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In a Narrow Grave
by McMurtry, Larry
- Used
- near fine
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- Near Fine/Near Fine
- Seller
-
Portland, Oregon, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Austin, TX: The Encino Press, 1968. First Edition. Near Fine/Near Fine. First edition, first printing, first issue with "skycrapers" for "skyscrapers" on page 105. Signed by Larry McMurtry on the front free endpaper. Bound in publisher's original yellow cloth stamped in black with paper title label to spine printed in black. Near Fine with slight lean to binding, former owner gift inscription and bookplate to front pastedown. In a Near Fine price-clipped first issue dust jacket with errors "wtith" and "head" on the front flap; light soiling and light wear. While rumors abound about how few copies with these errors escaped into public hands, some placing the amount between 12-15 copies, the actual number seems to be somewhat higher, as is usually the case when similar claims of scarcity are made within the rare book world. McMurtry's first non-fiction book, an homage to the past and present of the Lone Star State, where he grew up a precociously observant hand on his father's ranch.
Synopsis
Writing with characteristic grace and wit, Larry McMurtry tackles the full spectrum of his favorite themes -- from sex, literature, and cowboys to rodeos, small-town folk, and big-city slickers. First published in 1968, In a Narrow Grave is the classic statement of what it means to come from Texas. In these essays, McMurtry opens a window into the past and present of America's largest state. In his own words: "Before I was out of high school, I realized I was witnessing the dying of a way of life -- the rural, pastoral way of life. In the Southwest the best energies were no longer to be found on the homeplace, or in the small towns; the cities required these energies and the cities bought them...." "I recognized, too, that the no-longer-open but still spacious range on which my ranching family had made its livelihood...would not produce a livelihood for me or for my siblings and their kind....The myth of the cowboy grew purer every year because there were so few actual cowboys left to contradict it...." "I had actually been living in cities for fourteen years when I pulled together these essays; intellectually I had been a city boy, but imaginatively, I was still trudging up the dusty path that led out of the country...."
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Details
- Bookseller
- Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 140944770
- Title
- In a Narrow Grave
- Author
- McMurtry, Larry
- Book Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Near Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Publisher
- The Encino Press
- Place of Publication
- Austin, TX
- Date Published
- 1968
Terms of Sale
Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
Biblio member since 2010
Portland, Oregon
About Burnside Rare Books, ABAA
Burnside Rare Books specializes in literary first editions and works of cultural and historic significance. We are located in Portland, Oregon and welcome visitors by appointment.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- 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...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- 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...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
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