This Boy's Life A Memoir by Tobias Wolff - Mar-00

First published in 1989, this scarifying memoir has become a classic of the genre, as notable for its artful structure and finely wrought prose as for the events it describes. The book essentially launched the memoir craze that has been going strong ever since. It was made into a movie in 1993.
The story is pretty grim: teen-aged Wolff moves with his divorced mother from Florida to Utah to Washington State to escape her violent boyfriend. When she remarries, Wolff finds himself in a bitter battle of wills with his abusive stepfather, a contest in which the two prove to be more evenly matched than might have been supposed.
Deception, disguise, and illusion are the weapons the young man learns to employ as he grows up, not bad training for a writer-to-be. Somber though this tale of family strife is, it is also darkly funny and so artistically satisfying that listeners come away exhilarated.

ONTARIO, CANADA: THE MERCURY PRESS. INSCRIBED BY AUTHJOR TO TITLE PAGE: "FOR EVELYN & HOWARD, LOVE, VERONICA." . VG+. PAPERBACK. 1ST. 1996.

Grove Press, 2000. Trade Paperback. Good.

The Atlantic Monthly Press. Fine in Very Good dust jacket. 1989. First Edition; First Printing. Hardcover. Book Fine, square, tight with NO notes or ANY markings. DJ with a scrape at spine base where sticker removed (see image) else FINE, not clipped ($18.95); 288 pages .

NY: THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY PRESS. unsigned bookplate to ffep, top edge remainder mark. . VG. Hardcover. FIRST PRINTING. 1989.

London: Bloomsbury, 1985. First UK edition, 1985. Hardback. 243pp. Blue boards with gold design to front and gold titles to spine. Dust jacket in a protective sleeve. This is Tobias Wolff's captivating re-creation of his youth, so true in its every particular that, whatever our own experience, we cannot help but recognise ourselves in him. With humour, force and feeling, Wolff gives us an indelible picture of childhood. Book condition very good. Minor spotting to upper edge of text block. The book is very clean and bright internally and has an unread feel. Dust jacket also very good. Unclipped and with only very minor edge wear.

New York, NY.: The Atlantic Monthly Press. Very Good. 1989. First Edition; First Printing. Hardcover in dust jacket. This book is hard-bound in green paper covered boards with a brown cloth spine with white stamping, in a dust jacket with light edge-wear. There is a small stain to the outer edge of the upper cover, and a small stain to the center of the lower cover. There is a small nick to the top of the upper joint. The binding is solid. The contents are bright and clean. This book is signed/inscribed by the author Tobias Wolff on the title-page. This book is a remainder, with a small red dot on the top and bottom of the pages. From the collection of Cuthbert Christian Thambimuttu (1945-2019) of Columbus, Ohio - known to many of his bookseller, author, and illustrator friends as "Tubby." He was persistent in the pursuit of autographed books by the writers and artists he admired, including Gorey, Sendak, Heaney, Byatt, Morrison, Updike and many more. Joseph Heller once wrote to… Read More

New York: The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1989. 1st Printing . Boards & Cloth with Dustjacket. Well received memoir that was made into a film about a decade ago with Robert DeNiro and a young then unknown Leonardo DiCaprio. Jacket blurbs by Harry Crews, Frederick Exley, Richard Ford and others. Attractive dustjacket design. Fine/fine.