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The 158-Pound Marriage
by Irving, John
- Used
- near fine
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Near Fine/Near Fine
- ISBN 10
- 0394484142
- ISBN 13
- 9780394484143
- Seller
-
Manasquan, New Jersey, United States
Item Price
$125.00$100.00
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Random House, 1974. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/Near Fine. 8vo., 245pp, Sharp Beautiful Stated First Edition, First Printing with full number sequence to "2" as called for by Random House. Square, tight and clean throughout. Spine lettering a bit dulled and a hint of toning to board edges. Some creasing to the paper of the front paste-down and end-paper which is clearly a bindery/printing defect. Equally attractive unclipped dust-jacket, ($5.95), has mild wear and a couple of tiny color-flakes at the spine ends but is fresh and bright with no chipping, creases, or tears. A very pretty collectable of the author's third book at a great price.
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
- Brenner's Collectable Books
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 015275
- Title
- The 158-Pound Marriage
- Author
- Irving, John
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Near Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- 1st Edition
- ISBN 10
- 0394484142
- ISBN 13
- 9780394484143
- Publisher
- Random House
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1974
Terms of Sale
Brenner's Collectable Books
All orders ship within one business day. Standard mail is USPS Media Mail.
All items are guaranteed to be as described or they may be returned within 30 days of receipt for a full refund.
About the Seller
Brenner's Collectable Books
Biblio member since 2006
Manasquan, New Jersey
About Brenner's Collectable Books
35 Plus years buying and selling collectable books. Member ABAA, ILAB, IOBA.
An eclectic mix of good books specializing in Sci-Fi, Mystery, General Antiquarian, Books About Books, Signed First Editions, Vintage Paperbacks, Modern Fiction and many, many others. Prompt, professional customer service, always!.
Please excuse any glare or reflections in the pictures. Books I know; photography not so much. I will answer any questions regarding condition if photos are unclear or provide additional photos if needed.
All books are stored in a temperature controlled library in a smoke free home. All books are professionally packed and shipped and all jacketed books will come with an archival Brodart jacket protector.
An eclectic mix of good books specializing in Sci-Fi, Mystery, General Antiquarian, Books About Books, Signed First Editions, Vintage Paperbacks, Modern Fiction and many, many others. Prompt, professional customer service, always!.
Please excuse any glare or reflections in the pictures. Books I know; photography not so much. I will answer any questions regarding condition if photos are unclear or provide additional photos if needed.
All books are stored in a temperature controlled library in a smoke free home. All books are professionally packed and shipped and all jacketed books will come with an archival Brodart jacket protector.
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...
- Paste-down
- The paste-down is the portion of the endpaper that is glued to the inner boards of a hardback book. The paste-down forms an...
- Chipping
- A defect in which small pieces are missing from the edges; fraying or small pieces of paper missing the edge of a paperback, or...
- 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...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
Frequently asked questions
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