HEIR

New York: Macmillan Co., 1968. Hardcover. Near Fine/Near Fine. Better known today for his screenwriting and his Moses Wine mystery-detective series, this is Simon's first novel. The story is about Marcus Rottner, 24, heir to a major American fortune, whose girl friend, Jennifer, is putting out for everyone but him, whose drugs supplier beats and robs him, whose analyst tells him things he doesn't want to hear. Then Jennifer dies when he doses her with heroin as an antidote to a meth overdose. Marcus jams her corpse into his antique harpsichord, loads the harpsichord into his car and begins to drive. First edition, first printing. About 5 3/4 x 8 1/2 inches, 147 pages in green cloth-covered boards with gold lettering on spine. Top edge of text stained red and pastedowns are red. Dustjacket's front panel shows photo montage in black and green of a mass of contorted bodies. Back panel shows photo of author. Previous owner's name on inside front cover, partially hidden by dj's front flap, o/w boards and text are complete, clean and unmarked. Touch of shelf wear along bottom edges. Not remaindered, not ex-library. Dustjacket shows only slight wear at spine ends, no tears, no chipping or creasing, not price-clipped. A collectable copy of a 50-year-old story about a death that sounds only too contemporary.