New York: Harcourt, 1934. First Edition of the Author’s First Novel. Laid in is a terrific Autograph Postcard Signed from John O’Hara dated September 2, 1934 sent from San Francisco and depicting the handsome St. Francis Hotel. Comically addressed to a woman, “Chevalier Charlot Rosenberg” sent to her at a bar named “Tony’s, 59 West 52, New York, NY.” Here I come in a V-8 Phaeton. Lover to Whiskers and the rest of the Reading Club. John O’Hara. In the middle of the card O’Hara has drawn a sketch of himself speeding along in a 1930s phaeton automobile being chased by a motorcycle cop. The postcard was written at the time of Appointment In Samarra’s huge publication success. Very good copy in a later issue dust jacket with some minor dampstaining and a bit of edge wear.

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.

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Details

Bookseller: James Pepper Rare Books, Inc. (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: 13314J
Title: Appointment In Samarra
Author: O’HARA, JOHN
Book Condition: Used
Publisher: Harcourt
Place of Publication: New York
Date Published: 1934

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About James Pepper Rare Books, Inc.

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Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

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...