Greene, Graham

Doctor Fischer of Geneva or The Bomb Party

ISBN: 0671254677
New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1980. First American Edition. Hardcover. "Following on the enormous success and critical acclaim of Graham Greene's last novel, The Human Factor, comes Doctor Fischer of Geneva, a black entertainment which is also a profound study in human greed. At the center of his remarkable tour de force is the enigmatic Dr. Fischer, millionaire, student of human nature, practical joker and party-giver. His parties are famous- or perhaps notorious- for they are part of his experiment to see just how far even (or especially) the very, very rich will go to satisfy their greed, a Grand Guignol entertainment observed by Dr. Fischer's son-in-law, who discovers at the last moment that Dr. Fischer's guests risk not only humiliation at his hands, but death." (from front & rear flap) A later novel by Graham Greene (1904-1991), the prolific & canonical British author. With Greene's exquisite style & dry wit aged & seasoned by this period in his long career, he creates a commentary-parable on that ubiquitous human quality, ironically most pronounced in the already richest & most powerful- greed. If anything, in the four decades as of this writing since this work appeared, that quality has ascended to ever greater heights- or descended to ever lower depths. Hardcover in unclipped first-issue dust jacket (with $9.95 price printed on front flap, "0580" on rear flap), first American (trade) edition, first printing as indicated by number sequence on copyright page, published simultaneously with a limited signed & numbered edition & the same year as the first UK edition (1980). A most desirable & rewarding later Greene classic in one of its rarest, most original forms. Book in very fine condition with very light rubbing & fading to thin edges & corners of burgundy-cloth front, back covers & spine (silver-gilt lettering on spine completely bright & intact, slightly spilled onto left edge of front cover as issued); moderate spotting to upper edge of text block; much less at side & lower edges of same; remainder mark in black felt-tip ink at upper edge of same near spine. Interior very fine, substantially mint. Dust jacket very fine with only very slight rubbing, scratching to front, back covers & spine; a bit of wear & a few tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same & flaps; possible mild browning of off-white background at spine, all edges & corners, fading of remaining background (or may be as issued, we can't quite tell). Very Fine / Very Fine. [Item #4748]

Price: $90.00