McMurtry, Larry

Texasville

ISBN: 0671625330
New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1987. First Edition. Hardcover. Inscribed & signed by Larry McMurtry to Barbara Nusbaum. "In Texasville, his eagerly awaited major new novel, (Larry) McMurtry again takes as his subject Texas and Texans- but this time it is the Texas of the 1980s, "in the trough of the oil glut," where instant millionaires are in the process of becoming dazed instant debtors. Texasville is the brilliant and unexpected sequel to The Last Picture Show, McMurtry's classic novel about growing up in a decaying Texas town. But the Thalia of the fifties has gone from being a parched backwater to a boom town, only to sink into the backwaters again with the collapse of oil prices- ironically, just in time to celebrate the somewhat doubtful hundredth anniversary of its founding. The return, under mysterious circumstances, of Jacy, the high school beauty of The Last Picture Show...from a career as a Hollywood star and social celebrity, is the catalyst that changes the lives of her fellow Thalians- and shakes the town of Thalia itself to its very roots." (from front flap) A novel by Larry (Jeff) McMurtry (1936-2021),the highly acclaimed Pulitzer Prize-winning American author. As mentioned above, this novel is a direct sequel to McMurtry's The Last Picture Show (1966), which was made into the Academy Award-winning popular 1971 film starring Cybill Shepherd as Jacy Farrow. Shepherd & Co. reprised their roles for the 1990 film version of Texasville, which alas earned mixed reviews. Hardcover in unclipped dust jacket (undoubtedly first-issue with $18.95 price printed at front flap), first edition, first printing as indicated by number sequence on copyright page. From the collection of Barbara (1935-2023) & Irving (1933-2018) Nusbaum, world travelers, connoisseurs, eminent collectors of art & books- the dearly beloved parents of this grieving writer. On the otherwise-blank red front endpaper, McMurtry has hand-written & signed in black ink: "For Barbara/ (signed) Larry McMurtry." "Barbara" is of course my Saintly mother of blessed memory. Fascinatingly, McMurtry's signature is almost identical to his facsimile signature which is embossed into the front cover board of this volume (see images). A rich & rewarding collectible classic in the vast McMurtry oeuvre in its rarest contemporary form, greatly enhanced by his inscription-signature & with distinguished provenance. Book in fine-verging-on-very-fine condition with only a touch of rubbing, faint scratching to front, back covers & spine; a bit of fading, wear & a few tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; very light rubbing & light browning to edges of text block (browning in the form of bands at upper edge of same); very slight bending of spine toward front. Interior very fine with only a hint of browning mostly at blank margins/edges of page leaves. Dust jacket also fine-to-very-fine with only a hint of rubbing, faint scratching to front, back covers & spine; some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same & flaps; mild browning at flaps. Fine- Very Fine / Fine- Very Fine. [Item #6106]

Price: $100.00