The Sheltering Sky

by Bowles, Paul

In this classic work of psychological terror, Paul Bowles examines the ways in which Americans apprehend an alien culture--and the ways in which their incomprehension destroys them. The story of three American travelers adrift in the cities and deserts of North Africa, The Sheltering Sky is at once merciless and heartbreaking in its compassion. It etches the limits of human reason and intelligence--perhaps even the limits of human life --when they touch the unfathomable emptiness and impassive cruelty of the desert. (via-GoodReads)

First Edition Identification

New Directions published the First US Edition in New York, 1949. The edition is bound in the publisher’s tan cloth, with blue and black stamping on the spine. 

John Lehmann published the First UK Edition in London, 1949. The original jacket was designed by Red Uhlman.

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On Nov 14, 2012, alicekisch said
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Available Copies

THE SHELTERING SKY
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THE SHELTERING SKY

by BOWLES. PAUL

Condition
Used
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1
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London, Greater London, GBR
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A$1,662.00

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John Lehmann. London. 1950. FIRST EDITION. 8vo. (8 x 5.3 inches). A fine copy finely bound in recent full dark blue morocco leather. Spine with five raised bands, compartments lettered, ruled and decorated in gilt. Red title label, gilt. Single gilt ruled border to boards. Top edge gilt. A Fine copy of Bowles' influential first novel. Famously rejected… Read more about this item
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A$1,662.00
The Sheltering Sky

The Sheltering Sky

by Bowles, Paul

Condition
Used - Very Good+ in Very Good dj
Edition
4th printing
Published
(c.1949)
Binding
Hardcover
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Los Angeles, California, USA
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New York: New Directions. Very Good+ in Very Good dj. (c.1949). 4th printing. Hardcover. [a good sound copy, very slight bumping to upper corners, light age-toning to edges of text block; the jacket has tiny bits of paper loss at several corners, some darkening to spine, overall light soiling]. A presentable copy of Bowles's highly-regarded tale… Read more about this item
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A$154.63
The Sheltering Sky
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The Sheltering Sky

by Bowles, Paul

Condition
Used - Very Good
Jacket Condition
Good
Edition
Third Impression
Published
1949
Binding
Cloth
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1
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London, Greater London, GBR
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A$488.82

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London: John Lehmann 1949. 8vo. Third impression, one month after the first edition. 304 pp. Publisher's blue cloth with gilt lettering to spine and in pictorial dust wrapper. Jacket chipped at spine ends & corners, with 1-1.5cm loss to head of spine. Cloth clean. Internally clean. No ownership names. The author's first book, and a classic of beat literature. .… Read more about this item
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A$488.82
The Sheltering Sky
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The Sheltering Sky

by Bowles, Paul

Condition
Used - Near Fine
Jacket Condition
Near Fine
Edition
First American Edition
Published
1949
Quantity Available
1
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Portland, Oregon, USA
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A$2,319.45

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New York: New Directions, 1949. First American Edition. Near Fine/Near Fine. First American edition, first printing. Bound in publisher's original tan cloth, with spine stamped in black and blue. Near Fine with strips of browning to edges of front and rear free endpapers, pages toned. In a Near Fine unclipped dust jacket designed by Alvin Lustig, with several… Read more about this item
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A$2,319.45
The Sheltering Sky
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The Sheltering Sky

by Paul Bowles

Condition
Used - Near Fine
Jacket Condition
Near Fine
Edition
First edition
Published
1949
Binding
Cloth
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1
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BATH, Somerset, GBR
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London: John Lehmann, 1949. First edition. Cloth. Near Fine/Near Fine. 8" by 5". None . A bright first edition, third impression of this novel by Paul Bowles. The first edition, third impression of this work. A novel telling of alienation and existential despair by American author Paul Bowles. Following the tale of Port Moresby and his wife Kit… Read more about this item
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A$1,662.00
THE SHELTERING SKY [Signed]
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THE SHELTERING SKY [Signed]

by Bowles, Paul

Condition
Used
Edition
First Edition, First Printing
Published
1949
Binding
Hardcover
Quantity Available
1
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Rockville, Maryland, USA
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A$4,252.32

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New York: New Directions, 1949. First Edition, First Printing. Hardcover. Octavo, 318 pages. In Very Good condition with Very Good minus dust jacket. Spine is speckled with black lettering. Dust jacket is in a mylar covering, and shows minor wear and chipping along extremities, along with a small chip missing along upper rear hinge. Price uncut: "$2.75." Inscribed on… Read more about this item
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A$4,252.32
The Sheltering Sky.

The Sheltering Sky.

by Bowles, Paul.

Condition
Used - Fine in a near fine dust jacket.
Edition
Facsimile reprint with no printings noted and no price on the du
Published
No date
Binding
Tan cloth, black spine title on a sky blue background.
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1
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Reno, Nevada, USA
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A$170.09

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Norfolk, Connecticut.: New Directions., No date. Facsimile reprint with no printings noted and no price on the dust jacket flap.. Tan cloth, black spine title on a sky blue background.. Fine in a near fine dust jacket.. 21x14 cm.. A nice uncommon reprint of the author’s first book. weight: 1.0 lb.
Item Price
A$170.09
The Sheltering Sky
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The Sheltering Sky

by Bowles, Paul

Condition
Used - Fine
Jacket Condition
Very Good
Edition
First American Edition
Published
1949
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Portland, Oregon, USA
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A$1,468.98

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Description:
New York: New Directions, 1949. First American Edition. Fine/Very Good. First American edition, first printing. 318 pp. Publisher's tan cloth, spine stamped in black and blue. Hint of reading wear, else Fine in a Very Good unclipped dust jacket, chipped at extremities, a little rubbed and toned, with a tiny stain to the back panel and tear near… Read more about this item
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A$1,468.98
THE SHELTERING SKY - SIGNED
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THE SHELTERING SKY - SIGNED

by Bowles, Paul

Condition
Used
Edition
First American Edition
Published
1949
Quantity Available
1
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Stephenson, Virginia, USA
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A$4,638.90

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New York: New Directions Books, 1949. First American Edition. Bowles's first novel, following a trio of Americans who travel deep into the Sahara desert after the conclusion of World War II, who embark seeking different things, but ultimately find only deception, despair, and death. Basis for Bernardo Bertolucci's 1990 film of the same name, starring John Malkovitch, Debra Winger,… Read more about this item
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A$4,638.90
The Sheltering Sky
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The Sheltering Sky

by Bowles, Paul

Condition
Used - Near Fine
Jacket Condition
Very Good+
Edition
First American Edition
Published
1949
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Portland, Oregon, USA
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A$5,412.05

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Description:
New York: New Directions, 1949. First American Edition. Near Fine/Very Good+. First American edition. Neatly signed by Paul Bowles on half title. 318 pp. Publisher's tan cloth with blue and black stamping on spine. Near Fine with a little staining to edges, offsetting to endpapers, in a slightly toned, unclipped dust jacket with two small tears in spine… Read more about this item
Item Price
A$5,412.05
The Sheltering Sky. [A Novel]
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The Sheltering Sky. [A Novel]

by Bowles, Paul

Condition
Used - Binding has uneven, light fading on spine, with faint stain (barely visible) at base of spine, moderate foxing on edges of text
Edition
Third impression
Published
1949
Binding
304pp. 8vo
Quantity Available
1
Seller
New York, New York, USA
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A$927.78

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Description:
London: John Lehmann, 1949. Third impression. 304pp. 8vo. Binding has uneven, light fading on spine, with faint stain (barely visible) at base of spine, moderate foxing on edges of text block, endpapers and a few pages of text are quite foxed (including half-title page and title page, with a very small chip at top edge of half-title page); a… Read more about this item
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A$927.78
THE SHELTERING SKY
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THE SHELTERING SKY

by Bowles, Paul

Condition
Used - Very good plus in very good jacket.
Published
1949
Quantity Available
1
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Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
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(New York): New Directions, 1949. Very good plus in very good jacket.. Inscribed first US edition of Bowles's first novel, the grim and enduring twentieth-century classic of alienated Americans wandering through North Africa towards destruction. Bowles's masterpiece, often praised as pitiless and dazzling, like the sun - beautiful, but not good for the eyes - was written in… Read more about this item
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A$5,412.05
The Sheltering Sky
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The Sheltering Sky

by Bowles, Paul

Condition
Used - Very Good
Published
1998
ISBN 10
0880015829
Quantity Available
1
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Olympia, Washington, USA
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A$7.73

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Description:
A small amount of wear, including a bumped corner, a sticker and two shallow creases on the spine, and the owner's name inside the front cover. Originally published in 1949, this is the tale of three Americans adrift in Northern Africa in the years right after WWII.
Item Price
A$7.73
The Sheltering Sky
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The Sheltering Sky

by Bowles, Paul

Condition
Used - Very Good
Jacket Condition
No Jacket
Edition
1st Edition
Published
1949
Binding
Hardcover
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Ridgewood, New York, USA
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A$386.58

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Description:
NY: New Directions, 1949. 1st Edition . Hardcover. Very Good/No Jacket. 8vo. 318pp. First edition (no subsequent printings stated on copyright page). Spine ends and board corners lightly bumped/softened. Some light soiling to boards. As usual, the pastedowns and endpapers show some adhesive-based offsetting, though nothing too severe. A quite presentable copy of Bowles' classic first novel, lacking… Read more about this item
Item Price
A$386.58
The Sheltering Sky

The Sheltering Sky

by Bowles, Paul

Condition
Used - 8vo pb 256pp VG++ 210 gms
Quantity Available
1
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Southport, GBR
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A$7.82

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Penguin 2000 … Read more about this item
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A$7.82
The Sheltering Sky
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The Sheltering Sky

by BOWLES, Paul

Condition
Used - Fine
Jacket Condition
Near Fine
Published
1949
Binding
Hardcover
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Gloucester City, New Jersey, USA
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A$3,092.60

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(New York): New Directions, 1949. Hardcover. Fine/Near Fine. First American edition. Fine in very near fine dust jacket with a very short tear on the front panel. Housed in a custom quarter morocco gilt and cloth clamshell case. The author's first and best-known book, in which a disaffected American couple meet the harsh reality of the Moroccan desert,… Read more about this item
Item Price
A$3,092.60
The Sheltering Sky (facsimile reprint)

The Sheltering Sky (facsimile reprint)

by Bowles, Paul

Condition
Used - Fine in Fine dust jacket
Edition
Reprint
Published
N.D.
Binding
Hardcover
Quantity Available
1
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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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A$58.68

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New Directions. Fine in Fine dust jacket. N.D.. Reprint. Hardcover. This is a facsimile of the first edition published by New Directions. The publisher of this reproduction is unknown. ; 318 pages .
Item Price
A$58.68
The Sheltering Sky

The Sheltering Sky

by Bowles, Paul

Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10
0586089322
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1
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GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, GBR
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A$1.54

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Paperback. Very Good.
Item Price
A$1.54
The Sheltering Sky

The Sheltering Sky

by Paul Bowles

Condition
Used - Very Good
Published
1949
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Washington, District of Columbia, USA
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Item Price
A$618.52

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Description:
London: John Lehmann, 1949. Very Good. London: John Lehmann, 1949. First Edition. Octavo. 304 pages. Original cloth with blue spine label and stamped in gilt. Lacks dust jacket. Boards lightly worn at extremities with brief exposure. Faded at spine and along edges. Soiling to bottom of spine with some faint general staining. Binding is sound. Front… Read more about this item
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A$618.52
The Sheltering Sky
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The Sheltering Sky

by Bowles, Paul

Condition
Used - Good
Edition
First Edition
Published
1949
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Portland, Oregon, USA
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A$927.78

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Description:
London: John Lehmann, 1949. First Edition. Good. First edition. 304 pp. Original cloth with with blue title label, gilt lettering. Good, lacking dust jacket. Cloth well-sunned and worn along edges, a little frayed here and there, boards a bit warped, two tiny pen marks. Internally in better shape with pages free of marking. One of only 4,000 copies… Read more about this item
Item Price
A$927.78