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Ragtime

Ragtime

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Ragtime

by Doctorow, E. L

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
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Seller
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Van Nuys, California, United States
Item Price
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About This Item

Random House, New York, 1975; First Edition, First Printing; 8vo, 270 pages; brown cloth; gilt titles and decorations; tan topstain; colored endpapers. His fourth novel, source for the 1981 film of the same name directed by Milos Forman and starring James Cagney and Howard Rollins. Fine, in a Near Fine dustjacket. No chips or tears, no price clipping, no ownership signatures or any other markings of any kind.

Synopsis

Ragtime, E. L. Doctorow’s best-known novel, highlights the American melting pot and how the nation came to be what it is today. Set in the early 1900s, the story namely focuses on a wealthy family living in New Rochelle, New York, simply named Father, Mother, Mother's Younger Brother, Grandfather, and the boy. The boy, Father and Mother's young son, perhaps narrates the novel from a reminiscent adult perspective, but the omniscient narrator is never decidedly identified. The family’s turn-of-the-century journey of adaption addresses the tensions between reacting to the evolution of the era and executing revolution. Yet Ragtime is far more than the family’s narrative. In a beautiful execution of historical fiction, the novel weaves together biographical subplots of prominent figures of the day, including J.P. Morgan, Harry Houdini, Henry Ford, Sigmund Freud, and Emma Goldman. The result: Ragtime focuses not on just the nameless or the famous, but how the two groups create history together. Written when Vietnam was drawing to a close, Ragtime addresses issues that were affecting America at the time—from the abuse of power to racism to using sex to sell just about anything—but it also includes classic and enduring themes of morality, repression and injustice, change, and time. Ragtime was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel and won the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction in 1975. It also won the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Award the following year. The novel was adapted for a 1981 movie and a 1998 Tony award-winning Broadway musical. Ragtime is included in TIME’s “100 Best Novels” (since 1923) and ranked 86th on Modern Library’s “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century.

Read More: Identifying first editions of Ragtime

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Details

Bookseller
AARDWOLF Fine Books US (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #
6351
Title
Ragtime
Author
Doctorow, E. L
Book Condition
Used
Binding
Hardcover
Publisher
Random House
Place of Publication
New York,
Date Published
1975
Keywords
E. L. Doctorow, Modern First Editions, Film Source Books, Ragtime, Scott Joplin, Movies, Music
Bookseller catalogs
Modern First Editions;

Terms of Sale

AARDWOLF Fine Books

All first editions are also first printings unless otherwise stated. All items guaranteed. Domestic and international shipping rates shown are based on a weight of 2.2 lbs. For heavier items we may contact you to let you know that extra shipping is required. Provided we receive prior notice, books may be returned for any reason within 10 days of receipt for a full refund, including shipping, as long as they are in the same condition as when originally sent.

About the Seller

AARDWOLF Fine Books

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2015
Van Nuys, California

About AARDWOLF Fine Books

Collectible fiction, nonfiction, and ephemera in a variety of subjects.

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

First Edition
In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
New
A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
Gilt
The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
Fine
A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...

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