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THE 158-POUND MARRIAGE
by IRVING, John
- Used
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- Fine in a Near Fine dustwrapper
- Seller
-
Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Random House, (1974). First Edition. Hardcover. Fine in a Near Fine dustwrapper. Irving's third book, INSCRIBED and SIGNED by the author to the partner of the poet William Meredith.
Synopsis
The 158-Pound Marriage, author John Irving's third published novel, revolves around an unidentified narrator, a college professor, and a mediocre novelist. The narrator met his wife Utch, an orphaned survivor of WWII, in Vienna while doing research. They are a relatively happy couple; their family rounded out by two children. At a faculty party, they meet Severin Winter, a Viennese-born professor and coach of the college wrestling team, and his wife, Edith. The couple's interests (Edith is an aspiring fiction writer, and Severin has a commonality with Utch's upbringing in Austria) and resulting infatuations between the couples lead to after-dinner partner-swapping. At first, the swinging goes smoothly, but eventually, uneven feelings and obsessions throw the couples off track. The title, The 158-Pound Marriage , refers to the 158-pound weight class in wrestling, which Severin, the coach, feels is the most competitive. The book is small, only 176 pages, compared to Irving's later weighty tomes, like the 610 page The World According to Garp ( 1978) and The Cider House Rules (1985), which is 973 pages.
Read More: Identifying first editions of THE 158-POUND MARRIAGE
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Details
- Bookseller
- Charles Agvent
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 018125
- Title
- THE 158-POUND MARRIAGE
- Author
- IRVING, John
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine in a Near Fine dustwrapper
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Publisher
- Random House
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- (1974)
- Keywords
- Signed, Modern Firsts, Modern Poetry, Association Copy, Inscribed, Modern First Editions
- Bookseller catalogs
- Inscribed;
Terms of Sale
Charles Agvent
All books subject to prior sale. Payment with order; institutions may be billed. Postage additional: $11.00 for the first book, $6.00 each thereafter. Overseas postage billed at approximate cost. Pennsylvania residents must add 6% sales tax. Mastercard, Visa, and American Express accepted. We are also open to reasonable payment terms. A book may be returned within 7 days of receipt for any reason provided it is in the same condition as sent and prior notice is given. Please insure returns for their full value.
About the Seller
Charles Agvent
Biblio member since 2003
Fleetwood, Pennsylvania
About Charles Agvent
We carry a diverse and select stock with major specialties including Modern and 19th Century Literary First Editions, Signed Books & Autographs (especially Presidential and Literary), and Limited Editions Club books. We have been in business since 1987 and are proud to be members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA) and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB).
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- 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...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Inscribed
- When a book is described as being inscribed, it indicates that a short note written by the author or a previous owner has been...
- Dustwrapper
- Also known as book jacket, dust cover, or dust wrapper, a dust jacket is a protective and decorative cover for a book that is...
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