Peyton Place -- True 1st Printing
by Metalious, Grace
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very good plus/Very Good
- Seller
-
Sacramento, California, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Julian Messner, 1956. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. Very good plus/Very Good. The scarce first printing with 1956 on copyright page and no additional printings listed. Very good plus in black boards with slight rubbing to edges, otherwise bright and clean inside and out. In a very good plus dust jacket ($3.95 price intact) with minor wear at the spine ends and corners, and a bit of foxing to the reverse. An excellent copy of this landmark novel, basis for the famous film and subsequent television series. The initial print run of the book was quite small, and in recent years collectible first printings are rarely seen.
Synopsis
The plot of Peyton Place is quite controversial among modern first editions, and the history of its publication is just as scandalous. Peyton Place was largely based off of the small town scandals that were known to plague several New England towns. Some of the places and characters so closely resembled their real life counterparts that author Grace Metalious was actually sued for libel. Some of the people in these towns were particularly distraught that their communities were depicted so negatively, the reception of Peyton Place nearly drove Metalious into hiding. The book was first published by Julian Messner, Inc in 1956, and it was an instant hit. Through word of mouth, it sold approximately 60,000 copies in the first two weeks of its publication, and it stayed on the New York Time best seller list for 59 weeks. It was so popular, it was adapted into a film and into a multi-year daytime soap opera. The first US edition dust jacket is fairly plain and the paper quality was low, so the jacket is likely to be browned or yellowed with age. Famously, Metalious was sued for libel by one of the people who was included in the book. Tomas Makris was featured in Peyton Place , and his name and physical characteristics matched the real-life individual. Notably, the character's name in UK edition was changed to Michael Kyros, and the character's name was changed in later US editions to Michael Rossi. In a shocking twist that infuriated many, Metalious had actually forged Makris' name on the release form. Such behavior is of course condemned by the literary community.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Magus Books
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 008707
- Title
- Peyton Place -- True 1st Printing
- Author
- Metalious, Grace
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very good plus
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- 1st Edition 1st Printing
- Publisher
- Julian Messner
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1956
Terms of Sale
Magus Books
All books sold are guaranteed and may be returned if customer is not satisfied. Customer must notify Magus Books within seven days of receipt that they wish to return the book, and it must be returned in the same condition in which it was received.
About the Seller
Magus Books
Biblio member since 2005
Sacramento, California
About Magus Books
Independent bookstore specializing in John Fowles and other modern first editions.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
- 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...
- Copyright page
- The page in a book that describes the lineage of that book, typically including the book's author, publisher, date of...
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