alfred a knopf random house new york (241 résultats)

Hardcover. Etat : Fine. Etat de la jaquette : Fine. David Scull (Jacket Photo); Carol Devine Carson (illustrateur). 1st Edition. First printing of the stated first edition. Faint crease to top edge of jacket's spine, else book and dust jacket in fine condition. Sale includes an extra dust jacket.

Paper. Etat : Very Good. Very good paper copy, viii + 267 pp. + viii, w/ b/w illustrations.

Mass-market paperback. Carlu, Jean (Cover design by). (illustrateur). V-16. No edition date, circa 1955. Mass-market (rack) paperback, slightly larger. 281 p. 19 cm. Drama: No Exit and The Flies were translated from the French by S. Gilbert. Dirty Hands and The Respectful Prostitute were translated from the French by L. Abel. Very good. Clean, tight, w/ slight cover blemishing. 1 0.0.

hard cover, as new condition, unpaged, 10 1/4 x 8 1/4 inches, first edition, first printing, very good + book condition, very good + dust jacket condition, juvenile picture book,

Hardcover. PAOLINI, Christopher (illustrateur). First Edition , First Printing. Red paper wrapped boards with black cloth spine with gold lettering on spine. End papers illustrations of map in red ink. Front cover has dark rub mark in center and back cover has small 'ding' and light pink spots on bottom edge .Tight, sound and unmarked. 679 pages including pronunciation guide and glossary. Mylar dust jacket has a dark spot on foredge. In mylar and not price clipped ($21.00 US). Size: 6 1/2" x 9 1/4".

Hardcover. Etat : Fine. Etat de la jaquette : Fine. 1st Edition. First Edition stated, First Printing. Hard cover 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. Fine book in like unclipped DJ w/yellow band, and seal of "Winner of the Bancroft Prize" on front panel. A myth-busting tour-de-force. 603pp inc. Appendix, Notes, Index. 624 p. Book.

Illustrated Wrapper. Etat : Fine. No Jacket. First Edition, First Printing. Book has no writing or marking.

Hardcover. Etat : Very Good. Etat de la jaquette : Very Good. Stated First Edition. SUPERB: VG-NEAR FINE Stated First Edition hardcover (March 1973) First Printing: VG-NEAR FINE handsomely-designed unclipped mylar-protected jacket w/ VG edges & corners & showing orig. $15.00 pub. price at top-right inside-front flyleaf, FINE imperial-purple linen-over-boards cover w/ sharp AS-NEW edges & corners showing only slightest incidence of micro-chipping & tears & Macaulay ELEGANTLY stamped purple-on-purple at top of front panel & titles handsomely gold-stamped on spine, AS-NEW sewn binding w/ tight signatures & crimson-gold-checked linen bands at spine caps, VG-NEAR FINE unmarked text-block exterior w/ smooth-cut top & bottom edges w/ top edge stained in faded-rose & w/ cut-page-style "deckel" side-edging w/ side & bottom edges showing only slightest incidence of age-dust-rusting, IMPECCABLE cream-white card-stock end-papers MARRED only by the signature of the orig. owner w/ date neatly scripted at top-center inside-front right end-paper, PRISITNE interior SUPERBLY printed in Linotype-Baskerville on EXCELLENT unblemished archival paper * 6.50 x 9.56" x 1.96", 1.26 kg, xvi+502+xxxvi (554) * Illustrated * ABOUT THE BOOK: From Clapham to Cambridge to the House of Commons to Calcutta & back to England, Macaulay is seen not only as a man of extraordinary intellect & vision in search of himself but as the product of a family, a class, a time, & a place. The man & his works are made immediate & are fully understood in this SUPERB full-scale portrait. * ABOUT THE AUTHOR: A long-time student of history & a prolific & distinguished editor & writer, John Clive taught for many years at Harvard as Professor of History & Literature. * SHIPPING: MNEMOSYNE carefully wraps, labels & custom-packages this fine book for FREE domestic shipment via USPS MEDIA MAIL (or USPS PRIORITY MAIL for a below-cost additional fee) & via USPS FIRST CLASS INTERNATIONAL AIRMAIL to all international destinations at our posted rates.

Soft cover. Etat : Near Fine. Etat de la jaquette : Near Fine. Visual Key by Susan Rayfield (illustrateur). 1st Edition. NEAR FINE to FINE First Edition (Orig. July 26, 1977) Seventeenth Printing (October 1988), EXCELLENT British-green field-durable vinyl cover w/ gloss-laminated illustrated title wrap in EXCELLENT condition, UNBLEMISHED cream-white card-stock end-papers, AS-NEW perfect binding w/ tightly gathered sheets, VERY-GOOD text-block exterior w/ smooth-cut edges BUT w/ moderate shelf-soiling to bottom edge, PRISTINE interior w/ 262 gloss-laminated plates displaying 584 living birds captured in BRILLIANT full-color field-photography (456 Eastern breeding males plus 128 seasonal males, females, & immatures) * 498 pages of text presented w/ handsome clarity on EXCELLENT unblemished archival paper + 262 gloss-laminated plates (760 pp).

Hardcover. Etat : As New. Etat de la jaquette : Fine. Richly illustrated throughout in color & b-w (illustrateur). 1st Edition. INSPIRING: EASY-TO-USE: ECLECTIC: ENTICING: DELICIOUS: HEALTHY: COMPREHENSIVE: BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED,: SUPREMELY USEFUL: SUPERBLY WELL-INFORMED: GIFT-QUALITY: AS-NEW Stated First Edition (Orig. 2002) First Printing, EXCELLENT virtually AS-NEW gloss-laminated color-illustrated jacket w/ subtle imperfection barely visible along 2.0" of the top front edge & w/ inside flyleaf corners neatly clipped, IMMACULATE smooth-cut text-block exterior, IMPECCABLE rust-red card-stock end-papers, SUPERB gloss-laminated color-illustrated cover, NEW sewn binding w/ tight signatures & crimson-gold bands at spine-caps, PRISTINE interior handsomely printed on SUPERB gloss-laminated paper * 7.50" x 9.36" x 1.04", 1.92 kg, xxxviii+325 (363) pp * With 58 photographs in full color * ABOUT THE BOOK: Two of America's most popular authorities on healthy eating & cooking join forces in this INSPIRING, EASY-TO-USE cookbook. This is not a diet book. It is a lively guide to healthy cooking, day-by-day, packed w/ essential information &, above all, filled w/ ENTICING food. Andrew Weil, M.D. (author of the best-selling "Eating Well for Optimum Health") brings to this perfect collaboration a COMPREHENSIVE philosophy of nutrition grounded in science. Rosie Daley (acclaimed for her best-seller, "In the Kitchen with Rosie") brings to it her innovative & highly flavorful spa cuisine. The recipes are ECLECTIC, drawing from the HEALTHY & DELICIOUS cooking of the Middle East, the Mediterranean, & Asia, among other cuisines. For starters, you might try Grilled Satay or a Miso Pâté; for soup, often a meal in itself, a hearty Mixed-Bean Minestrone Stew or a Roasted Winter Squash & Apple Soup w/ Cilantro Walnut Pesto; a special entrée could be the Savory Roasted Cornish Hens w/ Roasted Garlic or Baked Spicy Tofu w/ Bean Thread Noodles, Corn, & Mango; for a simple supper, Turkey Burgers or Portobello Burgers; & for the occasional indulgence, a dessert of Almond Fruit Tart or Peach & Blueberry Cobbler. Andy & Rosie do not always agree. When Rosie calls for chicken, Andy offers a tofu alternative; she likes the flavor of coconut milk, whereas he prefers ground nut milk; when she makes a pastry w/ butter, he suggests using Spectrum Spread. There are no hard-and-fast rules. Lifelong health begins in the kitchen, so this is a lifestyle book as well as a cookbook. In it you will learn from Dr. Weil: (a) how to make use of nutritional information in everyday cooking, (b) what is organic, & how to buy organic foods, (c) the importance of reading labels and what to look for, (d) sensible advice about eggs, milk, cheese, salt, spicy foods, wine, coffee, & (e) the facts about sugar and artificial sweeteners . . . And from Rosie: (a) how to get kids involved, from skinning almonds to layering lasagna, (b) ways to have fun in the kitchen, creating scallion firecrackers & radish rosettes, (c) low-fat & nondairy alternatives for those with special concerns, & (d) smart menu planning, letting the seasons be your guide . . . And lots more. This revolutionary book will change forever the way you cook for yourself and your family. * HIGH PRAISE: "We warm recommends this BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED, SUPREMELY USEFUL & SUPERBLY WELL-INFORMED guide to delicious meals for a happy & healthy life." * SHIPPING: We custom wrap & label & securely package this superb book for FREE shipment within the United States via USPS Media MaiL (or via USPS Priority Mail for a nominal $10.00 charge) and at our posted rates to international destinations via USPS First Class Airmail (recommended) or USPS Priority Airmail.

Hardcover. Etat : Near Fine. Etat de la jaquette : As New. 1st American Edition. SUPERB: TOUR DE FORCE: INVALUABLE: ASTONISHING VIEW OF THE WHOLE OF POETRY IN ENGLISH: A dazzling account of the entire history of poetry in the English language (from the 14th century to the present) by one of the most intelligent & passionate critics in the field * First American Edition (Orig. October 1999), 1st Printing, AS-NEW unclipped mylar-protected jacket w/ EXCELLENT sharp AS-NEW edges & corners & showing $35.00 orig. pub. price at top-right inside-front flyleaf, VERY GOOD text-block exterior w/ smooth-cut top & bottom edges & w/ cut-page-style "deckle" side-edging, strikingly handsome AS-NEW cover w/ chocolate paper wrapping spine & extending 1.24" onto front & back panels elegantly covered in spinach-green paper w/ titles handsomely gilt-stamped on spine, AS-NEW sewn binding w/ tight signatures & green-brown-checked cloth bands at spine-caps, IMPECCABLE cream-lime end-papers on heavy stock, PRISTINE interior handsomely printed in modern Caslon on SUPERB unblemished silk-finish paper * 6.50" x 9.50" x 2.26", 1.56 kg, xii+975 (987) pp. * Setting out to write his own homage to Samuel Johnson's legendary "Lives of the English Poets" of more than 200 years ago, Michael Schmidt introduces us to the world tradition of poets who have written in English. From the rustic rhythms of "Piers Plowman" to today's post-modernists, from 15th-century Scotland to the contemporary Caribbean, Schmidt explores the lives & creations of more than 300 poets, discussing their best (& sometimes worst) poems, their triumphs & tragedies, their individual genius. Here is the shared universe & work of so many great poets, including Chaucer, Donne, Blake, Behn, Burns, Wordsworth, Whitman, Dickinson, Rossetti, Yeats, Stevens, Lowell, Bishop, Ginsberg, Rich & Heaney, to name but a few. Schmidt also embraces the extraordinary poetry now emerging from Australia, New Zealand, India & other countries, & shows how these varied landscapes & cultures make their contributions to our common language. Tracing the themes & achievements of each poet's work, Schmidt demonstrates w/ wit & erudition how poets overshadow & inspire one another across the centuries. En route, he champions some unjustly neglected voices & outlines the ways in which history & politics intervene to shape (or sometimes misshape) the poetic imagination. W/ infectious enthusiasm & avoiding all fashionable jargon, Schmidt speaks without apology for a common language: the language of poetry, which unites people across continents & across the ages. For anyone who has ever been moved by a poem, this is a rich & important book. * HIGH CRITICAL PRAISE: "In addition to giving the analytical part of the reader's brain a good workout, as he parses everyone from Spenser to Ashbery to Walcott, Schmidt offers up plenty of idiosyncratic opinion that will alternately raise hackles or set heads nodding in vigorous agreement. This may not be the most objective treatment of poetry to come down the pike, but it is an invaluable (& deeply entertaining) reference. -Margaret Prior * "'Lives of the Poets', written w/ great verve & candor, erudition & insight, is a tour de force, an astonishing view of the whole of poetry in English, a superb read." -Mark Strand, Pulitzer prize-winning author of "Blizzard of One" * "The descriptions of the achievement & significance of a poet's work are masterly exercises of cogency & compression, & their excellence has an excellent effect: one goes away & reads the poetry." -TLS * MICHAEL SCHMIDT was born in 1947 in Mexico where he grew up. He studied at Harvard & Oxford & is now director of the Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University. He edits the magazine 'PN Review', which he established in 1972, & is founder & editorial director of Carcanet Press, which publishes poetry & fiction. His books include two novels, collections of poetry, works of criticism, & several important anthologies. He has translated Nahuatl (Aztec) poetry, & poems & essays by Octavio Paz.

Hardcover. Etat : As New. Etat de la jaquette : As New. 1st Edition. 253pp., xiv. Stated First Edition, with no number line; presumed First Printing. Mottled taupe boards with gray backstrip for brilliant gilt lettering; bevel fore-edge. Golden-yellow dustwrapper not price-clipped ($24.00; "5/2002" at foot of rear panel) with map illustration in shape of a fan on lower half front cover. (No previous owner names. Clean text.).

Pictorial Wraps. Etat : As New. No Jacket. First Edition, First Printing. Book has no writing or marking.

board book. Etat : New.

Decorative Cloth. Etat : Very Good. No Jacket. 336 pp. Solidly bound copy with moderate external wear, crisp pages and clean text. No dj.

Trade Paperback. Etat : Like New. Alfred A. Knopf (Cover Design & Illustration) (illustrateur). 1st Knopf Trade Ppbk Edition May 2002. 186 pp. Clean, fresh copy with very light shelf wear, crisp pages and clean text. Publisher's remainder mark on bottom edge.

Mass Market Paperback. Etat : Very Good. 300 pp. Solidly bound copy with minimal external wear, crisp pages and clean text. Light foxing on page edges.

Mass Market Paperback. Etat : Very Good. 1st Ballantine Books Ed: January 1993. 286 pp. A great, almost spotlessly clean copy! Solidly and tightly bound, essentially and nearly flawless copy with minimal internal and external wear and use. Copy with crisp pages, clean text, and light shelf wear. Smooth covers. Minimally or mildly shelf worn. Slightly slanted spine.

hardback. Etat : Fine. Etat de la jaquette : Fine. 275 p. : ill. ; 22 cm.

hardback. Etat : Fine. Etat de la jaquette : Fine. dj has several wide scratches 319 p. ; 22 cm.

Soft Cover. Etat : Very Good. George Salter (Cover Design) (illustrateur). 1st Vintage Edition. 418 pp. Solidly bound copy with crisp pages and clean text. Some light foxing on the edges, and the back cover shows fraying.

Hardcover. Etat : Fine. Etat de la jaquette : Fine. Robert Yager (Author photo); Chris Jones (Front cover photo); Carol Devine Carson (illustrateur). 1st Edition. First printing of the stated first edition. Faint signs of shelf wear, else book and dust jacket in fine condition. A Frank Bascombe novel. Recipient of the Pulitzer Prize (1996) and the PEN/Faulkner Award (1996 & 2001), to name a few.

Mass Market Paperback. Etat : Good. Summit Studios (Cover Design) (illustrateur). 1st Vintage Bks Ed, Sept. 1966. 245 pp. Solidly bound copy with moderate external wear. Clean text with moderate foxing on pages. An excellent reading/study/work/research copy. Cover shows some wear. Small rip on front cover. Foxing around page edges. Light water stain on top edge of book.

Mass Market Paperback. Etat : Very Good. Leo Lionni (Cover Design) (illustrateur). © 1946. 154 pp. Nearly flawless copy with minimal internal and external wear, crisp pages and clean text. Previous owner's writing, underlining and marginalia throughout text. Mildly shelf worn.

Hardcover. Etat : Near Fine. Etat de la jaquette : Fine. 1st American Edition. MASTERPIECE: CLASSIC: PANORAMIC: FASCINATING: SWEEPING: UNCONVENTIONAL: INSIGHTFUL: STIMULATING: ENLIGHTENING: AWESOME: TOUR DE FORCE: NEAR FINE Stated First American Edition, FINE mylar-protected jacket w/ sharp NEW edges & corners BUT w/ neatly price-clipped top-left front flyleaf corner, new cover w/ dark brown linen wrapping spine & extending 1.50" onto front & back panels covered in superb brown laid-paper w/ titles elegantly gold-stamped on spine & author's initials JK gilt-stamped at center-top of front panel, IMMACULATE text-block exterior w/ smooth-cut top & bottom edges & cut-page style "deckle" side-edging, AS-NEW sewn binding w/ tight signatures & brown & white cloth bands at spine-caps, IMPECCABLE end-papers on heavy cream-white paper BUT MARRED w/ the neat removal of front-right (blank) end-paper, PRISTINE interior handsomely printed on EXCELLENT unblemished archival paper * ILLUSTRATIONS: 10 maps & 24 pp. of choice b-w illustrations reproduced on excellent gloss-laminated paper in two 12-pp. inserts between pp. 144-145 & 272-273 * CONTENTS: Illustrations (ix), Acknowledgments (xi), Introduction (xiii), Conclusion (386), References (393), Select Bibliography (411), Index (418) * 6.25" x 9.50" x 1.36", 0.88 kg, xvi+432 (448) pp. * ABOUT THE BOOK: PANORAMIC & full of FASCINATING & UNCONVENTIONAL INSIGHTS, 'A History of Warfare' is based on the author's 30 years of researching, teaching about & commenting upon military affairs. It also draws upon a lifetime of exploring many of the world's major battlefields, as well as friendships w/ soldiers of many different armies. This is John Keegan's MASTERPIECE. It is destined to become a CLASSIC on one of the most troubling subjects in human experience. * HIGHEST PRAISE: "Perhaps the most remarkable study of warfare that has yet been written. John Keegan is at once the most remarkable & the most original of living historians." - Michael Howard, NYTBR -- "A masterpiece . . . This is one of those rare books which could still be required reading in its field a hundred years from now." -New Yorker -- "'A History of Warfare' is an intellectual tour de force . . . It is impossible in a brief review to convey [its] awesome sweep or the breadth & depth of argumentation . . . consistently stimulating & enlightening." - Clay Blair, Washington Post Book World * SHIPPING: MNEMOSYNE carefully wraps, labels & custom-packages this fine book for FREE domestic shipment via USPS MEDIA MAIL or USPS PRIORITY MAIL for a below-cost additional fee & via USPS FIRST CLASS INTERNATIONAL AIRMAIL to international destinations at our posted rates.

Hardcover. Etat : As New. Etat de la jaquette : As New. 1st American Edition. BRILLIANT, CLASSIC As-new hardcover, stated First American Edition (orig. 1988) 1st printing, apart from slightest traces of shelf-dust soiling to top edge immaculate text-block exterior w smooth-cut top & bottom edges & cut-page-style (deckle) side-edging, exceptionally handsome cover w/ maroon silk-finish linen wrapping spine & extending 1.40" onto front & back panels covered in rich-teal paper w/ author's initials PC copper-stamped at bottom right of front panel & titles & Knopf logo handsomely copper-stamped on spine, immaculate end-papers on heavy cream-white paper, as-new sewn binding w/ tight signatures & pale yellow cloth bands at spine-caps, pristine interior printed w/ handsome clarity in digitized Bembo on excellent unblemished paper * 5.86" x 8.62" x 1.36", 0.70 kg, xxv+384 (409) pp. * 2 illus. inserts on gloss-laminated paper: between pp. 130 & p. 131 (10 illus: 1 oil painting, 7 early b-w line-maps, 2 engravings) & between pp. 258 & 259 (12 illus: 1 plan of early central Melbourne showing property allotments & land sales, 2 engravings, 4 photographs, 5 b-w maps) * CONTENTS: List of Illus. (ix), Acknowledgments (xi), Introduction: A Cake of Portable Soap (xiii), Text (1), Notes (353), Index (377) *This trail-blazing re-evaluation of the origins of Australia is a work of powerful imagination. Oxford-educated Paul Carter takes insights from many disciplines (philosophy, city planning, sociology, linguistics, psychoanalysis & art history) & brings them to bear in a deeply original way on the subjects of travel, exploration & settlement. Australian history is a history of traveling, Carter makes clear, &, as in America, the European newcomers were forever on the move. As they traveled, they wrote about what they saw, for before they cold truly call the land their own, they had to symbolize & name it, give it recognizable features & frame its horizons, make it habitable by equipping it w/ a history. Drawing on reports & diaries, Cater shows how the first explorers & colonists gave Australia "a local habitation& a name." He reads their narratives & maps, not for the usual historical or geographical data, but for the drama they record: writing & traveling are analogous activities, he suggests; escaping convicts, pioneers, & wandering aborigines emerge as creatures of their own authentic histories, translating strange, unknown spaces into a network of familiar landscapes they call home. * "Dazzlingly original, one of the great books about traveling & a landmark in the true discovery of Australia. It deals w/ what belongs deeply to 'culture': the means by which we open new spaces & make of them areas of knowledge where language & event can find room. The writing has a lyrical passion in argument that I found irresistible. I couldn't put it down." - David Malouf * SHIPPING: We custom wrap & label & securely package this superb book for shipment via USPS Media Mail at no charge (or via USPS Priority Mail for a nominal $10.00 charge) within the United States or at our posted rates to international destinations via USPS First Class Airmail (recommended) or USPS Priority Airmail.

Soft cover. Etat : Near Fine. Etat de la jaquette : Near Fine. 1st Paperback Edition. POETIC PERFECTION: ESSENTIAL: NEAR FINE: First Paperback Edition (orig. July 17, 1995), 3rd Printing (October 1997), NEAR FINE gloss-laminated cover w/ AS-NEW edges & corners, but showing a few slightest cosmetic imperfections on rear panel, AS-NEW uncreased binding, IMMACULATE smooth-cut text block exterior, PRISTINE interior handsomely printed w/ SUPERB clarity on EXCELLENT unblemished acid-free archival paper * 6.12" x 9.24" x 1.06", 0.56 kg, x+338 (348) pp. * This varied & far-reaching volume contains a substantial selection from the work of one of our most distinguished poets. From his first book, "A Crackling of Thorns", chosen by W.H. Auden as the 1958 volume in the Yale Series of Younger Poets, to "Harp Lake" (1988), "Selected Poetry" provides an overview of the brilliant career in poetry celebrated by John Hollander's appointment as a MacArthur Fellow. It includes work from 11 volumes, almost all out of print, & is published simultaneously w/ a new collection, "Tesserae and Other Poems". Harold Boom has said of Hollander's last book, "It confirms his authentic eminence, comparable in my judgment to Merrill, Ashberry, Ammons & only a few others in his generation of American poets." * CRITICAL PRAISE: "Perfection is a rare accomplishment, particularly in American poetry, & the perfection of much of Hollander's work makes it essential reading for anyone who genuinely cares for the craft of poetry. But in our fallen world we seem fated to value power of perfection, & John Hollander's poetry has shown a visionary power just often enough to secure him a place as one of the major figures of our moment." -Vernon Shetley, The New Republic * JOHN HOLLANDER: A preeminent American poet, John Hollander composed more than 16 volumes of poetry, published 8 volumes of literary criticism, & edited more than 20 anthologies, including "The Oxford Anthology of English Literature." His many honors include the Bollingen Prize, the Levinson Prize, & a MacArthur Fellowship (1990). His first poetry collection, "A Crackling of Thorns", was chosen by W.H. Auden as the 1958 volume in the Yale Series of Younger Poets. Professor Hollander studied at Columbia & Indiana Universities & was a Junior Fellow of the Society of Fellows of Harvard University. He taught at Connecticut College, & was a professor of English at Hunter College & the Graduate Center, CUNY. He served as A. Bartlett Giamatti Professor of English at Yale University, where he was later named Sterling Professor of English & retired as Sterling Professor of English Emeritus. He died in August 2013.

Hardcover. Etat : Fine. Etat de la jaquette : Fine. 1st Edition. MASTERPIECE: NEGLECTED SPLENDOR: FINE First Edition hardcover (Orig. January 1988) Third printing (March 1988): NEW "art-deco" styled gloss-laminated mylar-protected jacket w/ celebrated photo of Oscar Wilde on the front panel & w/ sharp NEW edges & corners & showing orig. $24.95 pub. price at top-right inside-front flyleaf BUT w/ interior flyleaf corners neatly & uniformly clipped c. 0.5" on the diagonal, EXCELLENT smooth-cut text-block exterior w/ slightest shelf-dust soiling & faintest spotting apparent on the top edge only, NEW library-durable lavender-brown linen-over boards cover ornamented on front panel & spine w/ titles silver-stamped & black-stamped "art deco" design motif, IMMACULATE cream-white card-stock end-papers, NEW perfect binding w/ tight signatures & blue-white-checked cloth bands at spine-caps, PRISTINE interior printed w/ handsome clarity on EXCELLENT unblemished archival paper * 6.26" x 9.52" x 1.76", 1.22 kg, xviii+680 (698) pp * ABOUT THE BOOK: 'How ridiculous of you to suppose that anyone, least of all my dear mother, would christen me "plain Oscar",' he once replied to someone who so supposed. 'I started as Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde.' Indeed nothing about Oscar Wilde was "plain". And in this most pyrotechnic, enchanting, and extravagantly outrageous of 19th-century literary men, Richard Ellmann, one of the great biographers of our time, found his most compelling protagonist. Ellmann devoted his last 20 years to "Oscar Wilde", and it will stand, like his universally admired "James Joyce", as the DEFINITIVE life. The book's emotional resonance, its riches of authentic color & conversation, & the subtlety of its critical illuminations give dazzling life to this portrait of the complex man, the charmer, the great playwright, the daring champion of the primacy of art. And always we sense how he was doomed by the very nature of his powerful intellect, & by that Wildean playfulness that so easily became teasing, to goad the forces of convention into a lethal attack on him at the very moment when he was in most command of is art &--w/ the triumph of "The Importance of Being Earnest"--of his audience. Wilde moved among the great & notorious of his day, & the narrative rings w/ their voices & his own--heard in brilliant discourse, in passion, in conflict, in scintillating thrust & riposte. Drawing on a wealth of documentation, much of it tapped for the first time, & discovering in "Salome", "The Picture of Dorian Gray", "The Importance of Being Earnest", & other works new aspects of their author--Ellmann reveals a Wilde greater & more moving than his legend has allowed, a Wilde who is the 1880s & 1890s incarnate & even today challenges our assumptions w/ his provocative intelligence. * ABOUT THE AUTHOR: RICHARD ELLMANN, during a long & distinguished career, won international recognition as scholar, teacher of English literature, critic, & biographer. His magisterial life of James Joyce is wide acclaimed as the greatest literary biography of the 20th century. Ellmann was born in Highland Park, Michigan, in 1918. He studied at Yale & at Trinity College, in Dublin. He taught at Harvard, Yale, Northwestern, Emory, the University of Chicago, Indiana University, & Oxford, where he was Goldsmiths' Professor of English literature & Fellow of New College. His "James Joyce" (National Book Award, 1959) was preceded by "Yeats: The Man & the Masks" & "The Identity of Yeats" & was followed by--among other greatly praised books two volumes of Joyce letters, "Eminent Domian", & "Four Dubliners". Ellmann died in May 1987, in Oxford, soon after completing "Oscar Wilde" to which he had devoted some decades of study, research & writing. * SHIPPING: MNEMOSYNE carefully wraps, labels & custom-packages this great book for FREE domestic shipment via USPS MEDIA MAIL or via USPS PRIORITY MAIL (for an additional fee) & to international destinations via USPS FIRST CLASS INTERNATIONAL AIRMAIL at our posted rates.

Mass Market Paperback. Etat : Very Good. Ben Shahn (Cover Design) (illustrateur). 1st Publ. in 1935 by Houghton Mifflin Co. 292 pp. Solidy bound copy with minimal external wear. Clean text. Brittle pages with heavy foxing. Creased cover. A perfectly acceptable reading/ study/ work copy.

Hardcover. Etat : Very Good. Etat de la jaquette : Good. Debra Lill (Front-of-Jacket Photo); Carol Devine Carson (Jacket Design) (illustrateur). 3rd Printing, February 1990. 433 pp. Solidly bound copy with minimal to moderate external wear and clean text. Dj shows moderate cuts and tears around edges. Previous owner's name inside first free front-end page.