Click for full-size.
The Unstrung Harp; or, Mr Earbrass Writes a Novel
by Edward Gorey
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York - Boston: Duell, Sloan and Pearce - Little, Brown and Company, 1953. Hardcover. Stated First Edition, First Printing. 5 x 7.5in. Unpaginated, complete. Publisher's printed paper-covered boards. VERY GOOD in Very Good dust jacket protected in a removable archival cover. The book itself shows the extremities shelf rubbed with marginal loss, the last 4 pages with a very short closed tear at the bottom margin not affecting text or design, otherwise the binding is strong and tight, the text is clean and unmarked, and the boards remain bright and distinct. The dust jacket shows marginal shelf rubbing of the extremities, topmost of the spine with a chip, a small chip from the back panel, otherwise is not price-clipped remaining bright, colorful, and distinct. As pictured.
Synopsis
On November 18th of alternate years Mr Earbrass begins writing 'his new novel.' Weeks ago he chose its title at random from a list of them he keeps in a little green note-book. It being tea-time of the 17th, he is alarmed not to have thought of a plot to which The Unstrung Harp might apply, but his mind will keep reverting to the last biscuit on the plate." So begins what the Times Literary Supplement called "a small masterpiece." TUH is a look at the literary life and its "attendant woes: isolation, writer's block, professional jealousy, and plain boredom." But, as with all of Edward Gorey's books, TUH is also about life in general, with its anguish, turnips, conjunctions, illness, defeat, string, parties, no parties, urns, desuetude, disaffection, claws, loss, trebizond, napkins, shame, stones, distance, fever, antipodes, mush, glaciers, incoherence, labels, miasma, amputation, tides, deceit, mourning, elsewards. You get the point. Finally, TUH is about Edward Gorey the writer, about Edward Gorey writing The Unstrung Harp. It's a cracked mirror of a book, and it's dedicated to RDP or Real Dear Person.
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- North Books: Used & Rare
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 29862
- Title
- The Unstrung Harp; or, Mr Earbrass Writes a Novel
- Author
- Edward Gorey
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Publisher
- Duell, Sloan and Pearce - Little, Brown and Company
- Place of Publication
- New York - Boston
- Date Published
- 1953
Terms of Sale
North Books: Used & Rare
We accept all major credit cards via the Biblio.com Shopping Cart. We accept checks and money orders when purchases are made by written correspondence or by phone. Payment by installments are considered on an individual customer basis. Customers have 14 days to return a purchased item(s) which do not meet their original description. We offer free shipping on all standard (octavo) sized volumes.
About the Seller
North Books: Used & Rare
Biblio member since 2012
St. Louis, Missouri
About North Books: Used & Rare
Each item in our inventory has been carefully inspected, photographed and exhaustively described to meet the standards of the discerning book buyer. Rest assured that each of our orders are packed with the utmost care to ensure safe arrival. We encourage interested parties to contact us with any questions or concerns whatsoever.
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...
- 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....
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
Frequently asked questions
This Book’s Categories
A Brief History of the Dust Jacket
When did dust jackets first appear, and what exactly are they for? Learn about this often-important detail as it applies to book collecting. More...
Bob Dylan - 2016 Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature
From the first screech of his electric guitar upsetting musicians at a folk festival to his writing and paintings, Bob Dylan has risen to become a seminal force in American popular culture. In 2016, he was recognized by the Nobel Committee. Learn more about his creations...
