L.A. CONFIDENTIAL - Scarce Fine Copy of The First Hardcover Edition/First Printing: Magnificently Signed In Full by James Ellroy

1st Printing. Signed. 496 pages. Published in 1990. The author's ninth novel. Still James Ellroy's best book. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions, particularly copies that are signed on a tipped-in page. Published in a regular first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now scarce. Presents James Ellroy's "L.A. Confidential". The "peak point" novel of the author's "LA Quartet". It's preceded by "The Black Dahlia" and "The Big Nowhere", and concludes with "White Jazz", that is, one masterpiece after another. "Our greatest living mystery writer. Literate, suspenseful, honest. His pages crackle with manic energy. Ellroy captures the vocabulary, the rituals, the smells, rhythms, and colors of real people living on the edge. Nobody since Chandler has evoked so perfectly the seamiest side of LA" (Austin Chronicle). The defining event in James Ellroy's life and writing was his beautiful, young mother's murder when he was ten years old. Like Elizabeth Short, the "Black Dahlia", his mother was ritualistically and sadistically tortured and then murdered. Her killer was never caught (despite Ellroy's relentless, lifelong efforts). For James Ellroy, defenseless women - abused, tortured, raped, and killed - are the sacrificial lambs of Los Angeles, which is Male. So while his work is influenced by Raymond Chandler, it is tiresome to be constantly reminded of it. It must also be said that his work is, in fact, the exact opposite of Chandler's relentless misogyny, a deep-seated, vicious hatred of women that has marred what was otherwise a relatively fine body of work. Unlike Chandler, Ellroy loves women, and is the more humane writer for that reason, as incarnated by his mother and re-incarnated in the female victims he has written about with such grace, rage, and beauty. The basis of the brilliant film adaptation by Curtis Hanson, with an all-star cast that includes Kevin Spacey ("Before The Fall"), Russell Crowe, Kim Basinger, Guy Pearce, and James Cromwell, in an ensemble performance that does justice to the novel. An absolute "must-have" title for James Ellroy collectors. This copy is very boldly and beautifully signed in black pen-marker on the title page by James Ellroy. It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. It is a vintage signature, signed in full, the most beautiful specimen-signature we have ever seen. This title is a great book. This is one of few such signed copies of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing still available online and is in fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Copies available online have very serious flaws or are in multiple subsequent printings. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare signed copy thus. One of the greatest writers of our time. A fine collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER JAMES ELLROY TITLES IN OUR CATALOG) ISBN 0892962933.…