John Henry Days
by Colson Whitehead
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very Good-/Very Good-
- ISBN 10
- 0385498195
- ISBN 13
- 9780385498197
- Seller
-
Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
first edition first printing hardcover in dust jacket; no prior owner marks; trace dust to text block edge; sound binding; 1/4 cloth cover has little rub and bump to corners, as short tear at spine head cloth, bright gilt titling; dj has faint soil to back panel top and bottom edges, little compression and bump top panel edge, a short tear top front corner at spine, creasing to front flap; price present front flap corner HC7ebi
Synopsis
In a glowing review of Colson Whitehead's first novel, The Intuitionist, the New York Times Book Review concluded, "Literary reputations may not always rise and fall as predictably as elevators, but if there's any justice in the world of fiction, Colson Whitehead's should be heading toward the upper floors." With John Henry Days, Colson Whitehead delivers on the promise of his critically acclaimed debut in a magnificent new novel: a retelling of the legend of John Henry that sweeps across generations and cultures in a stunning, hilarious, and unsettling portrait of American society.Immortalized in folk ballads, John Henry has been a favorite American hero since the mid-nineteenth century. According to legend, John Henry, a black laborer for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, was a man of superhuman strength and stamina. He proved his mettle in a contest with a steam drill, only to die of exhaustion moments after his triumph. In John Henry Days, Colson Whitehead transforms the simple ballad into a contrapuntal masterpiece. The narrative revolves around the story of J. Sutter, a young black journalist. Sutter is a "junketeer," a freeloading hack who roams from one publicity event to another, abusing his expense account and mooching as much as possible. It is 1996, and an assignment for a travel Web site takes Sutter to West Virginia for the first annual "John Henry Days" festival, a celebration of a new U.S. postal stamp honoring John Henry. And there the real story of John Henry emerges in graceful counterpoint to Sutter's thoroughly modern adventure.As he explores the parallels between the lives of these two black men, and between the Industrial Age, which literally killed John Henry, and the Digital Age that is destroying J. Sutter's soul, Whitehead adds multiple dimensions to the myth of the steel-driving man. And in dazzling set pieces, he traces the evolution of the famous ballad over the past century. John Henry Days is a novel of extraordinary scope and mythic power that juxtaposes history and popular culture, the blatant bigotry of the past with the more insidious racism of the present, and laugh-out-loud humor with unforgettable poignancy.From the Hardcover edition.
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Details
- Bookseller
- DrPanglossBooks (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 13019
- Title
- John Henry Days
- Author
- Colson Whitehead
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good-
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good-
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- first edition
- ISBN 10
- 0385498195
- ISBN 13
- 9780385498197
- Publisher
- Doubleday
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 2001
Terms of Sale
DrPanglossBooks
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged. Prospective buyers whose addresses lie outside the United States should inquire about postage charges, as those posted are inaccurate. All books priced at 40 USD and higher require Priority International Mail service. Sorry, no exceptions, as too many problems have arisen using first class international postage.
About the Seller
DrPanglossBooks
About DrPanglossBooks
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- 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....
- 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...
- Text Block
- Most simply the inside pages of a book. More precisely, the block of paper formed by the cut and stacked pages of a book....
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...