Skip to content

True at First Light
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

True at First Light Paperback - 2000

by Ernest Hemingway

Both a revealing self-portrait and a dramatic, invented chronicle of Hemingway's final African safari, this fictional memoir recounts the splendor of daily life in Kenya and tells of his love affair with a young African woman.


Summary

Both revealing self-portrait and dramatic fictional chronicle of his final African safari, Ernest Hemingway's last unpublished work was written when he returned from Kenya in 1953. Edited by his son Patrick, who accompanied his father on the safari, True at First Light offers rare insights into the legendary American writer.
The book opens on the day his close friend Pop, a celebrated hunter, leaves Ernest in charge of the safari camp and news arrives of a potential attack from a hostile tribe. Drama continues to build as his wife, Mary, pursues the great black-maned lion that has become her obsession and Ernest becomes involved with a young African girl whom he supposedly plans to take as a second bride. Increasingly enchanted by the local African community, he struggles between the attraction of these two women and the wildly different cultures they represent. Spicing his depictions of human longings with sharp humor, Hemingway captures the excitement of big-game hunting and the unparallel beauty of the landscape. Rich in laughter, beauty and profound insight. True at First Light is an extraordinary publishing event -- a breathtaking final work from one of our most beloved and important writers.

From the publisher

Both a revealing self-portrait and dramatic fictional chronicle of his final African safari, Ernest Hemingway's last unpublished work was written when he returned from Kenya in 1953. Edited by his son Patrick, who accompanied his father on the safari, True at First Light offers rare insights into the legendary American writer.A blend of autobiography and fiction, the book opens on the day his close friend Pop, a celebrated hunter, leaves Ernest in charge of the safari camp and news arrives of a potential attack from a hostile tribe. Drama continues to build as his wife, Mary, pursues the great black-maned lion that has become her obsession, and Ernest becomes involved with a young African girl whom he supposedly plans to take as a second bride. Increasingly enchanted by the local African community, he struggles between the attraction of these two women and the wildly different cultures they represent. Spicing his depictions of human longings with sharp humor, Hemingway captures the excitement of big-game hunting and the unparalleled beauty of the landscape. Rich in laughter, beauty, and profound insight. True at First Light is an extraordinary publishing event--a breathtaking final work from one of our most beloved and important writers.

Details

  • Title True at First Light
  • Author Ernest Hemingway
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Edition Unstated
  • Pages 320
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Scribner Book Company, Old Tappan, New Jersey, U.S.A.
  • Date 2000-07-06
  • ISBN 9780684865720 / 0684865726
  • Weight 0.74 lbs (0.34 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.01 x 5.28 x 0.67 in (20.35 x 13.41 x 1.70 cm)
  • Themes
    • Cultural Region: African
  • Library of Congress subjects Hemingway, Ernest, Kenya
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

Corey Mesler The Commercial Appeal There is a feeling of real joy in this book...A celebration of living... the prose of a master.

Citations

  • New York Times, 07/09/2000, Page 32

About the author

Ernest Hemingway did more to change the style of English prose than any other writer of his time. Publication of The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms immediately established Hemingway as one of the greatest literary lights of the twentieth century. His classic novel The Old Man and the Sea won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953. Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. His life and accomplishments are explored in-depth in the PBS documentary film from Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, Hemingway. Known for his larger-than-life personality and his passions for bullfighting, fishing, and big-game hunting, he died in Ketchum, Idaho on July 2, 1961.
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

True At First Light: A Fictional Memoir
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

True At First Light: A Fictional Memoir

by Hemingway, Ernest

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9780684865720
ISBN 10
0684865726
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Frederick, Maryland, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$3.99
$3.99 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Scribner. Used - Good. Good condition.
Item Price
$3.99
$3.99 shipping to USA
True At First Light: A Fictional Memoir
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

True At First Light: A Fictional Memoir

by Hemingway, Ernest

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 13
9780684865720
ISBN 10
0684865726
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Frederick, Maryland, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$3.99
$3.99 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Scribner. Used - Very Good. Very Good condition. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain a few markings such as an owner’s name, short gifter’s inscription or light stamp.
Item Price
$3.99
$3.99 shipping to USA
True at First Light : A Fictional Memoir
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

True at First Light : A Fictional Memoir

by Hemingway, Ernest

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good Condition
Edition
Edition Unstated
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780684865720
ISBN 10
0684865726
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Burgin, Kentucky, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.00
$6.35 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Simon & Schuster, New York, NY, 1999. Edition Unstated. Softcover. Good Condition. Text has very minimal markings, Cover has light shelf wear with very light wear to corners. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilo. Category: Fiction; ISBN: 0684865726. ISBN/EAN: 9780684865720. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: 1560737879. . 9780684865720
Item Price
$5.00
$6.35 shipping to USA
True at First Light : A Fictional Memoir
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

True at First Light : A Fictional Memoir

by Hemingway, Ernest

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 13
9780684865720
ISBN 10
0684865726
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.00
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Scribner. Used - Very Good. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
$5.00
FREE shipping to USA
True At First Light: A Fictional Memoir
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

True At First Light: A Fictional Memoir

by Hemingway, Ernest

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780684865720
ISBN 10
0684865726
Quantity Available
3
Seller
Houston, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.15
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Scribner, 2000-07-06. Paperback. Good. 5x0x8.
Item Price
$5.15
FREE shipping to USA
True at First Light : A Fictional Memoir

True at First Light : A Fictional Memoir

by Ernest Hemingway

  • Used
  • very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780684865720
ISBN 10
0684865726
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.99
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Scribner, 2000. Paperback. Very Good. Disclaimer:Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
$5.99
FREE shipping to USA
True at First Light
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

True at First Light

by Hemingway, Ernest; Hemingway, Patrick

  • Used
  • very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780684865720
ISBN 10
0684865726
Quantity Available
1
Seller
St. Charles, Michigan, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 1 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.50
$4.95 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Old Tappan, New Jersey, U.S.A.: Scribner. A Fictional Memoir. Soft Cover (Grade B+++) No names or markings. Introduction by Patrick Hemingway. Swahili Glossary, 319 crisp, clean & solid pp. . Very Good. Soft cover. 2000.
Item Price
$6.50
$4.95 shipping to USA
True At First Light: A Fictional Memoir
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

True At First Light: A Fictional Memoir

by Hemingway, Ernest

  • New
Condition
New
ISBN 13
9780684865720
ISBN 10
0684865726
Quantity Available
2
Seller
LONG BEACH, California, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 1 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.68
$3.99 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
New. Spend Less, Read More.
Item Price
$6.68
$3.99 shipping to USA
True at First Light : A Fictional Memoir
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

True at First Light : A Fictional Memoir

by Hemingway, Ernest

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9780684865720
ISBN 10
0684865726
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.74
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Scribner. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$6.74
FREE shipping to USA
True At First Light : A Fictional Memoir
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

True At First Light : A Fictional Memoir

by Ernest Hemingway

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used: Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9780684865720
ISBN 10
0684865726
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.79
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Scribner, 2000-07-06. Paperback. Used: Good.
Item Price
$6.79
FREE shipping to USA