The Unknown: A Novel

Dutton, New York; 2026. Hard Cover. Book Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. Assumed first edition, stated “1st Printing” with no number line. 9-1/4” tall, 353 numbered pages followed by an unnumbered page of “About the Author”. One-piece black binding, shiny black lettering on spine only, front and rear boards decorated with numerous hex and astrological-ish signs, blind stamped and in shiny black; front board also has a 4” x 4” halloweenish tree in its center (Sager revealed he has some substantial control over the book and jacket design); all three edges are stained red; front and rear end pages have a multitude (over 30) of individual lit birthday candles with one shadowy face, all set in a black background; fore edge is trimmed. Book is brand new and is pristine: exterior is spotlessly clean, square, hinges tight, no corners bumped, no edge dings; head and heel of spine undamaged; hinges very tight and not damaged in any fashion. Interior is spotlessly clean and completely unmarked; pages are tight and clean with no marks; all pages have a thin (1/8") red trim on all three sides; no page corners folded or damaged; hinges quite strong and tight; spine undamaged; no staining or discoloration; no distortion of the book from reading or improper shelving; no remainder mark, not book club edition nor ex-library. All edges have a red stain and all pages have a 1/8” edge of that red coloring on all three edges. Jacket is also brand new and nearly pristine: it is clean; no tears, folds, creases or fading; publisher’s original price of “U.S. $32.00 / Can. $44.00” listed on the upper right corner of front flap; slightly raised letters of the title and author’s name on front panel are not damaged (they have not been crushed). Jacket is in a mylar cover. Signed by the author in medium black felt-tipped pen on the title page beneath his printed name; signed for an author event held on August 6, 2026 at the Clark Family branch of the Saint Louis County (MO) Library. Mr. Sager & Meredith Hopping, a library staff member, chatted for about 45 minutes about many aspects of the book before asking for questions—and he got about 12, all of which he gracefully and graciously answered. Sager was a delightful, humorous, self-deprecating individual who had the audience “in the palm of his hand”. It was a very informative and entertaining presentation. There were about 800 attentive and enthusiastic readers in attendance. I have a flyer from this author event.…