Illinois State University/fiction Collective, New York 1988 - Hardcover with DJ. 154 pages. Inscribed with humorous note by Don Webb on the title page. Collection of 97 wildly original "Metamorphoses" concerning everything from ancient gods to the White House to I Love Lucy. Unread, nearly as new copy but with some scruffing and one small tear to DJ due shelf wear.

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Bibliographic Details

Title

Uncle Ovid's Exercise Book

Publisher

Illinois St U/Fiction Collective, New York, New York

Publication Date

1988

Language

English

ISBN 10

0932511171

ISBN 13

9780932511171

Binding

Cloth

Illustrator

Jeffrey Wilson

Edition

First Edition

Condition

As New

Dust Jacket Condition

Good

Signed

Signed by Author(s)

Seller catalogs

About this title

Synopsis

In these postmodernist episodes of high comedy, Don Webb turns Ovid's classic work, The Metamorphosis, on its head

Awarded the 1988 Illinois State University/Fiction Collective Prize through a nationwide fiction competition, Webb's first book of fiction, Uncle Ovid's Exercise Book, explores the theme of change in hitherto unimagined manifestations—from the everyday to the mysterious to the miraculous. These eight dozen "metamorphoses" are widely funny, profound, and—like change itself—always surprising.

With rare originality and breadth, Webb draws upon Egyptian mythology, molecular biology, classical poetry, contemporary pop culture, literary theory, Eastern mysticism, and science fiction, composing them into an offbeat fugue on the theme of transformation.

"Metamorphosis No. 39" resurrects the ancient Egyptian gods, Set, Toth, and Osiris, who return to America to mastermind a plot to alter contemporary consciousness. Their scheme includes the broadcast of subliminal archetypal images during returns of "I Love Lucy." In a later metamorphosis, another ancient god—Dionysius—returns to modern day Atlantic City to recruit winos for a new band of satyrs. Ancient gods are not the only agents of change. Metamorphosis also spreads to the White House in an episode describing the clandestine life of the president's drug supplier—who risks death to satisfy the chief executive's taste for organic hallucinogens.

A hilarious New Age western saga unfolds in "Metamorphosis No.5" W.B. Porter, the "Last of the Singing Cowboys"— a hero with a degree in chemical engineering and a proficiency on the sitar—foils the Uzi-toting Mendoza gang—"tough hombres schooled in the Fourteen Mysteries of Toltec Sorcery"—in their attempt to pull a heist on a condo construction project.

This theme of transformation extends even to the farming narrative of UOEB itself, which at one point unexpectedly becomes the diary of an Englishwoman who is held captive in a potting shed by a maniacal pastor.

These variations on a theme are sometimes hilarious, sometimes cryptic, sometimes curiously moving—and always disturbingly provocative. With his hat off to Ovid, Don Webb pulls together high-spirited wit, eclecticism, and sheer inventiveness to make Uncle Ovid's Exercise Book a richly comic, absorbing, and singular work of a new order.

About the Author

Don Webb is an American science fiction and mystery writer. His short stories have appeared or been referenced in numerous anthologies, including The Year's Best Science Fiction: Eleventh Annual Collection,Asimov's Science Fiction, and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Webb has published 12 books and over 400 other items covering a broad range of topics. He currently lives in Austin, TX and teaches creative writing at the University of California, Los Angeles.

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I am not a professional bookseller or dealer. I'm a book lover and have been collecting books since the early 1950s, but now age and finances require transferring them into other hands who can appreciate them. For now, most sale books are in the horror, SF, fantasy, and mystery fiction categories. Many of these books were purchased from specialized dealers such as Gerry de la Ree and Robert Weinberg, others directly from publishers such as Donald M. Grant and Underwood-Miller. I corresponded with some authors, including August Derleth and Joseph Payne Brennan (I was on my way to visit Derleth in early July, 1971, when I learned that he had just died.) I plan to list additional items in horror/SF, crime fiction, the environment, geology, general fiction, topographic maps, artwork, and lots more. All items, including their condition, will be described as accurately as possible. I'm just getting started, so be patient and keep checking for more books and information.

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