Skip to content

The Phantom Father: A Memoir

The Phantom Father: A Memoir Hardcover - 1997

by GIFFORD, Barry

  • Used
  • Fine
  • Hardcover
  • first

Description

New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1997. Hardcover. Fine/Near Fine. First edition. 257pp. Illustrated from black and white photographs. Fine in near fine dust jacket with light edgewear. Advance Review Copy with publisher's materials laid in. The author pieces together memories of a father he barely knew, a small-time gangster in 1930s-1950s Chicago.
Used - Fine
NZ$49.62
NZ$8.27 Shipping to USA
Standard delivery: 7 to 14 days
More Shipping Options
Ships from Between the Covers- Rare Books, Inc. ABAA (New Jersey, United States)
The BIBLIO Guarantee | Ask Seller a Question

About Between the Covers- Rare Books, Inc. ABAA New Jersey, United States

Specializing in: African-American Literature & History, Baseball / Golf / Misc. Sports, Books Into Film, Modern First Editions, Mystery/Detective Fiction, Science-Fiction/Horror/Fantasy, Signed/Inscribed/Autographs
Biblio member since 2005
Seller rating: This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.

Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc., founded in 1985, specializes in first editions of 20th Century American and English fiction. Our inventory of over 75,000 first editions includes: African-American literature & history, Mysteries, Detective Fiction, Drama, Books into Film and Sports books. We routinely issue extensively illustrated color catalogs, available by subscription. We are members of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA)and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB). Tom Congalton, founder of Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc., actively promotes the ethics and standards of these professional organizations and served as President of the ABAA from 2000 to 2002.

Terms of Sale:

All books are first editions unless otherwise noted. All books are returnable within ten days if returned in the same condition as sent. We accept VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS, DISCOVER, PAYPAL, checks and money orders. New Jersey residents please add 6.625% sales tax. All items guaranteed, all items subject to prior sale. Members ABAA, ILAB. Shipping is $4.50 for Media Mail, $10.00 for Priority Mail or UPS Ground. Tracking is provided for every order. Alternate shipping available by request. Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.




Browse books from Between the Covers- Rare Books, Inc. ABAA

Details

  • Title The Phantom Father: A Memoir
  • Author GIFFORD, Barry
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition 1st/1st
  • Condition Used - Fine
  • Pages 272
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Harcourt Brace & Company, New York
  • Date 1997
  • Bookseller's Inventory # 543363
  • ISBN 9780151002504 / 0151002509
  • Weight 0.91 lbs (0.41 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.53 x 5.78 x 1.04 in (21.67 x 14.68 x 2.64 cm)
  • Library of Congress subjects Authors, American - 20th century - Family, Gifford, Barry - Homes and haunts - Illinois
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 97040674
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Summary

Ruby Wilson, Barry Gifford's father, ran an all night liquor store/drugstore in Chicago, next door to the Club Alabama, where Barry used to watch showgirls rehearse on Saturday afternoons. Some mornings he ate breakfast at the small lunch counter in the store, dunking doughnuts with the organ-grinders' monkey. Other times he rode with his father to small towns in Illinois, where Ruby would meet someone while Barry waited for him in a diner. Everybody who was anybody in Chicago in the 30s, 40s, and 50s knew Barry Winston. Ruby Winston separated from Barry's mother when Barry was eight, married agaid (as did his mother), and died when Barry was twelve, leaving behind an elusive but powerful imprint, a constant, translucent presence. The Phantom Father explores the many sides of his unique bounty that remain in Barry Gifford's life-the allure and excitement of his father's world, the mystery he left in Barry's life, and the yearning to understand what he left behind. When Barry was a teenager, a friend of his asked, "Your father was a killer, wasn't he?" There is no easy answer to that question. Ruby Winston was a good man to know, and sometimes a dangerous man to know, but he was always a fascinating man to know.

Categories

Hang on… we’re fetching the requested page.