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Appointment in Samarra
by John O'Hara
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Like New
- Seller
-
Frederick, Maryland, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1961. Hardcover. Like New. John O'Hara's debut novel, now a classic tale of the self-destruction of fictional character Julian English, a once wealthy member of the social elite of Gibbsville (aka Pottsville, Pennsylvania). Controversial at the date of publication due to its sexual content, it ultimately landed on Time Magazine's list of top 100 novels written in English since 1923. This copy, published after O'Hara's copyright renewal in 1961, is a later, extraordinarily faithful facsimile of the first edition, lacking only the dust jacket front flap price and including a line of copyright renewal on the copyright page. Occasionally misrepresented as a book club edition. Dust jacket in archival Brodart sleeve. Tight, immaculate copy. Extremities crisp except for minimally light wrinkling at head of spine panel. Unmarked front to back. A near perfect copy of a 20th century masterpiece. Photographs of or additional information about this item are available on request. All inquiries answered promptly.
Synopsis
At the ripe age of twenty-eight, John O’Hara completed Appointment in Samarra, his first novel, in less than four months. At a similarly quick pace, the events of the book take place in a span of just three days. In this brief time, Appointment in Samarra tells of the increasingly impulsive and self-destructive acts that lead to the main character’s suicide. Julian English, once a high-ranking member of the community of Gibbsville, angers and alienates those close to him, resulting in the rapid decline of his social status. Specific explanations for Julian’s behavior are unclear in the text, though personal insecurities along with his alcoholism undoubtedly play a role. The small-town prejudices of Gibbsville (O’Hara’s fictionalized version of his hometown, Pottsville, Pennsylvania) greatly affect Julian’s demise as well. Omniscient narration works to expose these prejudices via the inner thoughts of various people in the town. The title, Appointment in Samarra, is a reference to W. Somerset Maugham's 1933 retelling of an old story in his play, Sheppey. In the story, which appears as an epigraph for the novel, Death speaks of meeting a merchant in Samarra, informing the reader from the beginning of the novel’s fatal ending. In his foreword to the 1952 reprint, O'Hara says that the working title for the novel was The Infernal Grove. It was not until fellow writer Dorothy Parker showed him the story in Maugham's play that he got the idea for the title Appointment in Samarra. Modern Library ranked Appointment in Samarra 22nd on its list of the “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century.
Read More: Identifying first editions of Appointment in Samarra
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Details
- Seller
- Midnight Books
(US)
- Seller's Inventory #
- 377339
- Title
- Appointment in Samarra
- Author
- John O'Hara
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- New
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Publisher
- Harcourt, Brace and Company
- Date Published
- 1961
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
Terms of Sale
Midnight Books
Orders securely packaged and shipped within 2 business days with USPS tracking number and delivery confirmation. All items guaranteed as described. Returns accepted within 30 days. PayPal preferred (but not required) if paying by credit card. Checks and money orders also accepted.
About the Seller
Midnight Books
Biblio member since 2005
Frederick, Maryland
About Midnight Books
Midnight Books specializes in hard-to-find books in high demand by collectors. This includes (but is not limited to) vintage and antiquarian titles, signed first editions and scarce ephemera. All books offered come with an unconditional, lifetime guarantee of authenticity.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Facsimile
- An exact copy of an original work. In books, it refers to a copy or reproduction, as accurate as possible, of an original...
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- Brodart
- Generally used to refer to a clear plastic cover that is sometimes added to the dustjacket or outside covering of a book. The...
- 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....
- Copyright page
- The page in a book that describes the lineage of that book, typically including the book's author, publisher, date of...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- 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...
- Book Club Edition
- A generic term denoting a book which was produced or distributed by one of any number of book club organizations. Usually 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...
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