Sophie's Choice Hardcover - 1979
by Styron, William
- Used
Description
About Better World Books Indiana, United States
Better World Books is the world's leading socially conscious online bookseller and has sold over 100 million books. Each sale generates funds for global literacy and education initiatives. We offer low prices, fast shipping, and have a 100% money back guarantee, if you are not completely satisfied.
Better World Books wants every single one of its customers to be happy with their purchase. If you are not satisfied your purchase or simply find out that it was not the book you were looking for, please e-mail us at: help@betterworldbooks.com. We will get back to you as soon as possible with directions on how to return the book to our warehouse. Please keep in mind that because we deal mostly in used books, any extra components, such as CDs or access codes, are usually not included. CDs: If the book does include a CD, it will be noted in the book's description ("With CD!"). Otherwise, there is no CD included, even if the term is used in the book's title. Access Codes: Unless the book is described as "New," please assume that the book does *not* have an access code.
Details
- Title Sophie's Choice
- Author Styron, William
- Binding Hardcover
- Edition First Edition
- Condition Used - Good
- Pages 515
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Random House Publishing Group, New York
- Date 1979
- Bookseller's Inventory # GRP97571624
- ISBN 9780394461090 / 0394461096
- Weight 2.5 lbs (1.13 kg)
- Reading level 1260
- Library of Congress subjects War stories, Bildungsromane
- Library of Congress Catalog Number 78021835
- Dewey Decimal Code FIC
About this book
Sophie’s Choice, first published in 1979, is a controversial novel written by American author William Styron, which follows the trials and tribulations of three people sharing a boarding house in Brooklyn. One of the three is Stingo, an aspiring young writer who begins his stay at the boarding house after being fired. He proceeds to strike up a friendship with a complicated couple–Nathan Landau, a Jewish scientist and self-proclaimed genius, and Sophie Zawistowska, a Polish-Catholic woman who survived Nazi concentration camps. Following its publication, the novel was banned or censored in South Africa, the Soviet Union, and Communist Poland. These acts of censorship occurred in large part due to the explicit nature of portions of the novel, and Styron’s reframing of focus on the anti-Semitic nature of the Holocaust towards a generalized evil. Though largely controversial, the trio’s twisted and macabre tale won the US National Book Award for Fiction in 1980 and was adapted into a film in 1982.
First Edition Identification
There are two potential first editions of Sophie’s Choice.
One of the two was published by Random House in 1979. Only 500 copies were included in this edition. The format is hardcover, with blue boards and a blue slipcase. This is an octavo book with a gilt facsimile signature on the front cover, and a spine with additional gilt. As this edition has been signed by the author, it is more valuable than other editions.
The other potential first edition was published by Franklin Library in 1979. There are illustrations within done by Alan Reingold. This is a hardcover, leatherbound book. Collectors can identify this book based on the gilt decorations on the cover, “First Edition” printed on the spine, and “this limited first edition of SOPHIE’S CHOICE by William Styron has been privately printed exclusively for Members of The First Edition Society” printed on the inside.
