first edition
1985 · New York
by McCarthy, Cormac
New York: Random House, 1985. First edition (stated). Very good plus in very good jacket.. First printing of McCarthy's grim epic Western. The jewel of McCarthy's oeuvre, and one of few resoundingly great novels to have so far escaped the peril of film adaptation-most recently slipping nimbly from the grasping hands of James Franco-as its greatness rests in large part on its unadaptable prose. BLOOD MERIDIAN is a book from which those who love it best can recite unprompted; even those who love it somewhat less have the last paragraph by heart. McCarthy's great and terrible Judge Holden is one of a select few twentieth-century characters to achieve immortality without inspiring ten thousand easy imitations: no warmed-over archetype, but a whole new monster. A landmark in US literature. 8.25'' x 5.5''. Original quarter red cloth with red boards, gilt-lettered spine. In original unclipped ($17.95) dust jacket, designed by Richard Adelson. [8], 337, [1] pages. Large chip to top of jacket spine and front panel with matching fading to book. Small loss to top of spine cloth. Else a clean, bright, sharp, and sound example.
(Inventory #: 45243)