Barth, John

Chimera

ISBN: 0394491399
New York, NY: Random House, Inc., 1972. First Edition. Hardcover. "...Dunyazade, kid sister of Scheherazade of The Thousand and One Nights, (has) her own way with words. There is also Perseus, the demigod who slew the Gorgon Medusa, and yet finds himself at forty "sea-leveled, parched and plucked, every grain in my molted sandals raising blisters, and beleaguered by the serpents of my past." And bellerophon, the hero who tames the winged horse Pegasus only to discover, "My life's a failure. I'm not a mythic hero. I never will be." Like the Chimera of myth, which had a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail, they are all joined into a single, dazzling whole that is, in a sense, the culmination of all of John Barth's work thus far, transforming myth into daily reality and vice versa." (from front flap) The sixth novel by John Barth, the great American author (still with us & active at age 91 as of this writing), winner of the National Book Award. Barth's first novel, The Floating Opera (1956), made a great impression on this writer at a very young age, his novels & stories are hilarious, while full of a profound understanding of human inner & outer life & relations. Barth is critically regarded as a founding inventor-practitioner of the "postmodern" & "metafictional" literary movements. Hardcover in unclipped dust jacket, first edition as stated on copyright page (issued simultaneously with a limited edition), possible second printing as indicated by number sequence thereon ending in "2"- but this may indeed be a first printing, as the dust jacket has all first-issue points including $6.95 price near upper right corner of front flap, "9/72" printed near lower left corner of rear flap & ISBN number corrected from that on copyright page near lower right corner of back cover. In any case, this is a quite collectible version of a classic Barth novel (actually three inter-related chapters or novellas). Book in very fine condition with only slight rubbing & fading to edges & corners of front, back covers & spine; moderate spotting to upper edge of text block; much less at side & lower edges of same. Interior very fine with only very small-tiny bumps at upper edges of a few page leaves; otherwise substantially mint. Dust jacket fine with mild rubbing & a touch of browning to front, back covers, spine & flaps; light wear & some tiny bumps, creases at thin edges & corners of same; several miniscule, closed tears at upper spine-corners & upper corner between back cover & rear flap. Very Fine / Fine. [Item #4550]

Price: $60.00