The Godfather: Slipcased Signed Artist Edition #/750

Suntup Editions, 2023. Book. Illus. by Art Werger. Fine. Hardcover. Signed Copy. First Edition/First Printing. With its brilliant portrayal of the Corleone family, The Godfather by Mario Puzo burned its way into our national consciousness as the definitive novel of the Mafia underworld. Don Vito Corleone is the head of a New York Mafia family, presiding over a vast underground empire that includes rackets, gambling, bookmaking and unions from his fortress of a home in Long Island. His influence runs through all levels of American society, from the cop on the beat to the nation's leading politicians. But he is constantly at war with the four other families of the New York Mafia in their endless fight for power. As Corleone's desperate struggle to control the Mafia underworld unfolds, so does the story of his family. By the time Mario Puzo's fictional account of the Corleone family arrived on bookshelves in 1969, organized crime had been prevalent in the news for nearly two decades, instilling fear and fascination into the hearts of the American public. When The Godfather first appeared on The New York Times bestseller list, the newspaper reported that the novel was "bound to be hugely successful, and not simply because the Mafia is in the news. Mr. Puzo's novel is a voyeur's dream, a skillful fantasy of violent personal power without consequence." It remained on The New York Times bestseller list for 67 weeks, and sold over nine million copies in two years. In 1972, The Godfather was turned into the incomparable film of the same name, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. A tale of family and society, law and order, obedience and rebellion, The Godfather reveals the dark passions of human nature played out against a backdrop of the American dream. The fine press edition of The Godfather by Mario Puzo is presented in three states: Artist, Numbered and Lettered. The Artist and Numbered editions measure 6" x 9", and the Lettered edition measures 6¼ x 9? with a deckle at the fore- and lower-edge. The text pages are set in Requiem with the Numbered and Lettered editions printed letterpress by Bradley Hutchinson and Max Koch on a Heidelberg Cylinder in Austin, Texas. Included are fourteen copper plate intaglio illustrations by Art Werger, as well as an introduction by Francis Ford Coppola from the 50th Anniversary edition, and a note by Anthony Puzo. The Numbered and Lettered editions are signed by Francis Ford Coppola, Anthony Puzo and Art Werger, and the Artist edition is signed by Art Werger. The Artist edition is limited to 750 copies, and is the only edition to include a dust jacket with an illustration on the front cover by Art Werger. It is a smyth-sewn full cloth binding with a foil blocked cover. The edition is housed in a durable embossed paper covered slipcase and is printed offset on archival Cougar paper. This edition is signed by Art Werger..