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Under the Net.
by Murdoch, Iris
- Used
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Palm Beach, Florida, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: Chatto & Windus, 1954. First edition of Murdoch's first novel which announced "the emergence of a brilliant talent" (Times Literary Supplement). Octavo, original cloth. Boldly signed by Iris Murdoch on the title page. Additionally laid in is a signed postcard, which reads, "Merry Christmas! Iris" postdated December 19, 1953. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket, name to the front free endpaper. Jacket design by Victor Ross. Rare and desirable signed. Set in London, it is the story of a struggling young writer, Jake Donaghue. Murdoch's first novel, its mixture of the philosophical and the picaresque has made it one of Murdoch's most popular novels. It is dedicated to Raymond Queneau. When Jake leaves Madge's flat in Chapter 1, two of the books he mentions taking are Murphy by Samuel Beckett, and Pierrot mon ami by Queneau, both of which are echoed in this story. The epigraph, from John Dryden's Secular Masque, refers to the way in which the main character is driven from place to place by his misunderstandings. It was listed by Modern Library as one of the 100 greatest novels of the twentieth century. In 2005, the novel was chosen by TIME magazine as one of the one hundred best English-language novels from 1923 to present.
Synopsis
Published in 1954, Under the Net is the first novel by Anglo-Irish novelist, Iris Murdoch. The novel depicts the comedic struggles of Jake Donaghue, a striving young writer, to make it in the world and redeem himself for past faults. After getting kicked out of the house where he was freeloading, Jake finds his way to the workplace of his ex-girlfriend, Anna Quentin, who tells him to contact her sister, Sadie, for help. Jake quickly realizes that the two sisters have a connection to Hugo Belfounder, an old friend and philosopher who Jake betrayed by writing a novel about their philosophical conversations. After a series of misadventures, Jake and Hugo finally reconnect, and Jake reconciles with his past and ultimately realizes that his literary adventures are just beginning. Under the Net propelled Iris Murdoch to the public eye–it is known as one of her most popular novels. In 1998, Under the Net was selected as one of the books to appear in the Modern Library’s 100 Best Novels of the 20th-century list.
Read More: Identifying first editions of Under the Net.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Raptis Rare Books
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 142046
- Title
- Under the Net.
- Author
- Murdoch, Iris
- Book Condition
- Used
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Chatto & Windus
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 1954
- Keywords
- Iris Murdoch First Edition, Under the Net First Edition
Terms of Sale
Raptis Rare Books
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed.
About the Seller
Raptis Rare Books
Biblio member since 2012
Palm Beach, Florida
About Raptis Rare Books
Founded by Matthew and Adrienne Raptis, Raptis Rare Books is an antiquarian book firm that specializes in literature, children's books, economics, photo books, signed and inscribed books, and landmark books in all fields. Our business model is simple: we strive to handle books that are in exceptional condition and to provide exceptional customer service.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- Leaves
- Very generally, "leaves" refers to the pages of a book, as in the common phrase, "loose-leaf pages." A leaf is a single sheet...
- 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...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- 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...
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