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The Godfather: 50th Anniversary Edition
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The Godfather: 50th Anniversary Edition Paperback - 2002

by Mario Puzo; Introduction by Francis Ford Coppola; Notes by Anthony Puzo

The first trade paperback edition of "The Godfather" features a new Introduction and a new Afterword. "Big, turbulent, highly entertaining."--"Newsweek."


About this book

The Godfather is a classic crime novel by Mario Puzo, detailing the story of a fictional Mafia family in New York in the 1940s and 1950s. This novel introduced America to the first family of crime fiction - the Corleones, and it remains a classic in American popular culture. Power, greed, and family loyalty all play out in this portrayal of the mafia underworld. Author Mario Puzo wrote the book based on his personal need for the cash advance, and the paperback rights for The Godfather went on to sell for a record $410,000. The mega-blockbuster 1972 film directed by Francis Ford Coppola featured Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, and James Caan, among others.

Summary

More than thirty years ago, a classic was born. A searing novel of the Mafia underworld, The Godfather introduced readers to the first family of American crime fiction, the Corleones, and the powerful legacy of tradition, blood, and honor that was passed on from father to son. With its themes of the seduction of power, the pitfalls of greed, and family allegiance, it resonated with millions of readers across the world—and became the definitive novel of the virile, violent subculture that remains steeped in intrigue, in controversy, and in our collective consciousness.

From the publisher

Mario Puzo was born on Manhattan’s West Side in the neighborhood known as Hell’s Kitchen. His first books, The Fortunate Pilgrim (“a minor classic” New York Times) and Dark Arena, brought him critical acclaim, but it was the publication of The Godfather in March 1969 that catapulted him into the front ranks of American authors. Reviewers hailed the book as “a staggering triumph” (Saturday Review), “big, turbulent, highly entertaining” (Newsweek), “remarkable” (Look), and “a voyeur’s dream, a skillful fantasy of violent personal power” (New York Times). Winning readers by the millions, it stayed at or near the top of the New York Times bestseller lists for sixty-nine weeks. His follow-up novel, Fools Die (1978), was hailed as the publishing event of the decade. Puzo’s last novel, Omerta, was finished shortly before his death in 1999.
Peter Bart, editor-in-chief of Variety and Daily Variety, has been a reporter for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. He has played key roles in developing and supervising such films as Rosemary’s Baby, True Grit, The Godfather, Paper Moon, and Harold and Maude. He served as vice president for production at Paramount, senior vice president at MGM, and president of Lorimar Films. He is the author of several books, including Who Killed Hollywood? and Fade Out.

First Edition Identification

First editions of The Godfather were published by G.P. Putnam Sons in 1969. The original first edition dust jackets will have a print stamp of $6.95 on the front flap and 6903 on the bottom, indicating it was printed in March of 1969. The back flap has three reviews for The Dark Arena and two reviews of The Fortunate Pilgrim.

Details

  • Title The Godfather: 50th Anniversary Edition
  • Author Mario Puzo; Introduction by Francis Ford Coppola; Notes by Anthony Puzo
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reissue
  • Pages 448
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Berkley Books, New York
  • Date 2002-03-05
  • ISBN 9780451205766 / 0451205766
  • Weight 0.82 lbs (0.37 kg)
  • Dimensions 8 x 5.28 x 1.02 in (20.32 x 13.41 x 2.59 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Themes
    • Cultural Region: Mid-Atlantic
    • Cultural Region: Northeast U.S.
    • Ethnic Orientation: Italian
    • Geographic Orientation: New York
    • Locality: New York, N.Y.
    • Topical: Family
  • Library of Congress subjects Mystery fiction, New York (N.Y.)
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2001056214
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

"A staggering triumph." Saturday Review

"A voyeur's dream, a skillful fantasy of violent personal power." New York Times

"Big, turbulent, highly entertaining."Newsweek

Citations

  • Entertainment Weekly, 08/22/2014, Page 113
  • Library Journal, 03/15/2002, Page 113
  • People Weekly, 04/21/2014, Page 56

About the author

The son of Italian immigrants who moved to the Hell's Kitchen area of New York City, Mario Puzo was born on October 15, 1920. After World War II, during which he served as a U.S. Army corporal, he attended City College of New York on the G.I. Bill and worked as a freelance writer. During this period he wrote his first two novels The Dark Arena (1955) and The Fortunate Pilgrim (1965).

When his books made little money despite being critically acclaimed, he vowed to write a bestseller. The Godfather (1969) was an enormous success. He collaborated with director Francis Ford Coppola on the screenplays for all three Godfather movies and won Academy Awards for both The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather, Part II (1974). He also collaborated on the scripts for such films as Superman (1978), Superman II (1981), and The Cotton Club (1984). He continued to write phenomenally successful novels, including Fools Die (1978), The Sicilian (1984), The Fourth K (1991), and The Last Don (1996). Mario Puzo died on July 2, 1999. His final novel, Omerta, was published in 2000.

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