FIVE MORAL PIECES by Eco, Umberto (Translated by Alastair McEwen) - 2001

New York City, NY: Harcourt Inc. , 2001. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. Fine/Fine Dust Jacket.. New York City, NY: Harcourt Inc. , 2001. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First Edition/First Printing. 111 pages. Retrospective collection of essays on subject. One of Umberto Eco's finest achievements, it is a central volume in the author's body of work. The first appearance of the title in English and in the United States. 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 Umberto Eco's "Cinque scritti morali" in a felicitous English translation. Originally written as lectures that tackled the subject of ethics, from the multiple viewpoints of a scholar's erudition, a philosopher's wisdom, and a novelist's imagination. These timely and relevant essays were all "occasional" pieces, prompted by an invitation to weigh in on war, immigration, religious fundamentalism, the very nature of evil as well as the unique ethical dilemmas we face in our post-modern, mass media/celebrity-driven culture, notably the implosion of journalism in the Age of Infotainment. One of the best pieces is "Reflections On War", which every citizen of a war-driven or war-devastated state should read. Time flies: One looked forward to a new Umberto Eco book with reliable, nearly annual, regularity, and even if, lest one forget, the book in question needed to be translated first - with the author's complete involvement and full blessing - before it could actually be published. Those of us who were fortunate enough to see and hear him in person knew first-hand that apart from being a ground-breaking scholar, philosopher, cultural critic ("semiotician") , and literary artist/novelist, Eco was a fastidious polylinguist whose command of the English language was better than most native speakers'. Umberto Eco died on February 19, 2016 at the age of 84, the exact same day as Harper Lee, another literary icon of the less prolific kind, who died at the age of 89. They will both be missed. An absolute "must-have" title for Umberto Eco collectors. <b><i> This copy is very prominently and beautifully signed in blue ink-pen on the title page by Umberto Eco. It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. This title is a contemporary classic. This is one of few such signed copies of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing (American) still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright, a pristine beauty. Please note: Copies available online command between $250 and $500. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare signed copy thus. </b></i> One of the greatest writers of our time. A fine collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER UMBERTO ECO TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 0151004463.