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The Floating Opera and The End of the Road
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Floating Opera and The End of the Road Paperback - 1997

by Add Barth, John

  • Used

The Floating Opera and The End of the Road are John Barth's first two novels. Both concern strange, consuming love triangles and the destructive effect of an overactive intellect on human emotions. Separately they give two very different views of a universal human drama.

Description

UsedAcceptable. The item is fairly worn but still readable. The book may have some cosmetic wear (i.e. creased spine/cover, scratches, curled corners, folded pages, sunburn, stains, water damage, bent, torn, damaged binding, dent). - The dust jacket if present, may be marked, and have considerable heavy wear. – The book might be ex-library copy, and may have the markings and stickers associated from the library - The book may have considerable highlights/notes/underlined pages but the text is legible - Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included - Safe and Secure Mailer - No Hassle Return
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From the publisher

From the author of National Book Award-nominated Lost in the Funhouse - John Barth's first two novels are both existential comedies featuring strange, consuming love triangles and the destructive effects of an overactive intellect on the emotions.

"[Barth] ran riot over literary rules and conventions, even as he displayed, with meticulous discipline, mastery of and respect for them." --The New York Times

The relationship between these two darkly comic novels is evident not only in their ribald and philosophical subject matter but in their eccentric characters and bitterly humorous tone. The protagonist of The Floating Opera is Todd Andrews, an orphaned war veteran who has been sleeping with his friend's wife. Todd awakens in the morning determined to commit suicide, having concluded that nothing in life has intrinsic value--but then spends the day methodically reasoning his way into disregarding that fact and remaining a part of the floating opera of life.

In The End of the Road, a man named Jacob Horner finds himself literally paralyzed by an inability to choose a course of action from all possibilities. He begins an unconventional course of "mythotherapy" treatment at the Remobilization Farm, but his eccentric doctor's directives lead him into a tragic love triangle and from there to the nihilistic end of the road. Separately these two novels give two very different views of the universal human quest for meaning, and together they form the beginnings of an illustrious literary career.

From the jacket flap

"The Floating Opera and "The End Of The Road are John Barth's first two novels. Their relationship to each other is evident not only in their ribald subject matter but in the eccentric characters and bitterly humorous tone of the narratives. Both concern strange, consuming love triangles and the destructive effect of an overactive intellect on the emotions. Separately they give two very different views of a universal human drama.

Details

  • Title The Floating Opera and The End of the Road
  • Author Add Barth, John
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reissue
  • Condition UsedAcceptable
  • Pages 442
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Anchor Books, New York
  • Date March 11, 1997
  • Features Table of Contents
  • Bookseller's Inventory # 521PY6002I3H
  • ISBN 9780385240895 / 0385240899
  • Weight 1.15 lbs (0.52 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.2 x 5.4 x 1 in (20.83 x 13.72 x 2.54 cm)
  • Library of Congress subjects Death, Triangles (Interpersonal relations)
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 87026213
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

About the author

John Barth (1930-2024) was an American writer celebrated for his postmodern and metafictional fiction. Barth's first novel, The Floating Opera, was published in 1956, followed by The End of the Road. Barth achieved critical and commercial success in the 1960s with The Sot-Weed Factor and Giles Goat-Boy. His collection of interconnected stories, Lost in the Funhouse, was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1969. His other works include Chimera, a collection of three novellas that won the National Book Award in 1973; Letters, an epistolary novel; Sabbatical: A Romance; The End of the Road; and The Friday Book, a collection of essays.

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The Floating Opera and The End of the Road
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Floating Opera and The End of the Road

by Barth, John

  • Used
Condition
UsedGood
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780385240895 / 0385240899
Quantity Available
1
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pleasant Grove, California, United States
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The Floating Opera and The End of the Road

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New York: Anchor, 1997. Paperback. Very Good +. Barth's first two novels. Book is in very good condition with mild edge wear. The bottom corner of the front cover has a small crease.
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The Floating Opera and the End of the Road

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Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1997. Paperback. Acceptable. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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The Floating Opera and the End of the Road

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Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1997. Paperback. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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The Floating Opera and the End of the Road

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This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
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Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1997. Paperback. Like New. Pages are clean and are not marred by notes or folds of any kind. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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The Floating Opera and the End of the Road

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by John Barth

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Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1997. Paperback. Very Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in excellent condition. Pages are intact and are not marred by notes or highlighting, but may contain a neat previous owner name. The spine remains undamaged. An ex-library book and may have standard library stamps and/or stickers. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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The Floating Opera and the End of the Road

The Floating Opera and the End of the Road

by Barth, John

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Condition
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Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780385240895 / 0385240899
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Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
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Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1997. Paperback. Good. Missing dust jacket; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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NZ$10.70
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The Floating Opera and The End of the Road
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Floating Opera and The End of the Road

by John Barth

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The Floating Opera and The End of the Road

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Quantity Available
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The Floating Opera and The End of the Road
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Floating Opera and The End of the Road

by Barth, John

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780385240895 / 0385240899
Quantity Available
1
Seller
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This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
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Anchor. Used - Good. Good condition. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains.
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