COSMOPOLIS

New York City, NY: Scribner, 2003. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. Fine/Fine Dust Jacket.. New York City, NY: Scribner, 2003. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First Edition/First Printing. 209 pages. ISBN 0743244249. The author's thirteenth novel. Now considered a contemporary classic. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now scarce. Presents Don DeLillo's "Cosmopolis". The first serious literary attempt to come to terms with the so-called "dotcom bubble" financial debacle at the turn of the 21st century. It was the precursor that eventually led to the sub-prime mortgage global meltdown of the first decade, whose after-shocks will reverberate for a long time to come. Takes place entirely in one day as Packer, the protagonist, gradually then volcanically unravels while he is driven across Manhattan to get a haircut, a dramatic "set-up" only DeLillo could pull off convincingly. The novel is ultimately an extended meditation on what it means to be human in an inhuman Digital Age. Since DeLillo's allegorical novel is, as expected, scathing and ruminates a good deal, the novel has received some of the most mixed reviews of his long and brilliant career, a misunderstanding on the part of an audience and critics rather than a shortcoming on DeLillo's part, whose target is always on the mark. If only die-hard Don DeLillo admirers read this novel, it would be a shame because the writer always has something arresting and important to say, in exquisite language that few other living American writers possess today. The novel is dedicated to Paul Auster, who has dwelled on the dark side of the American Dream in his own work. The basis of the fine film adaptation by David Cronenberg, with Robert Pattinson in the lead role. This comes with a pristine copy of the film version on Blu-ray. An absolute "must-have" title for Don DeLillo collectors. This copy is very prominently and beautifully signed in black ink-pen on the front free endpaper by Don DeLillo. It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. Laid-in is a pristine copy of the Souvenir Program, "Traffic", published to commemorate the one-time-only event held at the Steppenwolf Theatre Chicago, during which the author performed an excerpt of "Cosmopolis" with two Steppenwolf actors. The Souvenir contains a full-page account by DeLillo on how he came to write his novel, which has not appeared in published form anywhere else. This also comes with a pristine copy of the film version on Blu-ray. This title is a great book. This is one of few such signed copies of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: DeLillo seldom does public signings, and limits the number of books he signs when he does. Most signed copies are pre-signed through the publisher on a tipped-in page, which does not have the same collectible value. Copies available online have serious flaws, are subsequent printings, or are remainder-marked. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare signed copy thus. Regarded by the literary critic Harold Bloom as one of the canonical writers of the 20th century. Winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Jerusalem Prize in 1999, the first American writer to be so honored, among numerous other literary prizes. "Underworld" was selected as the second most important work of American fiction of the last 25 years by The New York Times panel of writers, editors, and critics. "Libra" and "White Noise" were included in the Top 20 list. One of the greatest writers of our time. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER DON DELILLO TITLES IN OUR CATALOG)