Clock Without Hands (Inscribed and Accompanied by a Signed Contract) by McCullers, Carson - 1961

Cambridge: Houghton Mifflin, 1961. First Edition. Fine/Near Fine. A Fine book in Near Fine jacket, with gentle rippling along the top front panel. A bright, clean copy overall. Signed and inscribed on the half title page: "For Ted and Sarah - Carson McCullers." Accompanied by a Doubleday contract signed by McCullers and her editor Dorothy McKittrick agreeing to terms for the publication of her short story Sucker. The pair are housed in a quarter calf clamshell box.

Clock Without Hands, Carson McCullers' final book, was hailed by contemporary reviewers as "masterly...the most impressive of her novels" (The Atlantic). Tackling themes about existential responsibility and spiritual isolation, Clock Without Hands traces four protagonists living in Georgia as they confront how their personal limitations have affected the trajectory of their lives. From cancer and suicide, to white supremacy and racism, McCullers created "magnificent characterizations...complex and equally brilliantly realized" (The Atlantic). Following a series of strokes, McCullers' literary career was cut short, and in her final years she shifted focus from long-form writing to short stories and novellas. Fine in Near Fine dust jacket.