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The Bonfire of the Vanities
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The Bonfire of the Vanities Hardcover - 1997

by Tom Wolfe


About this book

The Bonfire of the Vanities is a 1987 satirical novel by Tom Wolfe. The book is a drama about ambition, racism, social class, politics, and greed in 1980s New York City. It focuses on three characters: WASP bond trader Sherman McCoy, Jewish assistant district attorney Larry Kramer, and British expatriate journalist Peter Fallow.

Sherman McCoy, a self-appointed 'Master of the Universe,' has a fashionable wife, a Park Avenue apartment, and a Southern mistress. His spectacular fall begins the moment he is involved in a hit-and-run accident in the Bronx. Prosecutors, newspaper hacks, politicians, and clergy close in on him, determined to bring him down. The Bonfire of the Vanities is a caustic satire on the money-feverish Eighties. This exuberant novel cemented Wolfe's reputation as the foremost chronicler of his age.

The novel was originally created as a serial in the style of Charles Dickens' writings, running  27 installments in Rolling Stone starting in 1984. The novel was a bestseller and an incredible success often noted as one of Wolfe’s greatest works. 



First line

AT THAT VERY MOMENT, IN THE VERY SORT OF PARK AVEnue co-op apartment that so obsessed the Mayor...twelve-foot ceilings...two wings, one for the white Anglo-Saxon Protestants who own the place and one for the help...Sherman McCoy was kneeling in his front hall trying to put a leash on a dachshund.

First Edition Identification

The 'true' first edition of Bonfire of the Vanities was published by Franklin Library, under a special arrangement with Farrar Straus Giroux, who published the first trade edition, also in 1987. 

The Franklin Library edition was limited and released in full purple leather with vibrant gilt lettering and embellishments. All edges gilt, raised bands on spine, silk bookmark, marbled endpapers. 'First Edition Franklin Library' is printed on the title page. 

The first trade edition published by Farrar Straus Giroux has 'First printing, 1987' on the copyright page. The bottom of the first trade edition dust jacket says 'BY THE AUTHOR OF "THE RIGHT STUFF"



Details

  • Title The Bonfire of the Vanities
  • Author Tom Wolfe
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition New edition
  • Pages 752
  • Volumes 1
  • Language SPA
  • Publisher MacMillan, London
  • Date December 1997
  • ISBN 9780330296335 / 0330296337
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC
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The Bonfire of the Vanities

The Bonfire of the Vanities

by Wolfe, Tom

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780330296335 / 0330296337
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The Bonfire of the Vanities
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The Bonfire of the Vanities

by Tom Wolfe

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  • Paperback
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Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Picador, 1980. Paperback. Good. Traces of creases on the cover. Signs of wear on the cover. Ammareal gives back up to 15% of this item's net price to charity organizations.
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BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES [THE]

BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES [THE]

by Tom Wolfe

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(Film/TV tie-in)
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Picador. Very Good. 1988. (Film/TV tie-in). Paperback. 0330296337 . (edges "tanned" & reading creases) (photo on front cover & film credits on back cover) (Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, Melanie Griffith) .
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The Bonfire of the Vanities
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The Bonfire of the Vanities

by Wolfe, Tom

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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The Bonfire of the Vanities

The Bonfire of the Vanities

by Wolfe, Tom

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Bantam Books, 1997. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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The Bonfire of the Vanities

The Bonfire of the Vanities

by Wolfe, Tom

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Bantam Books, 1997. Paperback. Acceptable. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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The Bonfire of the Vanities
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Bonfire of the Vanities

by Wolfe, Tom

  • Used
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Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780330296335 / 0330296337
Quantity Available
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Pan Macmillan. Used - Good. Ships from the UK. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
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The Bonfire of The Vanities

The Bonfire of The Vanities

by Wolfe, Tom

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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The Bonfire Of The Vanities

The Bonfire Of The Vanities

by Wolfe, Tom

  • Used
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  • Paperback
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Used - Very Good
Edition
Reprint; Third Printing
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780330296335 / 0330296337
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London: Picador. Very Good. 1988. Reprint; Third Printing. Paperback. Mass Market PB . Light reading creases, paper edge toned. ; Third printing of movie tie-in edition. Nice tight copy, no names inside. Cover photo of Tom Hanks, Melanie Griffiths and Bruce Willis. Very heavy book and priced accordingly. ; 752 pages; One night in the Bronx a $48,000 Mercedes hits a street it shouldn't have been on with a girl in it's tan leather bucket seat who shouldn't have been there. The next day a young black accident victim is in a coma in hospital and Wall Street bond-trader Sherman McCoy has booked himself a on-way ticket to disaster. .
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The Bonfire of the Vanities
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Bonfire of the Vanities

by Wolfe, Tom

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780330296335 / 0330296337
Quantity Available
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