AFGHAN STORIES (Paperback Original - first printing)

First printing of the first UK edition, published as a paperback original (PBO). ***A very good copy in the original glossy card covers with integral French flaps. The covers have yapp-edges, and are thus prone to creasing. This copy has lightly creased covers from reading and handling - mainly to the top corner of the front cover and edges. Unusually, the spine has no reading creases, and only very slight fading to the blue colour on the spine. Internally, the book is near fine, with no obvious faults. The pages are clean, and there are no inscriptions. The paper stock has tanned over the years, as is usually found with these titles published by Secker & Warburg in the early 1990s. (Please see scans) ***199 pages. 215mm x137mm. ***Stories: Baptism, Unit N Carried Out Exercises, Mars and the Soldier, Winter in Afghanistan, The Belles, The snow-Covered House, A Springtime Walk, A Feast on the Bank of a Violet River, Safe Return, The Yellow Mountain. ***'This searing collection of stories introduces a new voice from Russia, the voice of those shaped by war in Afghanistan. This was a war that brought a generation together from the furthest corners of the Soviet Union - then blew it apart.' (Quote taken from the inside flap of the front cover) ***'Oleg Yermakov is a Russian writer. He was born in Smolensk in 1961, and worked in a forest reserve near Lake Baikal before doing his military service during the war in Afghanistan. His experiences formed the basis of an acclaimed collection of short stories, titled "Afghan Stories" (1991). He followed up with a novel, "The Mark of the Beast" (1994) which was nominated for the Russian Booker Prize. His war writing has been compared to that of Tolstoy and the literature of the Vietnam War.' (Wiki). ***A first printing of the true first edition, published as a paperback original in the short-lived large format Secker & Warburg Paperbacks series. Being a paperback, first printings in acceptable condition are hard to find now. ***For all our books, postage is charged at cost, allowing for packaging: any shipping rates indicated on ABE are an average only: we will reduce the P & P charge where appropriate - please contact us for postal rates for heavier books and sets etc.…