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Appointment in Samarra (The Modern Library)
by O'Hara, John
- Used
- good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Good/Good
- Seller
-
Webster, New York, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: The Modern Library, 1953. Reprint. Hard Cover. Good/Good. 7x4x0. 1954-59 printing, Toledano 042.3, binding/jacket style 8i with 385 titles on verso, grey Rockwell Kent endpapers. Puncture on rear jacket panel through board causing indent to last 30 pages, cup ring stain on rear jacket panel and board, owner bookplate on front endpaper, jacket price clipped. 1953 Hard Cover. 301 pp. Author's first novel. With a new foreword by the author. One of the great novels of small-town American life, Appointment in Samarra is John O'Hara's crowning achievement. In December 1930, just before Christmas, the Gibbsville, Pennsylvania, social circuit is electrified with parties and dances. At the center of the social elite stand Julian and Caroline English. But in one rash moment born inside a highball glass, Julian breaks with polite society and begins a rapid descent toward self-destruction. Brimming with wealth and privilege, jealousy and infidelity, O'Hara's iconic first novel is an unflinching look at the dark side of the American dream—and a lasting testament to the keen social intelligence if a major American writer.
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 (The Modern Library)
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Details
- Bookseller
- Yesterday's Muse Books
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 2324778
- Title
- Appointment in Samarra (The Modern Library)
- Author
- O'Hara, John
- Format/Binding
- Hard Cover
- Book Condition
- Used - Good
- Jacket Condition
- Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- Reprint
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- The Modern Library
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1953
- Size
- 7x4x0
- Weight
- 0.75 lbs
- Keywords
- MODERN LIBRARY AMERICAN LITERATURE
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About the Seller
Yesterday's Muse Books
Biblio member since 2005
Webster, New York
About Yesterday's Muse Books
Yesterday's Muse Inc. is an independent used & rare bookseller that has been in operation for over 15 years. We opened our first 'brick and mortar' storefront in December of 2008 in our hometown of Webster, NY.Owner Jonathan Smalter is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA), former vice president of the Independent Online Booksellers Association (IOBA), both of which are trade organizations created to promote ethical online selling practices, and to encourage continuing education among fellow booksellers. He is also a 2011 graduate of the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar (CABS). He has nearly 20 years of experience in the book trade, during which time he has become adept at evaluating used and collectible books.
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...
- Verso
- The page bound on the left side of a book, opposite to the recto page.
- Price Clipped
- When a book is described as price-clipped, it indicates that the portion of the dust jacket flap that has the publisher's...
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- Reprint
- Any printing of a book which follows the original edition. By definition, a reprint is not a first edition.
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