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The Broom of the System.

The Broom of the System.

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The Broom of the System.

by WALLACE, David Foster

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • Signed
  • first
Condition
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About This Item

New York: Viking,, 1987. Words and a book and a belief that the world is words First edition, first printing, scarce hardback issue of the author's first novel, signed by him on the title page with his printed name struck-through. Wallace submitted the work as an undergraduate thesis. It was published when he was just 24 years old and won the young author the Whiting Award. "This is Wallace in the nascent stage of his literary powers, attempting to reconcile his interest in Wittgenstein and language with his desire to speak of something urgent and true about us and our beautiful messes" (Schacht). Octavo. Original black cloth-backed blue boards, spine lettered in black on metallic blue ground, green endpapers. With dust jacket. Text block toned; spine panel sunned, nick at foot of rear panel, unclipped: near-fine in like jacket. Tori Schacht, "The Last Book I Loved: The Broom of the System", The Rumpus, 8 March 2011.

Synopsis

Published when Wallace was just twenty-four years old, The Broom of the System stunned critics and marked the emergence of an extraordinary new talent. At the center of this outlandishly funny, fiercely intelligent novel is the bewitching heroine, Lenore Stonecipher Beadsman. The year is 1990 and the place is a slightly altered Cleveland, Ohio. Lenore’s great-grandmother has disappeared with twenty-five other inmates of the Shaker Heights Nursing Home. Her beau, and boss, Rick Vigorous, is insanely jealous, and her cockatiel, Vlad the Impaler, has suddenly started spouting a mixture of psycho-babble, Auden, and the King James Bible. Ingenious and entertaining, this debut from one of the most innovative writers of his generation brilliantly explores the paradoxes of language, storytelling, and reality.

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Details

Bookseller
Peter Harrington GB (GB)
Bookseller's Inventory #
164879
Title
The Broom of the System.
Author
WALLACE, David Foster
Book Condition
Used
Binding
Hardcover
Place of Publication
New York: Viking,
Date Published
1987

Terms of Sale

Peter Harrington

All major credit cards are accepted. Both UK pounds and US dollars (exchange rate to be agreed) accepted. Books may be returned within 14 days of receipt for any reason, please notify first of returned goods.

About the Seller

Peter Harrington

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2006
London

About Peter Harrington

Since its establishment, Peter Harrington has specialised in sourcing, selling and buying the finest quality original first editions, signed, rare and antiquarian books, fine bindings and library sets. Peter Harrington first began selling rare books from the Chelsea Antiques Market on London's King's Road. For the past twenty years the business has been run by Pom Harrington, Peter's son.

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Octavo
Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
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...
Sunned
Damage done to a book cover or dust jacket caused by exposure to direct sunlight. Very strong fluorescent light can cause slight...
Text Block
Most simply the inside pages of a book. More precisely, the block of paper formed by the cut and stacked pages of a book....
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...

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