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A SEPARATE PEACE
by Knowles, John
- Used
- first
- Condition
- Near fine in near-fine jacket.
- Seller
-
Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: The Macmillan Company, 1960. First printing. Near fine in near-fine jacket.. Review copy of the first US edition, in the scarce first-issue dust jacket. A beautiful copy of Knowles's classic of an uneasy coming-of-age, set at a boys' boarding school among the desperately carefree 16-year-olds of 1942: too young, still, to be drafted into the war outside; too old to evade the responsibilities and guilts that follow from the breaking of their fraught and fragile private bonds. With original publisher's publicity materials that include an image of the illustration for the (rare) jacket and a contemporary headshot of the author, along with Macmillan's biographical sketch of Knowles and selected glowing notices from the English press. The first edition was re-issued with a new jacket design before widespread distribution, with examples like this surviving primarily from review copies. 8'' x 5.5''. Original blue-grey cloth. In original unclipped ($3.50) pictorial dust jacket. [6], 186 pages. Publicity materials laid in: review slip; original author photo of Knowles and photograph of early-stage cover design, both black and white, 7'' x 5''; and two-page stapled press release (all issued by Macmillan). Minor bumping to spine ends. Jacket trace wear at extremities, with faint soil to rear panel, line of foxing at bottom of front panel and jacket folds.
Synopsis
Knowles drew on his own experiences at a New England boarding school in order to write this haunting story about the friendship between Gene and Finny. Effectively polar opposites and yet fiercely devoted to each other, Gene and Finny develop a rivalry that sustains each of them. Gene especially tries to emulate Finny's positive qualities to make himself better. But their friendship takes a dark turn as a result of a rash decision that Gene makes while the two are perched on a tree branch. The fallout and ensuing tragedy haunt Gene for the rest of his life. A Separate Peace is a stirring meditation on adolescence, masculinity, guilt, and friendship. Knowles's classic is an uneasy coming-of-age, set at a boys' boarding school among the desperately carefree 16-year-olds of 1942: too young, still, to be drafted into the war outside; too old to evade the responsibilities and the guilt that follows from the breaking of their fraught and fragile private bonds.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Type Punch Matrix
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 40084
- Title
- A SEPARATE PEACE
- Author
- Knowles, John
- Book Condition
- Used - Near fine in near-fine jacket.
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First printing
- Publisher
- The Macmillan Company
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1960
- Keywords
- WWII,YA,20th century,Gift Idea,1960s,Post-WWII,American
Terms of Sale
Type Punch Matrix
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About the Seller
Type Punch Matrix
Biblio member since 2020
Silver Spring, Maryland
About Type Punch Matrix
Type Punch Matrix is a rare book firm founded by Rebecca Romney and Brian Cassidy. TPM is a member firm of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America and upholds their Code of Ethics.
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....
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- 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...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
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