DEAR LIFE: STORIES

New York City, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2012. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. Fine/Fine Dust Jacket.. New York City, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2012. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First Edition/First Printing. 340 pages. The author's fourteenth collection of short stories. One of Alice Munro's finest achievements. The first appearance of the title in the United States. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now rare. "Autographed Copy" sticker pasted in front. Presents Alice Munro's "Dear Life: Stories". Her valedictory collection, announced as such by the author in 2012. But after winning the Nobel Prize in 2013, her publishers immediately issued a new retrospective collection beautifully entitled "Family Furnishings" (2014) . "Breathes life - real, blemished, nuanced life - into her characters and settings. Her empathy is the greatest weapon in her arsenal, and it is on full display here. But the most satisfying part is the last four stories, bundled together in what the author calls 'Finale', the closest she'll ever come to writing about her own dear life" (Alexandra Foster) . "Our Chekhov" (Cynthia Ozick) . "A stunningly precise writer who is often able to say more in 30 pages than an ordinary novelist is capable of in 300. Munro writes about what are usually called ordinary people, but her intelligence, compassion, and astonishing power of perception enable her to give their lives a remarkable dignity, indeed redemption, since she shows how much of The Extraordinary can fit into that jam-packed emptiness called The Ordinary" (Nobel Prize Citation) . An absolute "must-have" title for Alice Munro collectors. This Autographed Copy is very prominently, neatly, and beautifully signed in black ink-pen on the publisher's tipped-in page by Alice Munro. This title is a great book. This is one of few such signed copies of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing (American) still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Alice Munro's publisher issued a very limited number of pre-signed copies to celebrate the book's publication. Throughout her long career, Munro made few public appearances, and is a reluctant signer at best. As such, most of her books are signed on a bookplate, which are much less desirable than copies signed on either the title page or tipped-in page. A rare signed copy thus. Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2013. One of the greatest writers of our time. A fine collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER ALICE MUNRO TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 0307596885.