SPEAKING WITH THE ANGEL: 12 COMPLETELY NEW STORIES

London, England: Penguin Books, 2000. First Edition. First Printing.. Softcover. Fine/No Dust Jacket, As Issued.. London, England: Penguin Books, 2000. Softcover. Fine/None, As Issued. First Edition/First Printing. 217 pages. Collection of previously unpublished short stories. One of the best literary collections of its kind of our time. The true First Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions, particularly the American Edition, which was published the following year, in 2001. Published in a small and limited first print run as a softcover original only that sold out upon publication. The First Edition is now rare. Presents "Speaking With The Angel: 12 Completely New Stories". Truly an enduring contribution to contemporary literature. All of the stories appear for the first and only time in this book. Edited with an Introduction (and his very own Contribution) by Nick Hornby. The contributors are some of the most brilliant writers of our time. In no particular order: Giles Smith, Helen Fielding, Roddy Doyle, Irvine Welsh, Zadie Smith, Dave Eggers, Robert Harris, Melissa Bank, Patrick Marber, Colin Firth, and John O'Farrell. "A fresh and funny collection that is sure to be the literary anthology of the year 2000. Here is a book that was inspired by a very special boy and a very special school. Money from each copy sold benefits autism-education charities around the world, including The Treehouse School London, where Nick's son Danny [to whom the book is dedicated] is a student, and the New York Child Learning Institute in the United States. By turns clever, outrageous, witty, edgy, tender, and wicked, or what is meant by original" (Publisher's blurb). Two standouts: Zadie Smith's "I'm The Only One" is a study in narcissism and sibling rivalry, as a young man recounts his strained relationship with his diva sister. Dave Eggers' "After I Was Thrown In The River And Before I Drowned" is told by the eponymously ill-fated pit bull. An absolute "must-have" title for contemporary literature collectors. This copy is very prominently, neatly, and beautifully signed in black ink-pen on the title page by Nick Hornby. It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. It is also very beautifully and uniquely signed, dated, and inscribed in black ink-pen on his Contribution by Dave Eggers: "Hey Tom, thanks for owning this. This book has done much good, Dave Eggers 9/27/O2". This title is a great collection. As far as we know, this is the only such double-signed and inscribed copy of the true First Edition/First Printing (British) available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Precedes and should NOT be confused with the American Edition, published the following year, in 2001. Copies available online have very serious flaws (because they were read) or are in multiple subsequent printings. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare signed copy thus. Some of the most brilliant writers of our time. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER NICK HORNBY AND DAVE EGGERS TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 0140296786.