Faulkner, William

Light in August (Facsimile First Edition in Slipcase)

Shelton, CT, USA: The First Edition Library. Facsimile First Edition. Hardcover. “You are either born a writer or you are not.” –Cormac McCarthy. William Faulkner (1897–1962) is widely considered one of the best novelists to have ever put a word to the page. Almost every work penned by Faulkner is considered a masterpiece; The Sound and The Fury (1929), As I Lay Dying (1930), and Absalom!, Absalom! (1936) just to name a few. Today’s particular curation, Light in August (1932), is widely considered a standout among Faulkner’s works. A Southern-gothic, modernist foray into Prohibition and Jim Crow, Light in August centers on two strangers, a pregnant white woman and a man who passes as white but who believes himself to be of mixed ethnicity. In a series of flashbacks, the story reveals how these two people are connected to another man who has deeply impacted both their lives. In a loose, unstructured modernist narrative style that draws from Christian allegory and oral storytelling, Faulkner explores themes of race, sex, class, and religion in the American South. By focusing on characters who are misfits, outcasts, or otherwise marginalized in their community, he portrays the clash of alienated individuals (both in the Marxist and Feuerbachian sense) against a Puritanical, prejudiced rural society. “Light in August” though not one of Faulkner’s most well-known works, is often considered among his greatest and most underrated. From the collection of Dr. Stanley Hurwick Levy (1926-2020) — legendarily precocious Princetonian (where he walked and talked and studied with the likes of Albert Einstein, among others) — before embarking upon a prodigious, near mythic seventy-year career as a practicing physician, during which he collected prolifically. Hardcover in unclipped dust jacket and cloth slipcase: first edition thus, first printing. As this volume is still sealed book, dust jacket, and slipcase are all in as-new condition. A pristine, highly collectible, and incredible volume! An extra handling fee will be added for shipping due to the weight of this item. Very Fine / Very Fine. [Item #6382]

Price: $300.00