A Confederacy of Dunces
by John Kennedy Toole
- Used
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Clarence, New York, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
This book is in very good condition. Moderate bumping to both ends of spine. Minor staining to top edge of textblock. Birthday gift inscription on front endpaper. Interior pages are bright and clean. Dust jacket is in good minus condition. Moderate chipping to both ends of spine and around all edges to jacket. Original 12.95 price on front flap.
"A Confederacy of Dunces" remained unpublished for 11 years after the author's death. Toole's mother convinced Walker Percy to read the manuscript, who in turn convinced LSU to publish the book. The book went on to become a cult classic and earned Toole a posthumous Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981. The novel's central character is an educated but slothful 30-year-old man living with his mother in the Uptown neighborhood of early 1960s New Orleans, who in his quest for employment, has various adventures with colorful French Quarter characters.
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Inventory number (N12-69).
Synopsis
A Confederacy of Dunces is a picaresque novel written by John Kennedy Toole, published in 1980, 11 years after the author died by suicide at the age of 31. The book was published through the efforts of writer Walker Percy (who also contributed a revealing foreword) and Toole's mother, Thelma Toole. In 1981, it won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, granting posthumous recognition to John Kennedy Toole. The novel has since gained a cult following and is celebrated as a classic of American literature. Set in New Orleans during the 1960s, A Confederacy of Dunces revolves around the eccentric and socially awkward protagonist, Ignatius J. Reilly. Ignatius is an obese, unemployed, highly educated man who lives with his overbearing mother. The novel follows Ignatius as he navigates various misadventures, often clashing with the world around him due to his pompous intellect and disdain for modern society. Ignatius is a self-proclaimed philosopher and writer who spends most of his time writing in his ever-present journal, "The Journal of a Working Boy," where he criticizes the world's perceived injustices. Ignatius's life takes an unexpected turn when his mother forces him to find a job to contribute to their finances. His misadventures in the working world lead him to cross paths with a colorful cast of characters, including his eccentric employer, a former girlfriend, a politically active barmaid, a black prostitute, and a policeman who becomes obsessed with exposing Ignatius's alleged communist activities. The novel's humor lies in the absurd situations, ironic dialogue, and the juxtaposition of Ignatius's intellectual pretensions with the realities of his daily life. Through Ignatius's escapades, the novel explores themes of societal conformity, alienation, and the clash between traditional values and modernity.
Read More: Identifying first editions of A Confederacy of Dunces
Reviews
One of the most built up novels of all time - while it didn't fall flat on its face by any means, the build up ruins it. Extremely funny at times, but impossibly uneven. If no one has ever told you it's the best book ever, give it a try.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Ernestoic Books (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 5410
- Title
- A Confederacy of Dunces
- Author
- John Kennedy Toole
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition, Fourth Printing
- Publisher
- Louisiana State University Press
- Place of Publication
- Baton Rouge
- Date Published
- 1980
Terms of Sale
Ernestoic Books
About the Seller
Ernestoic Books
About Ernestoic Books
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....
- 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...
- 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...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Chipping
- A defect in which small pieces are missing from the edges; fraying or small pieces of paper missing the edge of a paperback, or...