THE WATERWORKS

New York City, NY: Random House, 1994. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. Fine/Fine Dust Jacket.. New York City, NY: Random House, 1994. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First Edition/First Printing. 253 pages. The author's eighth novel. E. L. Doctorow's third and highly acclaimed novel about New York City. The first appearance of the title in the United States. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now scarce. Presents E. L. Doctorow's "The Waterworks". Set in the 1870's, an absorbing narrative and also a brilliant portrait of The City at a crucial moment in its history. Doctorow has been creating a fictional history of New York City through a series of novels, from "Ragtime" to "World's Fair" and now this, perhaps his most accomplished novel on the subject (he published his fourth installment, "Homer & Langley", the most oddly moving novel in the Series thus far, in 2009). His lifelong preoccupation with the history and character of New York City is the literary equivalent of the filmmaker Woody Allen's celebrated love affair with the greatest city of the 20th century. However gritty and even nasty Doctorow's vision of New York (versus Allen's more romantic view of it), there is still a grudging admiration and affection for the city's resilience and sheer power to inspire awe. Doctorow's work has influenced a whole generation of writers, but his limpid style is incomparable and remains entirely his own. "History is the present. That's why every generation writes it anew. But what most people think of as history is its end product, myth. So to be irreverent to myth, to play with it, let in some light and air, to try to combust it back into history, is to risk being seen as someone who distorts truth" (E. L. Doctorow). An absolute "must-have" title for E. L. Doctorow collectors. This copy is very prominently, neatly, and beautifully signed in black pen on the title page by E. L. Doctorow. It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. This title is a modern classic. This is one of few such signed copies of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing (American) still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Late in life, E. L. Doctorow seldom did public signings, and when he did, limited the number of books he was willing to sign. As a result, his Limited Editions, while highly collectible, are often more widely available than copies of the First Hardcover Editions, which are signed directly on the title page rather than on a tipped-in leaf. A scarce signed copy thus. Winner of the very first National Book Critics Circle Award in 1976 for "Ragtime". Winner of the National Book Award in 1986 for "World's Fair". Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Winner of the PEN/Faulkner, and a second National Book Critics Circle Award in 2006 for "The March". One of the greatest writers of our time. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER E. L. DOCTOROW TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 0394587545.