REPORTING THE UNIVERSE: THE WILLIAM E. MASSEY SR. LECTURES IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN CIVILIZATION

Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. Fine/Fine Dust Jacket.. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First Edition/First Printing. 123 pages. Landmark collection of essays. In effect, E. L. Doctorow's "summing-up" of his metaphysical, moral, spiritual, political, and literary philosophy as an American and as a writer. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only by a University Press. The First Edition is now scarce. Presents E. L. Doctorow's "Reporting The Universe". Originally delivered as The William E. Massey Lectures In The History of American Civilization at Harvard University in 2000, at the turn of our new century. Doctorow was not only one of the most important American novelists of our time. He was also a superbly insightful and illuminating essayist, always writing in his customary elegant style. Although he knew at age nine that he would become a writer, Doctorow studied philosophy rather than literature, and cited as the source of his metaphysical and moral concerns the heady dynamic between the secular humanism of the men in his family and the impulse towards reverence of the women. "As 'Reporting the Universe' (the phrase is Emerson's) unfolds with its piquant and enlightening blend of the personal, the aesthetic, and the political, Doctorow uses the axis between the secular and the religious to take measure of the transcendent powers of literature and key ethical issues in America. Creates brilliant arguments out of breathtaking metaphors, perceives great dangers in the current blurring of the line between Church and State, and in the enormous influence of corporate interests on government policy. Offers a fresh perspective on our species' capacity for both the sublime and the horrific" (Donna Seaman). An absolute "must-have" title for E. L. Doctorow collectors. This copy is very prominently, neatly, and beautifully signed in blue ink-pen on the title page by E. L. Doctorow. It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. This title is a great collection. This is one of few such signed copies of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing (Year of Publication only with NO further printing indications on the Copyright Page) still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Late in life, E. L. Doctorow seldom did public signings, and when he did, limited the number of books he was willing to sign. As a result, his Limited Editions, while highly collectible, are often more widely available than copies of the First Hardcover Editions, which are signed directly on the title page rather than on a tipped-in page. A rare signed copy thus. Winner of the very first National Book Critics Circle Award in 1976 for "Ragtime". Winner of the National Book Award in 1986 for "World's Fair". Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Winner of the PEN/Faulkner, and a second National Book Critics Circle Award in 2006 for "The March". One of the greatest writers of our time. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER E. L. DOCTOROW TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 0674004612.