Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut - 1969: or, The Children's Crusade

Slaughterhouse Five, or The Children's Crusade by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Published by Delacorte Press, New York; 1969. 8vo. 186pp. First edition, first printing. Condition: Fine/Very Good+

Bound in original publisher's blue cloth, with author's signature stamped in silver to the front board. The binding is square and tight and in stunning condition, free from marks or damage, save perhaps the merest hint of bumping to the spine ends. Inside, there is just the slightest beginnings of ageing to the very rims of the pages this is barely visible, but otherwise the pages are clean and bright and free from wear, writing, or damage, and the binding is so tight it appears barely read (if at all). In all, a very sharp example indeed.

The book is housed in it's original, unclipped, first issue dust jacket, with the original price of $5.95 to the front flap and the code 0369 to the bottom of the rear flap. This is a very smart jacket, in excellent condition with just a little shelf wear to the spine ends and edges, and mild darkening, particularly to the spine. There is a small scratch to the rear panel and one faint mark, but it is barely visible and, in all, this is an exceptionally clean and tidy jacket.

Overall, this is a particularly smart example of this iconic title, the author's breakthrough masterpiece that gave him the recognition he had been searching for, after twenty years of struggling for success and critical acclaim. It is the basis for the 1972 hit film directed by George Roy Hill. This novel ranks at number 18 on the Modern Library 100 Best Books of the 20th Century. Vonnegut drew on his own experience of being a POW during WWII and witnessing first hand the bombing of Dresden to write what has been hailed as "one of the most enduring antiwar novels of all time" (Kevin Powers, New York Times). It is an important addition to any modern rare book collection, and is a title that is increasingly hard to come by.