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THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
by Vidal, Gore
- Used
- Fine
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- Fine/Fine Dust Jacket.
- ISBN 10
- 0375501215
- ISBN 13
- 9780375501210
- Seller
-
CHICAGO, Illinois, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York City, NY: Random House, 1998. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. Fine/Fine Dust Jacket.. New York City, NY: Random House, 1998. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First Edition/First Printing. 260 pages. The author's romance novel. Now considered a contemporary classic. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now scarce. Presents Gore Vidal's "The Smithsonian Institution". A career-twilight novel, a romance with a quintessentially Vidalian anti-Establishment twist. An acerbic look at American politics combined with a classic romance, as the self-consciously "modern-romance novel" DJ design exploits and alludes to. Filled with intrigue as well as vivid yet lyrical descriptions of erotic encounters that will put to shame the most unabashed erotica writers. Gore Vidal died on July 31, 2012 at the age of 86, the last of the great American public intellectual/writers of our time. We live in the Age of Mediocrity, where (nearly) everyone is a critic/blogger/pundit mouthing timid, politically correct opinions. Pundits are retail thinkers, that is, they are not real thinkers. Someday, we will realize what we have irretrievably lost. An absolute "must-have" title for Gore Vidal collectors. This copy is very prominently and beautifully signed in black ink-pen on the title page by Gore Vidal. It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page, as copies available online are. This title is a contemporary classic. This is one of few such signed copies of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Gore Vidal stopped touring in the late-1990's and lived in Italy for several decades, making signed copies of his books, especially the later ones, scarce. The full number line that includes the Number 2 (instead of the Number 1) with the "First Edition" statement were the Random House "true first" indications at the time of the book's publication. Copies available online have serious flaws, are in subsequent printings, or are remainder-marked. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare signed copy thus. Recipient of the National Book Award's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 for "Distinguished Contribution to American Letters". One of the greatest writers of the 20th century. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER GORE VIDAL TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 0375501215.
Synopsis
It's 1939, and a teenage math genius is mysteriously summoned to the Smithsonian Institution, where a crash program to develop the atomic bomb is being conducted in the basement. The boy turns out to hold the key to both the secrets of nuclear fission and breakthroughs in the time continuum. As he brainstorms with Robert Oppenheimer, he catches a glimpse of the coming war and becomes determined to ward off the cataclysm. In a race against time-and surrounded by figures from American history past and present, including Albert Einstein, Grover Cleveland, and Abraham Lincoln-he battles to save not just himself, but humanity. Gore Vidal has written some of the finest and most inventive novels in modern times. Readers of such bestsellers as Burr, Lincoln, Duluth, and 1876 will revel in this, his latest foray into the American scene. A brilliant and vividly imaginative tale about some of the key events of the twentieth century, The Smithsonian Institution is a dramatic masterwork of comedy and allusion.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Modern Rare
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 13175
- Title
- THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
- Author
- Vidal, Gore
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Fine Dust Jacket.
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition. First Printing.
- ISBN 10
- 0375501215
- ISBN 13
- 9780375501210
- Publisher
- Random House
- Place of Publication
- New York City, NY
- Date Published
- 1998
- Pages
- 260
Terms of Sale
Modern Rare
We ship at cost, based on weight, destination, and shipping method. We ship via Standard or Expedited USPS or FedEx in the US and Globally. Payable in $US dollars by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, personal check, cashiers check, money order, or wire transfer. Returns accepted, with prior notification, within 10 days after shipment, provided the item is in the same condition it was shipped. We make every effort to describe the item as accurately as possible. Shipping costs are non-refundable. All Magazine, DVD/Blu-ray, and audiotape sales are final and non-refundable. Email us at modernrarenow@gmail.com or call us at 312-376-5000.
About the Seller
Modern Rare
Biblio member since 2003
CHICAGO, Illinois
About Modern Rare
ModernRare.com is exclusively an online bookstore. We believe this is the best way to satisfy our customers' expectations. Unlike an open bookstore, where books are routinely handled and may deteriorate, we guarantee the condition of our books as described. We specialize in modern firsts, photography, the arts, and erotica. You will also find a fine selection of signed copies, limited editions, and memorabilia because our ultimate goal is to deepen the pleasure of collecting books. We carry titles that we ourselves like and believe in -- books that we think will excite, enchant, and endure.
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...
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
- Number Line
- A series of numbers appearing on the copyright page of a book, where the lowest number generally indicates the printing of that...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Crisp
- A term often used to indicate a book's new-like condition. Indicates that the hinges are not loosened. A book described as crisp...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
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