The Day of the Locust
by NATHANIEL WEST
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Hardcover. First Edition, First Printing of West’s final novel, named one of the 100 best novels of the century by the Modern/Fine
- Seller
-
Potomac, Maryland, United States
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About This Item
First Edition, First Printing of West's final novel, named one of the 100 best novels of the century by the Modern Library. Original cloth red cloth slightly faded along the edges, and more so along the spine. Dust jacket is the Book of the Month Club in fine condition, (itself quite rare, especially in this condition); almost identical to the original almost all of which are found in very poor condition. Price and leading edge of the original dust jacket pasted to board. Book contents near fine, with tight binding and no cocking or other markings other than minor spotting on a few pages in the middle. Overall, a wonderful copy of this enduring classic.
Nathanael West began working as a screenwriter in the early 1930s, using his experiences to compose what many consider the definitive Hollywood novel. In it, the main character Tod Hackett "weaves his way along the seamy underside of Hollywood, among the confused, resentful people who have followed their dreams… The Day of the Locust remains the best of the hundreds of Hollywood novels written… F. Scott Fitzgerald, who was himself working on The Last Tycoon, said that novel had 'scenes of extraordinary power" (ANB). Dorothy Parker called it "brilliant, savage and arresting." "An unusual and highly original talent, West was one of the first and best American writers of black comedy… Miss Lonelyhearts and The Day of the Locust are his most compelling and effective works" (Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia, 1056-7). West died in a car crash in 1940 (the year after publication) at the age of 37 and never lived to see the novel's critical acclaim.
Synopsis
The Day of the Locust is a 1939 novel by American author Nathanael West, set in Hollywood, California during the Great Depression, depicting the alienation and desperation of a disparate group of individuals who exist at the fringes of the movie industry. Time magazine included the novel in its list of 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005, and noted critic Harold Bloom included it in his list of canonical works in the book The Western Canon.
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Details
- Seller
- Grinning Cat Books (US)
- Seller's Inventory #
- 31503
- Title
- The Day of the Locust
- Author
- NATHANIEL WEST
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Hardcover. First Edition, First Printing of West’s final novel, named one of the 100 best novels of the century by the Modern
- Jacket Condition
- Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Publisher
- Random House
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1939
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
- Bookseller catalogs
- LITERATURE;
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Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Poor
- A book with significant wear and faults. A poor condition book is still a reading copy with the full text still readable. Any...
- 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...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- 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....
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