FIRST LOVE, LAST RITES (First edition - first printing of the author's first published book)

Ian McEwan

ISBN 10: 0224010956 / ISBN 13: 9780224010955

Published by Jonathan Cape, London, 1975

About this Item

First printing of the true first edition of the author's first published book. Attractive black and white wrap-around dustwrapper illustration by the artist and illustrator Bill Botten. ***Very good in black cloth-covered boards with gilt titles to the spine. The boards are clean and unmarked, with just a small bump to the cloth on the front board. Head and tail of spine slightly creased. Corners sharp. Slight reading lean to the binding. Page block edges slightly foxed. Internally also very good, with no ownership instructions. Please note there is some foxing, mainly to the blank page opposite the first page of text, with a small smudge to the margin of p.24 (please see scans). ***In a very good black and white wraparound illustrated dustwrapper, which has not been price-clipped, retaining the original publisher's printed price of £2.50 net. The dustwrapper is complete, with no creases, chips or tears - just a light crease to the laminate surface on the front panel. No fading even to the spine. There is some light rubbing to the extremities, and the dustwrapper feels slightly slack around the book (perhaps having a stiff protective cover at one stage). ***204mm x 132mm. 165 pages. ***Stories: Homemade; Solid Geometry; Last Day of Summer; Cocker at the Theatre; Butterflies; Conversation with a Cupboard Man; First Love, Last Rites; Disguises. ***'"First Love, Last Rites" introduces an extraordinary new writer whose stories lurk darkly in the mind long after they have been read. Under Ian McEwan's manipulation, depravity may take on the guise of innocence, butterflies become sinister and incest is made somehow acceptable. He is able to project a view of the world through the pellucid consciousness of a child and then show it being fouled by the macabre until that world appears a murky grey. He distills the awakening sensations of first love, delicately traces love's ritual initiations and infuses these with a luxuriant sensual imagery'. (Quote taken from the front flap of the dustwrapper) ***First printing of the true first edition, complete in its original attractive black and white illustrated wrap-around dustwrapper by the illustrator Bill Botten. A very good copy, with the aforementioned faults. Of interest to collectors of the fiction of Ian McEwan, and the vibrant dustwrapper designs by artist Bill Botten. ***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.

Seller Inventory # 9382

Bibliographic Details

• Title: FIRST LOVE, LAST RITES (First edition - first printing of the author's first published book)
• Publisher: Jonathan Cape, London
• Publication Date: 1975
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0224010956
• ISBN 13: 9780224010955
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Bill Botten (dustwrapper illustration)
• Edition: First Edition
• Printing: First Printing
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • Literature
  • First Editions

About this title

Synopsis

Fine copy in Fine DJ, tiny mark on fore edge, now in Mylar. Dj designed by Bill Botten. Reprint

From the Inside Flap

Ian McEwan's Somerset Maugham Award-winning collection First Love, Last Rites brought him instant recognition as one of the most influential voices writing in England today. Taut, brooding, and densely atmospheric, these stories show us the ways in which murder can arise out of boredom, perversity can result from adolescent curiosity, and sheer evil might be the solution to unbearable loneliness. These tales are as horrifying as anything written by Clive Barker or Stephen King, but they are crafted with a lyricism and intensity that compel us to confront our secret kinship with the horrifying.