Going After Cacciato. by O'Brien, Tim - 1978

New York: Delacorte Press, 1978. First edition of the author's National Book Award-winning novel. Octavo, original cloth. Signed by Tim O'Brien on title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. "To call Going After Cacciato a novel about war is like calling Moby-Dick a novel about whales" wrote the New York Times upon publication in 1978. In a blend of reality and fantasy, this novel tells the story of a young soldier who one day lays down his rifle and sets off on a quixotic journey from the jungles of Indochina to the streets of Paris. In its memorable evocation of men both fleeing from and meeting the demands of battle, Going After Cacciato stands as much more than just a great war novel. Ultimately it's about the forces of fear and heroism that do battle in the hearts of us all. "Simply put, the best novel written about the war. I do not know . . . any writer, journalist, or novelist who does not concede that position to O'Brien's Going After Cacciato" (Miami Herald).