THE BORDER TRILOGY: ALL THE PRETTY HORSES, THE CROSSING, CITIES OF THE PLAIN - SIGNED & INSCRIBED by McCarthy, Cormac - 1992-1998

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1992-1998. First Editions. First Printings. Three octavo volumes (22cm); black paper and cloth-covered boards, with titling and author's initials stamped in gilt on spines and front covers; brown and red topstains; [x],302,[8]; [viii],426; [viii],291,[7]pp. All the Pretty Horses is inscribed on the half-title page ("For Bill McCormack / All best wishes / Cormac McCarthy"), and signed by dustjacket designer Chip Kidd on the lower rear flap of the dustjacket; both The Crossing and Cities of the Plain are signed by the author on a preliminary leaf, one of 1,000 such copies signed for friends of the author and publisher. All the Pretty Horses showed a moderate spine-roll, with some rubbing to cloth at base of spine; clean internally; Very Good+ in a Near Fine, price-clipped dustjacket. The remaining two volumes are Fine in Fine, unclipped dustjackets. Attractive, signed set of McCarthy's critically acclaimed Border Trilogy - his first encounter with mainstream success after writing five novels between 1965-1985. The first volume (All the Pretty Horses) won both the National Book Award and National Book Critics Circle Award in 1992, and served as the basis for Billy Bob Thorton's 2000 adaptation starring Matt Damon and Penelope Cruz. Despite the aforementioned flaws, in a marketplace awash in forgeries, here you can at least be sure that all of the signatures are legitimate.