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For Whom the Bell Tolls
by Ernest Hemingway
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very Good/Fair
- Seller
-
Tomball, Texas, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
First Edition/First Printing with the "A" on the copyright page, in a first state price clipped dust jacket; A Very Good book in a Fair dust jacket. A well loved and read copy of this novel by one of the great authors of the 20th Century. This copy is in very good condition showing some browning to board hinges, moderate foxing to the page edges, a PO bookplate and signature to the front pastedown, and a small dampstain to the top exterior text block. Housed in a fair dust jacket that is intact but does show a number of areas of heavy tearing and chipping with some loss of material. Overall, a decent book in a well used and abused dust jacket, but still a first/first in a first state jacket. Not remaindered, not ex-library; in a fresh Mylar sleeve and will ship carefully wrapped in a sturdy box.
Synopsis
Many consider For Whom the Bell Tolls to be author Ernest Hemingway’s finest work. Inspired by Hemingway’s time as a war correspondent for The North American Newspaper Alliance during the Spanish Civil War, For Whom the Bell Tolls is a stark and brutal commentary on the nature of war, sacrifice, and death. In fact, many believe his work is among the best depictions of the Spanish Civil War written. As with some of Hemingway’s other work, many of the characters, experiences, and events were based off real people and battles Hemingway saw. One of the most interesting qualities of For Whom the Bell Tolls is the use and restraint of profanity. Even though Hemingway had already written much about war and tribulations and had never seemed inclined to limit the use of vulgar language, For Whom the Bell Tolls is a clear exemption. When writing dialogue, Hemingway would insert the word “obscenity” instead of writing the exact word or phrase. There has been a lot of discussion about the reason for such omissions, and while some believe Hemingway was worried about the book being banned and thus wanted to make the book as reader-friendly as possible for a brutally violent war novel, others believe the omissions of profanity was due to transliteration problems and the author’s attempt to be as honest to the dialogue he heard as possible. There is no arguing with the legacy and influence Hemingway had not only on American culture, but also on generations of future writers. The Beatnik generation referred to Hemingway as “Papa” with a quite reverence, and Hemingway inspired countless journalists with his in-depth profiles and wartime articles. Even the cities where he wrote his books are now places for pilgrimage among his most devoted fans. Hemingway first started writing For Whom the Bell Tolls in Cuba and later finished it in Sun Valley, Idaho. In fact, both hotel rooms are now popular tourist destinations.
Read More: Identifying first editions of For Whom the Bell Tolls
Reviews
On May 25 2023, Apeadero said:
Excellent book depicting an important moment of Spanish history.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Grayshelf Books, ABAA, IOBA
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 3099
- Title
- For Whom the Bell Tolls
- Author
- Ernest Hemingway
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Fair
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Scribner's
- Place of Publication
- USA
- Date Published
- 1940
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
- Keywords
- First Edition, Hardcover
- Bookseller catalogs
- Classic Literature;
Terms of Sale
Grayshelf Books, ABAA, IOBA
Bryan H. Young D.V.M.dba Grayshelf Books, 19111 Desert Eagle Dr., Tomball, Tx 77377Email - bhydvm@gmail.comWe accept payment by Paypal, Visa, Mastercard, checks, or money orders.Texas residents please add 8% sales tax.We guarantee all books to be as described.Additional scans of books will be provided upon request.
30 day full money back guarantee to include shipping costs if an item arrives damaged or not as described in listing.
About the Seller
Grayshelf Books, ABAA, IOBA
Biblio member since 2018
Tomball, Texas
About Grayshelf Books, ABAA, IOBA
Grayshelf Books is an online collectors library originating out of the love of collecting rare books. We specialize, but are not limited to, modern first editions from the 20th and 21st century. We also maintain inventory of rare works in the Science Fiction and Horror genres. We guarantee all of our books in regards to condition stated on the listings and all books are protected in mylar covers and shipped with the utmost care in sturdy boxes. Thanks for viewing our listings!
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Copyright page
- The page in a book that describes the lineage of that book, typically including the book's author, publisher, date of...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- Fair
- is a worn book that has complete text pages (including those with maps or plates) but may lack endpapers, half-title, etc....
- Price Clipped
- When a book is described as price-clipped, it indicates that the portion of the dust jacket flap that has the publisher's...
- Chipping
- A defect in which small pieces are missing from the edges; fraying or small pieces of paper missing the edge of a paperback, or...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- First State
- used in book collecting to refer to a book from the earliest run of a first edition, generally distinguished by a change in some...
- Text Block
- Most simply the inside pages of a book. More precisely, the block of paper formed by the cut and stacked pages of a book....
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