Banks, Russell

The Reserve

ISBN: 9780061430251
New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2008. First Edition. Hardcover. Signed by Russell Banks. "Part love story, part murder mystery, set on the cusp of the Second World War, Russell Banks's sharp-witted and deeply engaging new novel raises dangerous questions about class, politics, art, love, and madness- and explores what happens when two powerful personalities, trapped at opposite ends of a social divide, begin to break the rules." (from front flap) A compelling later novel by Russell Banks (1940-2023), the acclaimed, award-winning American fiction author & poet. In this imaginative & history-rich tale, the beautiful young heiress Vanessa Cole runs into the famous adventurer-artist Jordan Groves, when he lands his plane at her family's country home of the title- coinciding with the sudden death of her father. These two concurrent occurences touch off a dramatic series of events & revelations, as Vanessa becomes unhinged & increasingly destructive. Hardcover in unclipped first-issue dust jacket (with $24.95 price & "0208" printed on front flap), first edition as stated on copyright page, first printing as indicated by number sequence thereon. On a special page leaf between front endpaper & shorter title page is the statement: "This Signed Edition of/ The/ Reserve/ by/ Russell Banks/ Has Been Specially Bound/ By The Publisher." Below this, Banks has hand-written his signature in bold black ink above & along a printed line. There is no reference to any limitation. A beautiful (& apparently different from the first trade edition) production; & an essential Banks collectible in a rare special-original form with the late great author's signature. Book in very fine condition with only very light rubbing, faint scratching & occasional spotting to burgundy-colored front, back covers & spine (copper-gilt lettering & graphics on spine completely bright & intact); a bit of wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; light browning, occasional spotting & faint scratching to edges of text block. Interior very fine with only occasional light spot-flecks at blank burgundy paste-downs & endpapers; light browning & spotting mostly to blank margins/edges of page leaves. Dust jacket very fine with very slight rubbing, faint scratching & occasional spotting to front, back covers & spine; a touch of wear & a few tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same & flaps; mild rubbing of vulgar gold-colored disc with "Signed/First/Edition" printed in black affixed at lower right area of front cover, slightly effecting illustration thereon (we wish publisher/previous seller hadn't done this, but it cannot be removed without damage, sorry). Very Fine / Very Fine. [Item #5523]

Price: $60.00