of Grendel, the virtuosity of Jason and Medeia. Here is a moving story of two people: a fat, gentle, middle-aged man who runs a rural diner, and the young, plain girl who drifts into his life and remains to become part of it. Quietly, delicately, Gardner reveals what these two are to each other as the years pass, as they move through the universal rituals of courtship and marriage, the birth of a child, the loss of innocence, confession, atonement, forgiveness, the acceptance of death. The characters- enormous Henry Soames, the girl he marries, their son and all their friends- are as plain and memorable as the people encountered in one's childhood." (from front flap). The sixth novel by John Gardner (1933-1982), the brilliant American novelist, essayist, critic & academician who died tragically in a motorcycle accident at the age of only 49. Subtitled "A Pastoral Novel" on title page, this is a subtle but deep exploration of universal themes channeled by "ordinary" people. With dust jacket, frontispiece & several interior illustrations by Thomas O'Donohue, the acclaimed American artist. Hardcover in unclipped dust jacket, first edition as stated on copyright page, with first printing-issue points including "12/73" printed near lower left corner of rear jacket flap. A beautiful production, & a rewarding collectible in the profound & prolific Gardner canon. Book in fine condition with mild rubbing & spotting to off-white cloth front, back covers & spine; mild dulling & slight loss of copper-gilt spine lettering & graphics; very light browning to side edge of text block (untrimmed as issued); less so at lower edge of same but with several very small spot-stains near side-edge; slight fading & light scratching to dyed upper edge of same. Interior fine with light browning, sparse spotting to blank paste-downs & endpapers; moderate browning to thin side edges of a few page leaves; light spot-staining to small blank areas near lower corners of a few of same. An extra handling fee will be added for shipping due to the weight of this item. Fine / Fine. [Item #4511]

Price: $80.00