Golding, William

The Hot Gates and Other Occasional Pieces

New York, NY: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1966. First American Edition. Hardcover. "Here is an invitation to adventure of a rare and wonderful variety. One moment we are wandering on the outskirts of a village in modern Greece, the next we are standing with three hundred doomed Spartans in the fifth century B.C., hopelessly holding a narrow pass against the tens of thousands of Xerxe's massed army. In a while we are reliving the pursuit of truth that makes the name Copernicus glow like a brilliant star across the firmament of history. Soon we speculate on the remains of a prehistoric community in England, consider the questions of good and evil that motivated the writing of Lord of the Flies, and blow dust from the musty relics of ancient Egypt. People and places, books, nature, outward observations and inward speculations, all these make up the elements of twenty "occasional pieces" that relate the past with the present, demonstrate the reach and grasp of the human mind, and reveal the astonishing range of one remarkable individual, William Golding." (from front flap) A collection of shorter nonfictional pieces & essays by William Golding (1911-1993), the great British writer whose first novel, Lord of the Flies, immortalized him in the world literary canon, read & studied the world over by young people (including this writer during junior high school...) as with J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Though sometimes overshadowed by his most famous book, Golding was the prolific author of many other very profound & powerful works, including this collection of writings from the mid-1950s through mid-1960s, some originally published separately in British & American journals. Hardcover in unclipped dust jacket, "First American edition 1966" as stated on copyright page, preceded the previous year by the first UK edition. A key collectible in the Golding canon, full of insight into the sweeping contemporary & historical concerns which are played out in his fictional works. Book in fine condition with a bit of rubbing to red-cloth front, back covers & spine; very light wear & occasional fading to edges & corners of same; light rubbing, browning & sparse spotting to side & lower edges of text block; more pronounced spotting to upper edge of same. Interior fine with previous owner's "Loaned to..." inscription, signature & date of "Jan(uary) 1 1967" in blue ink at upper margin-edge of blank front endpaper; all other page leaves, paste-downs & rear endpaper substantially mint. Dust jacket near-fine with very light rubbing, scratching, sparse spotting & faint creasing to front, back covers & spine; mild wear, a touch of browning & some tiny bumps, creases at thin edges & corners of same & flaps; several very short, closed tears at upper & lower edges of front cover; slight loss of paper at upper spine-edge. Fine / Near Fine. [Item #4529]

Price: $60.00