Click for full-size.
The world of Henry Orient : a novel / Nora Johnson
by Johnson, Nora
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Galway, Ireland
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London : Victor Gollancz, 1958. First Edition. Hardcover. Author's first book. Near fine cloth copy in a good if somewhat edge-nicked and dust-dulled dust-wrapper, now mylar-sleeved. Not price-clipped. Remains particularly well-preserved overall; tight, bright, clean and strong. Physical description; 214p. ; 21cm. Subjects; 20th century fiction. 20th century female authors. Young female writers. Fiction ; childhood and maturity. Fiction ; debut novel.
Synopsis
The story is immediately recognizable in its theme and setting, but it exists in what seems to be another time and another place. Nora Johnson's The World of Henry Orient, published in 1958, is an amusing, affectionate satire of the last days of innocence in the lives of two New York girls, Marian "Gil" Gilbert and Valerie "Val" Boyd. The boredom and impatience of adolescence are richly caught, even as they inspire crazy escapades that will eventually open up the world for these two bright but naive girls.Val and Gil have become friends at an age when friendship is the most important thing. Boys have not entered the picture yet, but childhood has begun to recede and the world is beckoning them. The girls are growing up in comfortable upper-middle-class homes in Manhattan, which creates a special kind of tension and stress in their lives. They are just old enough to have some independence, to play at being grownups, with the city as their playground. At a Carnegie Hall concert, they see a pianist named Henry Orient, and they are immediately smitten with him -- not in the sexual sense, but moonstruck nonetheless. Henry Orient becomes the focus of their lives. They follow him around Manhattan, observing his routine, his "world," unaware at first that they are observing the pianist bound up in a snarl of romantic liaisons. What happens to Val and Gil is what we now called "bonding," the kind of friendship that smoothes the transition from innocence to worldliness, from the certainties of childhood to the infinite possibilities of adulthood.Engaging and exuberant, The World of Henry Orient treats its heroines with affection and good humor. These are silly girls, it seems, doing little more than playing games, but a great deal goes on beneath the surface of their lives. Nora Johnson is sensitive to the delicate stresses that threaten the security adolescents have always known. Val and Gil learn a lot about themselves in the course of their adventures, discovering a world that offers them much more than the frenzied peccadilloes of Henry Orient.
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- MW Books Ltd.
(IE)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 395947
- Title
- The world of Henry Orient : a novel / Nora Johnson
- Author
- Johnson, Nora
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Publisher
- London : Victor Gollancz
- Date Published
- 1958
Terms of Sale
MW Books Ltd.
Returns accepted within 10 days of receipt if you are unsatisfied with either our description of, or the book itself.
About the Seller
MW Books Ltd.
Biblio member since 2005
Galway
About MW Books Ltd.
MW Books is an academic and antiquarian bookshop with a large stock in core areas such as Early Travel & Exploration, Nineteenth Century Literature, Early Political Economy, Labour and Social History, and Asian and Colonial History. Please don't hesitate to contact us with your questions or comments regarding any item listed.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- 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...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
Frequently asked questions
This Book’s Categories
Collecting and identifying signed letters and holographic documents
Many authors and other famous literary figures wrote and signed letters by hand, and you can find a great collection of them in the Biblio rare book room. See our great collection of handwritten letters and holographic documents
Collecting proofs, galleys, and advance reviews
Devoted collectors of rare books will love finding proofs, galleys, and advance review copies of their favorite pieces of literature. Find rare proofs and advance reading copies in the Rare Book Room.
