Seduction Theory; Stories By

London, U.K.: Abacus, 1996. First Abacus Paperback edition. Trade paperback. Good. 205, [3] pages. Cover has wear, soiling, and scuff at top front corner. Inscribed by author on first page. This includes ten short stories. Thomas Beller (born May 23, 1965) is an American author and editor. While still studying for his MFA, The New Yorker published Beller's short story "A Different Kind of Imperfection", which was chosen for the Best American Short Stories volume of 1992. Since, his work has appeared in such publications as The New York Times, ELLE, Spin, Vogue, Slate, and The Village Voice. He spent a year as a staff writer at The New Yorker, and later worked for The Cambodia Daily newspaper, where he remains a contributing editor. He is a contributing editor to Travel+Leisure Magazine. Beller has penned four volumes. The first, Seduction Theory, a collection of short stories, was published in 1995. The Sleep-Over Artist, Beller's first novel, was a Los Angeles Times Best Book of 2000, and a New York Times Notable Book. His third book, How to Be a Man: Scenes from a Protracted Boyhood, is a series of autobiographical essays. His fourth book is a biography, J.D. Salinger: The Escape Artist. This was David S. Ferriero's copy! David Sean Ferriero (born December 31, 1945) is a librarian, a library administrator, and the 10th Archivist of the United States. He was Director of the New York Public Library, and before that, the University Librarian and Vice Provost for Library Affairs at Duke University. Prior to his Duke position, he worked for 31 years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology library. Ferriero is the first librarian to serve as Archivist of the United States. Beller's debut remains a completely fresh yet timeless collection of stories that beautifully evoke the bittersweet triumphs and turmoils of young adults stumbling through the often confusing steps of the mating dance. He weaves magic in 10 stories that vividly portray sophistication foiled by adolescent foolishness, lust dampened by ambivalence, moments of divine understanding matched by missed opportunities. Among these romantic misadventures are poignant vignettes of a young boy named Alex, whose coming of age is marked by events both tender and heartbreaking.