New York: Random House, 1974. First Edition. Hardcover. 245pp. Cloth backed boards. The author's third book. A hint of fading to the edges else a fine copy in fine dustjacket with a faint vertical crease to the front flap and a bit of edge wear. ; Octavo.

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.

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Details

Bookseller: Parigi Books, Vintage and Rare (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: 29098
Title: The 158-Pound Marriage
Author: Irving, John
Format/Binding: Hardcover
Book Condition: Used
Quantity Available: 1
Edition: First Edition
ISBN 10: 0394484142
ISBN 13: 9780394484143
Publisher: Random House
Place of Publication: New York
Date Published: 1974
Keywords: FICTION
Bookseller catalogs: Fiction and Literature;

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Parigi Books, Vintage and Rare

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About Parigi Books, Vintage and Rare

Parigi Books, established in 2006, is an independent antiquarian bookstore located in the heart of Schenectady, NY. We are open by appointment only.We buy and sell fine books and collectibles in all fields with a strong focus on science fiction, fantasy, mysteries, comics and graphic novels. Our eclectic taste is reflected in the ample variety of items available, from significant titles from the 1500s on to original comic art, from collectible paperbacks to literary magazines. We carry in stock the best selection of Italian language graphic novels and comics you can find this side of the pond.As fairly strict graders who pay particular attention to collecting standards, we have been able to make thousands of customers happy over the years.Parigi Books is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA), and the Independent Online Booksellers' Association (IOBA).

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Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

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...
Octavo: Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
Fine: A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
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...
Cloth: "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...