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A Clockwork Orange.
by BURGESS, Anthony
- Used
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
LONDON, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Heinemann, London., 1962. First edition. First issue black binding. Octavo. pp [viii], 196. The author's highspot and a cornerstone of twentieth-century British fiction.Small contemporary (1964) ownership signature on front free endpaper. Edges spotted. Very good indeed in near-fine dustwrapper slightly faded at the spine. The dustwrapper is also first issue with the wider flaps.
Synopsis
Anthony Burgess wrote more than 40 novels, but A Clockwork Orange is certainly his most famous. The novel is set in a not-too-distant future English society, namely characterized by a subculture of extreme youth violence. Alex, the unapologetic teenaged protagonist, narrates his exploits and experiences with state authorities intent on reforming him. This narration — in a fictional slang called nadsat — is an experiment in language, combining elements of Russian and Cockney English. In fact, the title of the novel itself is taken from an old Cockney expression: “As queer as a clockwork orange.” The US edition of the novel was published without the final chapter, in which Alex grows up to renounce violence. Burgess strongly disapproved of the decision, arguing that it distorted the novel into a tale of unredeemable evil — far from the author’s original intention. Ironically, the US edition of A Clockwork Orange became a cult classic and was used by Stanley Kubrick for his 1971 film adaptation. A Clockwork Orange is ranked 65th on Modern Library’s “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century. It is also listed in TIME’s “100 Best Novels” (since 1923).
Read More: Identifying first editions of A Clockwork Orange.
Reviews
On Dec 18 2015, a reader said:
One of the worst books ever! this is sick.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Peter Ellis bookseller
(GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- BURGESSA026506
- Title
- A Clockwork Orange.
- Author
- BURGESS, Anthony
- Book Condition
- Used
- Publisher
- Heinemann, London.
- Date Published
- 1962
Terms of Sale
Peter Ellis bookseller
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Peter Ellis bookseller
Biblio member since 2009
LONDON
About Peter Ellis bookseller
A shop in one of the last remaining bookselling enclaves of London, with a carefully selected stock of modern first editions, art and illustrated books, travel literature and other subjects. Known for books in fine condition.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- 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....
- Flap(s)
- The portion of a book cover or cover jacket that folds into the book from front to back. The flap can contain biographical...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- Dustwrapper
- Also known as book jacket, dust cover, or dust wrapper, a dust jacket is a protective and decorative cover for a book that is...
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- 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...
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