Lie Down in Darkness [Inscribed Association Copy w/ TNS] by STYRON, William - (1951)

Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill. (1951). Styron's first book, inscribed to the writer Jonathan Carroll: "with best wishes/ William Styron/ 27 September 1971/ (Twenty years, to the month, after publication)." The date is also nine years before Carroll's first published book, The Land of Laughs. Laid in is a typed note signed by Styron in which he agrees to the signing; based on the address, Carroll would have been an English teacher at the time, in North Carolina. The book is unevenly sunned on the cloth and bears a few small stains; very good in a jacket with modest edge wear including one edge tear, and a vertical crease to the spine; still very good. The note is folded, else fine, with a chipped mailing envelope included. A nice association copy of an important first novel. Forty years after this inscription, on the occasion of Styron's death in 2011, Carroll wrote a blog post on his website, referring to Styron as a "great American novelist." Unless otherwise noted, our first editions are first printings. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good.