CONGRATULATIONS, BY THE WAY: SOME THOUGHTS ON KINDNESS - Rare Fine Copy of The Limited Edition: Numbered, Dated (In The Year of Publication), And Signed by George Saunders - ONLY COPY ONLINE

1st Printing. Signed. 64 pages. Published in 2014. Transcript of the author's Commencement Address. One of George Saunders' finest achievements. Limited Edition of 1200 numbered and signed copies. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions, particularly the regular trade edition. The Limited Edition is now rare. It is superior in every respect in terms of production values when compared to the regular trade edition: Small-size volume format. Pictorial hard boards with titles on the cover and spine, as issued. Text by George Saunders. Art by Chelsea Cardinal. Saunders' speech is presented on the right-hand side. Accompanied by an image of the evening sky by Chelsea Cardinal en face, white stars that she starts out as tiny dots that gradually become bigger and glow brighter with each succeeding page until the very last page turns into a blinding white radiance. Printed on pristine-white, archival stock paper in the United States to the highest standards. Without DJ, as issued. Originally delivered as the Commencement Address to Syracuse University's Class of 2013. Presents George Saunders' "Congratulations, By The Way: Some Thoughts On Kindness". His now-legendary address to all graduating classes Past, Present, and Future, the best such speech since its direct predecessor, David Foster Wallace's "This Is Water" (2009). The Commencement Address is a curious genre: Because it is delivered "live", it is not meant to be literary. Because it is an amalgam of analysis, synthesis, and most elusive of all, wisdom, it is very hard to do well, and instead becomes trite, predictable, and is quickly forgotten. But in rare cases, it becomes transcendent, not just to its immediate audience, but to a much larger one, of other thoughtful people in the real world. Saunders delivered such a speech. It is not about life's goals of success, wealth, and accomplishment, all of which Saunders celebrates, with a caveat: "Success is like a mountain that keeps growing ahead of you as you hike it". The problem is precisely that kindness is NOT a life goal against which we measure ourselves. On the contrary, in the pursuit of success, it gets in the way. Saunders wisely acknowledges this, and eloquently describes kindness as the road not taken: "Do all the other things, of course, the ambitious things - travel, get rich, get famous, innovate, lead, fall in love, make and lose fortunes, swim naked in wild jungle rivers - but as you do, to the extent that you can, err in the direction of kindness" (George Saunders). An absolute "must-have" title for George Saunders collectors. This is a copy of the Limited Edition of 1200 copies, indicated/numbered as such on the Front Limitation Page. It is very prominently and beautifully numbered, dated (in the year of publication), and signed in black pen-marker by George Saunders. This title is a contemporary classic. As far as we know, this is the only copy of the Limited Edition available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Should NOT be confused with the regular trade edition. The Limited Edition is superior in terms of production values compared to the regular trade edition. A rare signed copy thus. Selected by The New Yorker Magazine as one of "Twenty Writers for The 21st Century". Winner of the Booker Prize in 2017 for "Lincoln In The Bardo". One of the most brilliant writers of our time. A fine collectible copy. (SEE ALSO DAVID FOSTER WALLACE "THIS IS WATER" TITLE IN OUR CATALOG) ISBN 0812996275. …