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APPOINTMENT IN SAMARRA
by O’Hara John
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Newburyport, Massachusetts, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, [1934]. First edition, First Issue, with the tipped in errattum slip as called for. 8vo, publisher’s original black polished cloth lettered on the spine in gilt. IN THE SCARCE FIRST ISSUE DUSTJACKET, with the $2.50 price and with “Recent Fiction” on the back cover. 301pp. A fine copy, pristine and unused, the varnished black cloth shiny and fresh with only a tiny amount of marking that is common to the varnish and almost no wear whatsoever, the text clean and solid and fresh. The jacket, which is quite scarce, is still very bright and attractive. The front and rear panels of the dustjacket are in quite excellent condition, bright, clean and complete, the spine panel shows a bit of evidence of shelving at the foot, and a bit of wear at the head, but this is a very pleasing and attractive copy of an important book. A FINE COPY IN SCARCE ORIGINAL DUSTJACKET OF JOHN O’HARA’S FIRST BOOK. One of the Modern Library’s Top 100 books of the 20th Century. O’Hara is particularly well-known for his uncanny ear for dialogue. Writer Fran Lebowitz called him "the real F. Scott Fitzgerald" and John Updike has likened him to Chekhov.
The novel is about the self-destruction, over a three day period, of Julian English, once a member of the social elite of Gibbsville. Gibbsville is clearly O'Hara's fictionalized version of his native Pottsville, Pennsylvania.
The novel is about the self-destruction, over a three day period, of Julian English, once a member of the social elite of Gibbsville. Gibbsville is clearly O'Hara's fictionalized version of his native Pottsville, Pennsylvania.
Synopsis
At the ripe age of twenty-eight, John O’Hara completed Appointment in Samarra, his first novel, in less than four months. At a similarly quick pace, the events of the book take place in a span of just three days. In this brief time, Appointment in Samarra tells of the increasingly impulsive and self-destructive acts that lead to the main character’s suicide. Julian English, once a high-ranking member of the community of Gibbsville, angers and alienates those close to him, resulting in the rapid decline of his social status. Specific explanations for Julian’s behavior are unclear in the text, though personal insecurities along with his alcoholism undoubtedly play a role. The small-town prejudices of Gibbsville (O’Hara’s fictionalized version of his hometown, Pottsville, Pennsylvania) greatly affect Julian’s demise as well. Omniscient narration works to expose these prejudices via the inner thoughts of various people in the town. The title, Appointment in Samarra, is a reference to W. Somerset Maugham's 1933 retelling of an old story in his play, Sheppey. In the story, which appears as an epigraph for the novel, Death speaks of meeting a merchant in Samarra, informing the reader from the beginning of the novel’s fatal ending. In his foreword to the 1952 reprint, O'Hara says that the working title for the novel was The Infernal Grove. It was not until fellow writer Dorothy Parker showed him the story in Maugham's play that he got the idea for the title Appointment in Samarra. Modern Library ranked Appointment in Samarra 22nd on its list of the “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century.
Read More: Identifying first editions of APPOINTMENT IN SAMARRA
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Details
- Bookseller
- Buddenbrooks, Inc.
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 22741
- Title
- APPOINTMENT IN SAMARRA
- Author
- O’Hara John
- Book Condition
- Used
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Harcourt, Brace and Company
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- [1934]
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
Terms of Sale
Buddenbrooks, Inc.
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged. But, please do contact us as soon as possible if you wish to return an item. For items that are correctly described and being returned for other reasons please contact us as soon as possible and return the book in the condition it arrived to you within 7 days. For such returns the refund of postage is at our discretion.
About the Seller
Buddenbrooks, Inc.
Biblio member since 2009
Newburyport, Massachusetts
About Buddenbrooks, Inc.
Buddenbrooks has one of the finest collections of landmark, rare books and manuscripts in the world. Our intention is to provide great books or manuscripts in excellent condition. We enjoy sharing our passion and expertise with anyone interested in fine and rare books. And we also look forward to the opportunity to meet you. We maintain premises in the heart of historic Newburyport which are reminiscent of a European style librarie. We encourage you to visit our shop where books are beautifully presented in fine library cabinets in a sophisticated environment. We are also available by appointment only to meet with clients in Boston, where we also have maintained a presence for over 40 years. If you see an item which interests you or if you would like to learn more about our offerings, please contact us via telephone, fax or e-mail.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Tipped In
- Tipped In is used to describe something which has been glued into a book. Tipped-in items can include photos, book plates,...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
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