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Ask the Dust
by Fante, John
- Used
- Fine
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Fine/Very Good
- Seller
-
Beverly Hills, California, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Stackpole Sons, 1939. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Fine/Very Good. Stackpole Sons, New York:, 1939. Hardcover. First Edition. The extremely scarce first printing of Fante's magnum opus. Advance review copy with review slip and publisher's promotional material laid in. Book is Fine, tight, square and unread. The dust jacket is Very Good+, complete and quite bright on the front and rear panels, but sunned on the spine. An attractive example of this scarce first issue jacket, correctly priced at $2.00 and only mentioning Wait Until Spring, Bandini. Published by Stackpole Sons in 1939, which then became embroiled in a lawsuit with Adolf Hitler over the unauthorized printing of Mein Kampf. Stackpole Sons spent the publicity money for the novel on the lawsuit, muffling public recognition of this work for many years. It is estimated that fewer than 3,000 copies of the first printing were sold. Touted as the greatest novel ever written about Los Angeles by Charles Bukowski among others, it is a largely autobiographical account of a young Fante coming West. Bukowski also credited Fante with inspiring his own writing career. Additional photos available upon request. Fine. Very Good +. Comes in a custom-made collector's clamshell case with leather spine.
Synopsis
Ask the Dust is the most popular novel of Italian-American author John Fante, that published in 1939 and set during Great Depression era in Los Angeles. It is one of a series of novels based around the character Arturo Bandini serving as his alter ego, a young Italian-American from Colorado struggling to make it as a writer in Los Angeles. The book is a roman à clef, much of it rooted in autobiographical incidents in Fante's life. The novel influenced Charles Bukowski significantly.
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Details
- Seller
- Bookbid Rare Books
(US)
- Seller's Inventory #
- 107919
- Title
- Ask the Dust
- Author
- Fante, John
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- 1st Edition
- Publisher
- Stackpole Sons
- Date Published
- 1939
Terms of Sale
Bookbid Rare Books
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Bookbid Rare Books
Biblio member since 2009
Beverly Hills, California
About Bookbid Rare Books
Bookbid Rare Books is a rare book dealer located in Beverly Hills, California. The family run company has sold modern literary first editions and children's books for over 20 years. Member of ABAA, ILAB.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- 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"...
- 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...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Advance Review Copy
- Advance Review Copy, a specially printed copy of the book, generally paperback, which has been produced and distributed by the...
- Good+
- A term used to denote a condition a slight grade better than Good.
- Sunned
- Damage done to a book cover or dust jacket caused by exposure to direct sunlight. Very strong fluorescent light can cause slight...
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