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Appointment in Samarra.

Appointment in Samarra.

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Appointment in Samarra.

by O'Hara, John

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
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About This Item

New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1934. First edition of the author's first book. Octavo, original cloth. Fine with a contemporary bookplate to the inner gutter, in the first issue dust jacket. Housed in a custom clamshell box. A very nice example.

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
Raptis Rare Books US (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #
109228
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
Keywords
Appointment in Samarra First Edition, Appointment in Samarra John O'Hara First Edition, John O'hara first edition

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About the Seller

Raptis Rare Books

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2012
Palm Beach, Florida

About Raptis Rare Books

Founded by Matthew and Adrienne Raptis, Raptis Rare Books is an antiquarian book firm that specializes in literature, children's books, economics, photo books, signed and inscribed books, and landmark books in all fields. Our business model is simple: we strive to handle books that are in exceptional condition and to provide exceptional customer service.

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Gutter
The inside margin of a book, connecting the pages to the joints near the binding.
Fine
A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
Bookplate
Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
Cloth
"Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
Jacket
Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
Octavo
Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
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...
Clamshell Box
A protective box designed for storing and preserving a bound book or loose sheets. A clamshell box is hinged on one side, with...

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