Blood Meridian; or, The Evening Redness in the West

London: Picador by Pan Books, 1989. First Edition. Hardcover. Near fine/near fine. First UK edition, first printing, octavo size, 345 pp., signed by Cormac McCarthy. Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy, Jr., in 1933), is acknowledged by many as one of the greatest contemporary American writers. His first novel, "The Orchard Keeper", won a 1966 William Faulkner Foundation Award for notable first novel; "All the Pretty Horses" would win the National Book Award in 1992, and "No Country for Old Men", conceived as a screen play (and later turned into a novel) won four Academy Awards. He would eventually author twelve novels, three short stories, five screenplays and two plays.

This the first UK edition of McCarthy's "Great American Novel"; it was McCarthy's fifth novel and although it received only lukewarm praise upon publication, it is now viewed as his magnum opus.

The first UK edition scarce signed; as of this writing, we see no copies online.

___DESCRIPTION: Bound in full red textured paper over boards, white lettering stamped onto the spine, copyright page with full number line, simply signed "Cormac McCarthy" on the sectional title page in black ink; octavo size (8 5/8" by 5 3/8"), pagination: [i-viii] [1-2] 3-337. The unclipped dust jacket with a wrap-around illustration (by George Sharp) of a horseman riding over a landscape with a blood-red sky behind him, black and red lettering, review blurb on the bottom of the front panel, short summary of the book and review blurbs on the front flap, short author bio on the back flap with original price of GBP 11.95 at the bottom.

___CONDITION: Volume near fine, the paper over the boards clean, the white on the spine not worn or flaked, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, and entirely free of prior owner markings; the head of the spine with a slight bump extending for about an inch at the very top of the front board, tail of the spine very gently bumped, corners gently bumped but not rubbed, interior pages lightly toned. The unclipped dust jacket also near fine, clean, not sunned (the reds on the spine as deep as on the panels), with very minor edgewear.

___PROVENANCE: We acquired this book from a collector who purchased it from an ABAA member who confirmed the signature, details available upon request.

___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details.

___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.