LADY ORACLE (First American edition - first impression)

Margaret Atwood

ISBN 10: 0671223399 / ISBN 13: 9780671223397

Published by Simon & Schuster, New York, 1976

About this Item

First impression of the first American edition, with full number-string sequence including the no. "1": 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 on the printer's page. The author's third novel. ***Near fine in light pink paper over cream cloth-covered boards with red titles to the spine. Boards clean and unmarked. No bumps or creases. Corners sharp. Page block edges clean, with a Simon & Schuster monogram stamp on the bottom edge (see scans). Internally also near fine with no inscriptions. Pages clean. No foxing. No creases or tears. Spine tight. ***In a near fine colour-illustrated dustwrapper, that has not been price-clipped, retaining the original publisher's printed price of $8.95. The dustwrapper is complete, with no chips, tears or creases. No fading. Dustwrapper bright. The flaps are completely uncreased, which is unusual, as they are prone to curling and creasing due to the laminate used by the publisher. ***345 pages plus a Note on the Author at the back of the book. 220mm x 150mm. ***'"Lady Oracle" is a novel by Margaret Atwood that parodies Gothic romances and fairy tales. It was first published by McClelland and Stewart in Canada in 1976. The novel was co-winner, with Margaret Gibson's short story collection "The Butterfly Ward", of the City of Toronto Book Award in 1977. The novel's protagonist, Joan Foster, is a romance novelist who has spent her life running away from difficult situations. The novel alternates between flashbacks from the past and scenes from the present. Through flashbacks, the reader sees her first as an overweight child whose mother constantly criticizes her, and later, hiding her career, her past as the mistress of a Polish count, and her affair with a performance artist called The Royal Porcupine, from her bipolar husband Arthur. In the present, she has recently published a volume of feminist poetry which becomes a breakthrough success and is overwhelmed by the pressures of sudden fame. Joan panics after receiving a blackmail attempt from someone who has found out about her secrets. With the help of two acquaintances, she fakes her own death and then flees to Italy.' (Wiki) ***First impression of the first US edition, in its original dustwrapper, in near fine, bright condition. Uncommon to find in the UK, especially in this condition. ***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 # 8527

Bibliographic Details

• Title: LADY ORACLE (First American edition - first impression)
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster, New York
• Publication Date: 1976
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0671223399
• ISBN 13: 9780671223397
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Paul Bacon (Jacket design)
• Edition: First American Edtion
• Printing: First Impression
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • Literature
  • First Editions

About this title

Synopsis

Joan Foster is the bored wife of a myopic ban-the-bomber. She takes off overnight as Canada's new superpoet, pens lurid gothics on the sly, attracts a blackmailing reporter, skids cheerfully in and out of menacing plots, hair-raising traps, and passionate trysts, and lands dead and well in Terremoto, Italy. In this remarkable, poetic, and magical novel, Margaret Atwood proves yet again why she is considered to be one of the most important and accomplished writers of our time.

From the Publisher

New in this edition: a Reader's Companion to Lady Oracle--ideal for discussion groups

"Funny, poignant, and briskly energetic."
--Newsweek

"A rich, subtle, deep, delicate, nourishing book. It's all joy, but it stays with you. She has things to tell us."
--Philadelphia Inquirer

"A really gifted writer...alternately satirical and lyrical."
--Time

"A very funny novel, lightly told with wry detachment and considerable art."
--Washington Post Book World

"Brilliant and funny. I can't tell you how exhilarating it was to read it --everything works. An extraordinary book."
--Joan Didion