THE FLANEUR: A STROLL THROUGH THE PARADOXES OF PARIS

London, England: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2015. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. As New/No Dust Jacket, As Issued.. London, England: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2015. Hardcover. As New/None, As Issued. First Edition/First Printing. 215 pages. Book-length account on subject. One of Edmund White's masterworks. The first appearance of the title in the United Kingdom. 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 and as part of the now-legendary "The Writer In The City" Series. A bestseller, the book remains available in innumerable subsequent printings. The First Edition is now rare. The production values of the British Edition are superior to the American Edition in every respect. Without DJ, as issued. Re-presents, in a stunningly beautiful "travelogue book" format, Edmund White's "The Flaneur: A Stroll Through The Paradoxes of Paris". The inveterate walker's guide to the one city designed for walkers. This is the author's second book on Paris, preceded by "Our Paris: Sketches From Memory" (1995) and concluded by "Inside A Pearl: My Years In Paris" (2014) . It is worthy of comparison with its predecessors in Baudelaire and Walter Benjamin. "A flaneur is a stroller, a loiterer, someone who ambles through city streets in search of adventure and fulfillment. Edmund White, who lived in Paris for sixteen years, wanders through the streets and avenues and along the quays, into parts of Paris virtually unknown to visitors and indeed to many Parisians. In the hands of the learned White, a walk through Paris is both a tour of its lush, sometimes prurient history, and an evocation of the city's spirit. Gives us a glimpse into the inner human drama" (Publisher's blurb) . Among American writers, only Edmund White could have written this book. By his own admission, he has spent a serious and dedicated part of his otherwise sedentary life as a writer cruising. Cruising requires strong feet, insatiable desire, and infinite curiosity, all of which White had, and refined, over a lifetime of cruising. Its natural extension, a more leisurely walk through Paris, is an illuminating pleasure. An absolute "must-have" title for Edmund White collectors. This copy is very prominently, neatly, and beautifully signed in black ink-pen on the author's bookplate (that is pasted on the title page) by Edmund White. The bookplate is very small so it blends in well with the page itself. This title is a contemporary classic. As far as we know, this is the only bookplate-signed copy of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing (British) available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Edmund White signed the bookplate, NOT the book itself. ALL other copies available online have serious flaws or are in innumerable subsequent printings. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A very rare signed copy thus. Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1994 for "Genet: A Biography". Anointed by Vladimir Nabokov as his American successor. One of the finest writers of our time. A fine collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER EDMUND WHITE TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 1632863774.