Violent Bear Away, Signed (3 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. New York: Farrar, Straus & Cudahy, (1960). First edition, 1st printing. 8vo. 243 pp. Original quarter grey cloth under crimson marbled paper boards, stamped in white, grey, in original unclipped ($3.75) dust-jacket. Faint edge wear, particular to spine crown. A small abrasion to spine. Light handling and shelf wear. Protected in archival mylar. Book is tight, square and firm. Light curling to spine ends. Faint forward lean, light outward bow to boards. Interior clean and unmarked. Scarce, signed by the author on the half-title page, along with her penned correction on p. 242. On January 28, 1960, soon after she had received the book, Flannery O'Connor wrote to author Cecil Dawkins that "The worst misprint was actually on the next to the last page. It is supposed to be 'he heard the command,' and they have it, he heard to command," which doesn't make sense." ? O'Connor was so displeased with the error, It is purported that occasionally, when O'Connor signed copies of this book, she would turn to this page and make the correction herself. Dust Jacket: Near Fine Hardcover: Near Fine "The Violent Bear It Away is a 1960 novel by American author Flannery O'Connor. It is the second and final novel that she published. The first chapter was originally published as the story "You Can't Be Any Poorer Than Dead" in the journal New World Writing. The novel tells the story of Francis Marion Tarwater, a fourteen-year-old boy who is trying to escape the destiny his uncle has prescribed for him: the life of a prophet. Like most of O'Connor's stories, the novel is filled with Catholic themes and dark images, making it a classic example of Southern Gothic literature. Flannery O'Connor was a devout Catholic, and The Violent Bear It Away reflects her religious beliefs. It is filled with religious imagery and themes, ranging from the power of passion to the dominance of destiny.". Signed by Author(s).

Condition: Very good plus. First Edition. Very scarce signed first paperback edition of O'Connor's second and final novel, the last book published in her lifetime. While still writing THE VIOLENT BEAR IT AWAY, O'Connor referred to the novel as her "Opus Nauseous"; by the time the manuscript was complete, she was left "in that state of not knowing whether it works or is the worst novel ever written." To the novelist John Hawkes, she wrote, "I don't think many people will like it, but it will mean something to me if a few people do," and upon correcting the proofs, "await[ed] the critical reception with distaste and unanticipation." In fact, the top end of critical reception was (and is) hugely favorable, but O'Connor was able to console herself with the strong suspicion that those who praised it did not understand it. This edition's rather restrained cover shares a color scheme and several design elements with the first edition dust jacket, of which O'Connor commented: "On an evil red-lavender background, the face of Francis Marion Tarwater in black wool hat peers out through some clay-colored corn. Very suggestive of the School of Southern Degeneracy but it could be worse." O'Connor died in 1964, thus copies of this 1961 paperback edition are unfrequently found signed. 7'' x 4.25''. Original pictorial wrappers. All edges tinted red. Signet D1937. 160 pages. Signed by O'Connor on title page. Light wear to wrappers, spine toned. Signed.

243 pp. 8vo, publisher's cloth-backed red boards in dust jacket. First edition. A near fine copy in a good to very good jacket with a number of tape reinforcements to verso. Signed by O'Connor on the half-title page, and with her ms. correction on p. 242. On January 28, 1960, soon after she had received the book, Flannery O'Connor wrote to Cecil Dawkins that "The worst misprint was actually on the next to the last page. It is supposed to be 'he heard the command,' and they have it, he heard to command," which doesn't make sense." She also wrote that "The title page is a real mess. They try to be fancy and just create confusion.".