About this Item
Frederick Exley's A Fan's Notes (1968) is widely regarded as one of the landmark works of American autobiographical fiction. Blending memoir, novel, and confession, Exley chronicles alcoholism, mental illness, failed ambitions, football obsession, and mid-century American masculinity through the experiences of a narrator closely resembling the author himself. The book was nominated for the National Book Award, received the William Faulkner Award for best first novel, and has since achieved cult-classic status. This 1997 Modern Library edition includes an introduction by Jonathan Yardley, Exley's biographer and longtime Washington Post literary critic.
Book is Near Fine with clean gray cloth boards with bright gilt spine lettering, square binding, sound hinges, and clean acid-free pages. No ownership markings, bookplates, remainder marks, or notable internal defects. Dust jacket is Near Fine and is unclipped, bright, and complete with only light shelf wear and minor handling evidence visible. An attractive collector's copy of a Modern Library literary classic.
Modern Library edition published 1997. Copyright page states '1997 Modern Library Edition' and carries number line 4 6 8 9 7 5 3, with the lowest number '3' indicating a third printing. Gray cloth binding with torchbearer device blind-stamped on front board and matching Modern Library dust jacket present.
Frederick Exley (1929-1992) was an American novelist whose reputation rests primarily on A Fan's Notes, a deeply personal and stylistically distinctive work often compared to the writings of Thomas Wolfe, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Charles Bukowski. Though he published only a small number of books, his unflinching exploration of failure, obsession, and self-destruction earned him a devoted following and a lasting place in postwar American literature.
Jonathan Yardley (1939?2025) was an influential American literary critic, editor, and columnist best known for his long career at The Washington Post, where he served as book critic and later as a columnist. Widely respected for his clear, accessible criticism, Yardley won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1981 for his distinguished commentary on literature and American culture.
A champion of overlooked and underappreciated writers, Yardley frequently wrote about neglected classics and literary reputations that deserved reconsideration. He became one of Frederick Exley's most prominent advocates and later wrote Misfit: The Strange Life of Frederick Exley (1997), the first full-length biography of the author. His introduction to this Modern Library edition of A Fan's Notes reflects both his admiration for Exley's work and his deep familiarity with the author's turbulent life.
Seller Inventory # F.EXL.1997.1
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