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Alice Adams
by Booth Tarkington
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very Good/Good
- Seller
-
Clarence, New York, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Garden City New York: Doubleday, Page and Company, 1921. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Good. First Edition Early Printing (likely 7th printing) with the year 1922 on the title page. Scarce original dust jacket indicates '7th Edition' on the spine. $1.75 price intact. The front panel states "This Novel won the PULITZER PRIZE for the BEST AMERICAN NOVEL OF THE YEAR". Same jacket art as the first issue, but the rear panel and the rear flap have different text. The jacket is in good condition minor chipping and creasing to the extremities, more-so to the top of the spine. There is a large 3"-4" vertical tear that runs along the right side of the spine from the top of the jacket. This tear was mended with a large piece of clear tape. The book is in Very good overall condition. There is a gift inscription on the front end paper from Christmas 1922 "To my sister Hazel M. Fletcher, From your brother Worth Albert Fletcher. There is also a bookseller's stamp from Nicholson's Book Shop in Richmond, Indiana. Spotting to the edges of the text block. Unfortunately the book has a strong musty odor.
Synopsis
This compelling satire details irresistible characteristics of social status in a small Midwestern town. Mr. and Mrs. Adams and their two children are members of the lower middle-class. Their daughter, Alice, wrestles with this economic classification and attempts to make the society folk of the town appreciate her. Because Alice has no social influence nor wealth and her presence is held in disregard by prospective suitors, Mrs. Adams tries to improve the situation by persuading her husband to leave a job he's held all his life and to establish a new career. After much apprehension and in possession of a glue formula stolen from his previous employer, he resigns his mediocre but satisfying employment which puts him in a predicament that leads to his professional downfall. Tarkington's understanding of class rivalries, social condescension, and financial avarice is evident in this tale where his main point indicates that in every joyless moment hope, though unexpected, is attainable. He illustrates how the Adams' laborious efforts are ultimately unsuccessful. Any intrusion by Alice and her mother on the upper class is unlikely and Tarkington's depiction of such is secretly amusing.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Ernestoic Books
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 15
- Title
- Alice Adams
- Author
- Booth Tarkington
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- 1st Edition
- Publisher
- Doubleday, Page and Company
- Place of Publication
- Garden City New York
- Date Published
- 1921
- Keywords
- Pulitzer
Terms of Sale
Ernestoic Books
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Ernestoic Books
Biblio member since 2023
Clarence, New York
About Ernestoic Books
Ernestoic Books, where you can find the most sought after Modern First Editions. As our name suggests, Ernest Hemingway is our specialty and our passion. We guarantee the condition of every book we sell. Returns may be made within 14 days of receipt for any reason. We are always interested in purchasing individual or collections of fine books.
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...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- 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...
- Text Block
- Most simply the inside pages of a book. More precisely, the block of paper formed by the cut and stacked pages of a book....
- 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....
- 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...
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
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