THE COUNTERLIFE, THE FACTS, DECEPTION, PATRIMONY: NOVELS AND OTHER NARRATIVES - Rare Pristine Copy of The First Library of America Slipcased Edition/First Printing: Signed by Philip Roth - ONLY COPY ONLINE

Roth, Philip (Author) & Miller, Ross (Editor)

ISBN 10: 1598530305 / ISBN 13: 9781598530308

Published by New York City, NY: The Library Of America, 2008, 2008

About this Item

1st Printing. Signed. 765 pages. Published in 2008. Volume Five of The Library of America's definitive Collected Works of Philip Roth. The First Slipcased Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a Slipcased Edition for distribution to libraries and LOA subscribers only. None of the copies was sold to the public. The Slipcased Edition has the same ISBN as the regular trade edition. The Slipcased Edition is now rare. Printed to the highest standards on acid-free paper, utilizing sewn binding, closely woven rayon cloth boards, satin bound-in ribbon marker, and a page layout that is both readable and elegant, each volume is guaranteed to last for several generations of readers and collectors (despite frequent and regular use, the estimated life span of Library of America Editions is 1000 years; un-used, they will last forever). Without DJ, as issued. Presents Volume Five of The Collected Works of Philip Roth: "The Counterlife", "The Facts", "Deception", and "Patrimony". Masterworks, entwining fiction and autobiography, which is essentially Roth's idea of the modern narrative: "The Counterlife" (1989), "The Facts" (1987), "Deception" (1990), and "Patrimony" (1991). "One knows when one is reading something that will permanently enter the culture" (Cynthia Ozick). "Our foremost novelist since Faulkner" (Harold Bloom). Philip Roth was only the third writer to be so honored by The Library of America while still alive. Published in chronological order, the entire oeuvre consists of ten volumes in all and will surely be regarded as one of the "high spots" in The Library of America Series. Roth famously announced in 2012 that he has permanently stopped writing. Philip Roth died on May 22, 2018 of congestive heart failure, literally of heartbreak, at the age of 85. An absolute "must-have" title for Philip Roth collectors. This copy of Volume Five is very prominently and beautifully signed in black ink-pen on the title page by Philip Roth. It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. This title is a classic. As far as we know, this is the only such signed copy of the First Library of America Slipcased Edition/First Printing available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: The First Slipcased Edition was distributed to libraries and LOA subscribers only. None of the copies was sold to the public. Copies available online have serious flaws, have the bookstore's stamp, or are subsequent printings yet command hundreds of dollars. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare signed copy thus. Six of Philip Roth's novels were selected as among the Top 20 works of American fiction of the last 25 years: "American Pastoral", "The Counterlife", "Operation Shylock", "Sabbath's Theater", "The Human Stain", and "The Plot Against America". One of the greatest writers of our time. A fine collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER PHILIP ROTH TITLES IN OUR CATALOG) ISBN 1598530305.

Seller Inventory # 18499

Bibliographic Details

• Title: THE COUNTERLIFE, THE FACTS, DECEPTION, PATRIMONY: NOVELS AND OTHER NARRATIVES - Rare Pristine Copy of The First Library of America Slipcased Edition/First Printing: Signed by Philip Roth - ONLY COPY ONLINE
• Publisher: New York City, NY: The Library Of America, 2008
• Publication Date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1598530305
• ISBN 13: 9781598530308
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition.
• Condition: As New
• Dust Jacket Condition: None, As Issued
• Signed: Signed by Author

About this title

Synopsis

For the last half century, the novels of Philip Roth have re-energized American fiction and redefined its possibilities, leading the critic Harold Bloom to proclaim Roth ?our foremost novelist since Faulkner.? Roth?s comic genius, his imaginative daring, his courage in exploring uncomfortable truths, and his assault on political, cultural, and sexual orthodoxies have made him one of the essential writers of our time. By special arrangement with the author, The Library of America continues the definitive edition of Roth?s collected works.

This fifth volume of The Library of America?s definitive edition of Philip Roth?s collected works presents four books that exemplify the description of Roth, proposed by British novelist Anthony Burgess, as a writer ?who never steps twice into the same river.? The Counterlife (1986) is a novel told from conflicting perspectives about people enacting drastic dreams of renewal and escape. The Facts (1988)?the first of the ?Roth Books??is a novelist?s autobiography in which the author presents his own battles defictionalized and unadorned. In the second Roth book, Deception (1990), a married American named Philip, living in London, and the married Englishwoman who is his mistress meet sporadically in a secret trysting place where the woman eloquently reveals herself to her lover as they talk before and after making love. In the third Roth book, Patrimony (1991), the author watches as his 86-year-old father, Herman Roth, battles a fatal brain tumor.

LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America’s best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.

About the Author

Philip Roth, acclaimed author of Portnoy's Complaint, The Human Stain and many other works of fiction, is the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Medal of Arts from the White House.