Barthelme, Donald

City Life

New York, NY: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1970. First Edition. Hardcover. "(Donald Barthelme) here enlarges and makes further forays into the imaginative terrain laid out in his three previous books. The fourteen new stories gathered together in City Life offer sudden, dazzling glimpses of a world very much like our own but with more clearly visible marvels and terrors...Throughout his exploration of City Life, Donald Barthelme displays the inimitable wit and the astonishing stylistic command that have set him at the forefront of American writing today." (from front flap) The fourth published work & third short story collection by Donald Barthelme (1931-1989), the acclaimed American novelist, journalist, editor, academician & especially short story writer. Barthelme's stories are concurrently whimsical, humorous, absurdist & hauntingly menacing- this collection from Barthelme's early prime is exemplary of his sharp & influential postmodern method, including the title story where "...two young girls "enter the complicated city" and are instantly involved in a rapidly escalating series of predicaments." (front flap) All but two of the stories gathered here first appeared in the venerable New Yorker magazine, & many feature vintage/ surreal graphics, illustrations & collages. Hardcover in unclipped dust jacket, first edition, "First printing, 1970" as stated on copyright page. A classic Barthelme collectible. Book in near-fine condition with mild-to-moderate rubbing, fading & occasional spotting to margins, edges & corners of light-red clothed front, back covers & spine; very light rubbing, browning & occasional spotting to side & lower edges of text block (the former slightly untrimmed as issued); more pronounced & with moderate fading of light-orange dye at upper edge of same (also slightly untrimmed as issued). Interior fine with light brush-stains & (possible) slight water or liquid damage to black blank front paste-down & endpaper esp. at/ near upper edge of latter; very slight, decreasing browning (or echo of above) to thin upper & side edges of following short title leaf, full title/ copyright leaf; smaller & more sparse brush-stains at/ near edges & corners of rear paste-down & endpaper; tiny bumps at upper corners of a few page leaves. Unrestored dust jacket relatively fair-to-good with moderate-to-significant rubbing, brushing & occasional spotting to front, back covers, spine & flaps; mild wear, creasing & a few very short, mostly closed tears at thin edges & corners of same; profuse but mostly light liquid (coffee?!) stains at side & esp. upper margins of front flap (not effecting legibility of text); a bit of tiny spotting at lower edge of same; some spotting, staining esp. at/ near edges of blank white inner jacket (not apparent on outer printed surface). Near Fine / Fair- Good. [Item #4495]

Price: $50.00