Advertisements for myself by Norman Mailer - 1959

Putnam, 1959. First edition. Fair. this is the original book is in fair to poor condition there is no dust jacket, there are a couple of tears at the top of the cloth of the spine the book block appears to be good the edges of the pages all around book are darkened with age ,a tad bit of dirt, spotting, corners are bumped bottom front right one is frayed to the board there is some with Dean of the cloth red cover. However it is a first edition., "Advertisements for Myself" 1959 is an unusual bookto be published by a novelist. The book is made up of stories, essays, reviews, interviews, novel excerpts and poems, all with detailed, italicized annotations courtesy of the author, this book displays a massive, raging talent assessing itself and the world around it. It is sometimes poignant, sometimes maddening, but never less than compelling. Many people love this book.Mailer's reputation is a bit spotty, his self criticism is deprecating, hilarious. Him him himToday, Mailer's reputation is rather up in the air. To me, his career is an example of an artist constantly pushing himself, writing with breathtaking ambition even if it exceeded his skill. There has never been another writer like Norman Mailer, and it is touching to read here of his desire to write a novel on the level of Dostoyevsky, Mann and Tolstoy, and to read his pithy, sometimes hilarious assessments of his contemporaries. His commentary on the ups and downs of his career and his disgust and sadness about the decline of American literature are illuminating, but his self-aggrandizement and egocentricity are often difficult to stomach. However, one has to stand in awe at the monument of his talent and his passion.Reading this book today, one has to ask, "Did he fulfill his expectations?" I think so. "Harlot's Ghost," "Ancient Evenings," "The Executioner's Song" and numerous other works, both fiction and nonfiction, will endure, in my opinion. But I, for one, would like to know whatever happened to the self-promoted masterpiece of a novel he excerpts here. The small sections make for very stimulating reading.All in all, "Advertisements for Myself" is a required text for everyone who loves great literature or aspires to write it for themselves.