LEAP YEAR - Rare Fine Copy of The First Hardcover Edition/First Printing: Signed by Peter Cameron - SIGNED ON THE TITLE PAGE

Cameron, Peter

ISBN 10: 006016252X / ISBN 13: 9780060162528

Published by New York City, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1990, 1990

About this Item

1st Printing. Signed. 245 pages. Published in 1990. The author's first novel. Now considered a contemporary classic. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now scarce. Presents Peter Cameron's "Leap Year". His debut novel, originally published - serialized - in 7 Days Magazine, confirmation of the brilliant short story writer's undeniable command of the novel form. The main characters, the uncoupled David and Loren, are characteristically Cameron-ian, trapped in the intertwined dilemmas of erotic desire, the search for the truth of their lives, and the contradictory needs for "stable" love on the one hand, and "restless" freedom, on the other. David is, more or less, bisexual; Loren still loves David even if she is now involved with another man. "Reveals a dark sense of humor. Cleverly satirizes a number of quirky characters caught up in events that include an earthquake, a kidnapping, voodoo at a Day Care Center, and a murder trial. Despite the emphasis on empty lives caught up in success and sex, the author provides some likeable characters, allowing the reader a sense of relief when all turns out well for them" (Library Journal). "Jewel-like prose" (Publishers Weekly). By now, it has become a banality to say of a writer like Peter Cameron that he is underrated and underappreciated, by readers, that is, who should know better because each of his books comes with genuine, sincerely felt praise from fellow writers, who do know better. An absolute "must-have" title for Peter Cameron collectors. This copy is very prominently, neatly, and beautifully signed in blue ink-pen on the title page by Peter Cameron. It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. This title is a contemporary classic. This is one of few such signed copies of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Copies available online have very serious flaws (price-clipped is endemic), are subsequent printings, or are remainder-marked. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare signed copy thus. One of the most brilliant writers of our time. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER PETER CAMERON TITLES IN OUR CATALOG) ISBN 006016252X. Seller Inventory # 23219

Bibliographic Details

Title: LEAP YEAR - Rare Fine Copy of The First ...

Publisher: New York City, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1990

Publication Date: 1990

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Fine

Dust Jacket Condition: Fine

Signed: Signed by Author

Edition: 1st Edition.

About this title

Synopsis:

David and Loren experience the stress of the 1980s when David becomes enamored with a male temp at his office and Loren's mother has an extramarital affair

Reviews:

A funny, fast-paced and ambitious first novel by a New Yorker writer whose stories were previously collected in One Way or Another , this romantic comedy (previously published in weekly installments in 7 Days ) chronicles a year in the life of New Yorkers lost in the twilight of the '80s. Loren and David have been separated for several months; David is torn between love for his family (they have a daughter, Kate) and passion for his male temp, Heath; Loren, now seeing Gregory, can't seem to stop loving David. While Heath struggles with the discomfort he feels at loving an older, shorter, bisexual man, Lillian, Loren and David's lonely mutual friend, consults a sperm bank; and Judith, Loren's mother (taking a sabbatical from her marriage at her husband's request) begins an affair with an Asian named Fang. Villains include scheming Amanda Paine, director of an art gallery, and Solange and Anton Shawangunk, its jaded, perverse and ultra-rich co-owners. What happens to Solange at the opening of the show Amanda gives Heath (who is an artist as well as a temp) is among the events raised above simple comedy or melodrama by Cameron's focus on issues of sexual responsibility and his resonant, jewel-like prose.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Originally published in 7 Days magazine, this first novel reveals skill, a dark sense of humor, and, best of all, the promise of better novels to come. Despite some rather frenetic crosscutting and a tendency toward the tour de force , it cleverly satirizes a number of quirky characters caught up in events that include an earthquake, a kidnapping, voodoo at a Day Care Center, and a murder trial. Loren and David, amiably divorced, involved with lovers, and raising their daughter, unify the novel. Other characters have at times slightly contrived connections with them. Despite the emphasis on empty lives caught up in success and sex, the author provides some likable characters, allowing the reader a sense of relief when all turns out well for them. A good choice for current and selective collections.
-Elizabeth Guiney Sandvick, North Hennepin Community Coll., Minneapolis
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.