Oates, Joyce Carol

The Assassins: A Book of Hours

ISBN: 0814907679
New York, NY: The Vanguard Press, Inc., 1975. First Edition. Hardcover. "When a bullet strikes a powerful political figure, when the burial rites are over and done with, when all that remains of that great promise is his lingering charisma, when the affair is investigated, the verdict rendered, what of those who have stood silent in the churchyard- are their lives, too, ripped by the same bullet? Has the deed been done by one assassin? Is there only one who has been destroyed? Or was there more than one who pulled the trigger, more than one whose life is shattered?" (from front flap) An earlier novel by Joyce Carol Oates (b. 1938), the acclaimed, much-honored & all-but-superhumanly prolific American author. In this deep & disturbing work, the surviving brothers & young widow of the assassinated politician Andrew Petrie are subjected to a mental & emotional tailspin of fear & reflection: "Their conflicting interpretations of reality- as well as the bafflilng, tragic events that overtake them- constitute a revelation of the contemporary world, both political and private." (from front flap) While the basic plot & characters seem (to us, anyway) to echo a certain American political dynasty, Oates runs with this story into her own sui generis territory that is as difficult as it is indismissable. Hardcover in unclipped presumably first-issue dust jacket (with $8.95 price printed at front flap); first edition, first printing though neither are explicated on copyright page. An essential collectible in the vast Oates canon, in its rarest original form. Book in very fine condition with only very light rubbing & sparse, faint scratching to black-cloth front, back covers & spine (gilt lettering at spine completely bright & intact); a few tiny areas of light rubbing at edges of text block; otherwise substantially mint inside & out. Dust jacket fine with light rubbing, scratching & occasional spotting to front, back covers, spine & flaps; a touch of wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; one very short, closed vertical tear at blank white lower edge onto front cover near right corner; tiny residue-spots (from sticker removal?) at blank white lower area of back cover. Very Fine / Fine. [Item #5731]

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