Vonnegut, Kurt

Armageddon in Retrospect

ISBN: 9780399155086
New York, NY, USA: Putnam, 2008. First Edition. Hardcover. “Thank you. I now stand before you as a role model, courtesy of Mayor Bart Peterson, and God bless him for this occasion. If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is. And just think of this: In only three year’s time, during World War Two, I went from Private to Corporal, a rank once held by both Napoleon and Adolf Hitler. I am actually Kurt Vonnegut, Junior. And that’s what my kids, now in late middle age like me, still call me when talking about me behind my back: “Junior this and Junior that.” But whenever you look at the Ayres clock at the Intersection of South Meridian and Washington Streets, please think of my father, Kurt Vonnegut, Senior, who designed it. As far as that goes, he and his father, Bernard Vonnegut, designed the whole darn building. And he was a founder of The Orchard School and The Children’s Museum.”--Kurt Vonnegut, “At Clowes Hall, Indianapolis April 27, 2007.” Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (1922-2007), was an American novelist who was known for his masterful blending of satire, science-fiction, dark humor, and black comedy. Vonnegut’s works include masterpieces like: Player Piano (1952); The Sirens of Titan (1959); Mother Night (1962); Cat’s Cradle (1963); Jailbird (1979); and Bluebeard (1987) just to name a few. Offered today is the 2008 posthumous collection of essays and short stories, Armageddon in retrospect. The first posthumous collection of his previously unpublished writings, Armageddon in Retrospect includes an introduction by Mark Vonnegut (b. 1947), a letter from Kurt to his family about his experiences as an American prisoner of war in Nazi Germany, and the fire-bombing of Dresden. Like many of Vonnegut's other books, Armageddon in Retrospect is laden with handwritten quotations and rough drawings by the author. From inside front flap of dust jacket: “Imbued with his trademark humor, the selections range from a visceral nonfiction recollection of the destruction of Dresden during World War II, a piece that is as timely today as it was then; to a painfully funny short story about three privates and their fantasies of the perfect first meal upon returning home from war; to a darker, more poignant story about the impossibility of shielding our children from the temptations of violence. Combined, these pieces offer readers remarkable insight into Vonnegut as a soldier, writer, artist, parent, and human being striving for peace.” A phenomenal Vonnegut work in its rarest contemporary form. Hardcover in unclipped dust jacket. First edition though not explicated as such at copyright page, first printing as indicated by number sequence thereon. Book in very fine condition with only minor wear to fine edges; dust jacket very fine with minor wear to fine edges, light smudging/staining to front and back covers, and an old price sticker over the barcode from BORDERS. Very Fine / Very Fine. [Item #8521]

Price: $75.00