Shirley Jackson. THE SUNDIAL. Farrar, Strauss, Cudahy, 1958. 1st HC/DJ. Scarce!

Description: Normal.dotm 0 0 1 1279 7292 Lincoln Public Schools 60 14 8955 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false Jackson, Shirley. THE SUNDIAL. NY: Farrar, Straus & Cudahy, 1958. 1st edition. With “First printing, 1958” printed on the copyright page. This is NOT a book club book. This is NOT an ex-library book. Buyer beware: there were several later printings of THE SUNDIAL that were published in this exact hardcover format and also in similar, but sightly different formats. This is the real deal: the true 1st edition, 1st printing. SCROLL DOWN THIS PAGE IMMEDIATELY TO SEE THE CONDITION OF THIS BOOK AND THIS DUST JACKET. Shirley Jackson was one of the best and most famous literary and horror writers in the world from the 1940’s through her untimely death (at age 48) in 1965. She was a popular writer in her time, and her work has been receiving increased attention from literary critics. She has apparently influenced such writers as Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Nigel Kneale, and Richard Matheson, among others. Jackson’s well known short story “The Lottery,” which was published in the June 26, 1948 issue of The New Yorker, received a response that “no New Yorker story had ever received.” Hundreds of letters poured in that were characterized by “bewilderment, speculation, and old-fashioned abuse.” The story suggests a secret, sinister underside to bucolic small-town America. In the San Francisco Chronicle, Jackson offered a response to the letters: “Explaining just what I had hoped the story to say is very difficult. I suppose, I hoped, by setting a particularly brutal ancient rite in the present and in my own village to shock the story’s readers with a graphic dramatization of the pointless violence and general inhumanity in their own lives.” Jackson’s husband, the literary critic Stanley Edgar Hyman, in his preface to a posthumous anthology of her work, wrote “she consistently refused to be interviewed, to explain or promote her work in any fashion, or to take public stands and be the pundit of the Sunday supplements. She believed that her books would speak for her clearly enough over the years. She intended her work as a sensitive and faithful anatomy of our times, fitting symbols for our distressing world of the concentration camp and the Bomb. She also took pleasure in the subversive impact of her work in that she was always proud that the Union of South Africa banned ‘The Lottery,’ and she felt that they at least understood the story.” Shirley Jackson was the author of such great and famous books as THE ROAD THROUGH THE WALL (1948), THE LOTTERY AND OTHER STORIES (1949; containing her famous short story “The Lottery”), HANGSAMAN (1951), THE BIRD’S NEST (1954), THE SUNDIAL (1958; offered here), THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE (1959; probably Jackson’s best and most famous novel), WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE (1962), NINE MAGIC WISHES (1963; a children’s novel), THE MAGIC OF SHIRLEY JACKSON (1966; a collection of short stories), and several others. Some of the awards and award nominations that Shirley Jackson has been honored with: 1960: THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE. National Book Award nominee for Best Novel. 1962: WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE. One of Time’s “Ten Best Novels of 1962.” 1966: “The Possibility of Evil.” Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award nominee for Best Short Story. 2007: The Shirley Jackson Awards were established with permission of Jackson’s estate. They are in recognition of her legacy in writing, and are awarded for outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic. The awards are presented at Readercon. Clearly Shirley Jackson was (and remains) one of the best, most important, most famous, and most collectible horror writers of all time. From the dust jacket: “ . . . SHIRLEY JACKSON . . . THE SUNDIAL . . . The new novel by Shirley Jackson has the suspense of THE LOTTERY, the psychological insight of HANGSAMAN and THE BIRD’S NEST, and the cool humor of LIFE AMONG THE SAVAGES — plus an irony and brilliance all its own . . . The twelve occupants of the Halloran mansion, set in the large walled estate outside the village, are awaiting the end of the world. It is their belief that they will be the only survivors of the general cataclysm. The little that can be known about the future, in advance, they know. They can only wait for it, wondering what it is that they do not know . . . ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I grade books and dust jackets: fine, near fine, very good, good, fair, and poor. I describe all faults. If you sell books on EBAY (or anywhere else), it is de rigueur not to list 1st printings of book club books as 1st editions (unless they ARE the 1st edition, which occurs only occasionally); also, a 1st edition, 7th printing, is not a 1st edition. Ex-library books must be noted as such since generally they are of little value to the collector of 1st editions. Condition is also very important to those collectors. Books and dust jackets must be described in detail. In other words, it is incumbent upon the SELLER to know what is and is not a 1st edition. Mistakes can be made (and corrected), of course, but if you DON'T KNOW, don't try to sell a book as a 1st edition. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ CONDITION: A NEAR FINE (or better) book in an outwardly NEAR FINE dust jacket. The book is tight and square in its silver-gray cloth and black boards binding with black lettering on the spine of the book. There is no writing in the book; no bookplates; no remainder marks. The publisher’s topstain is yellow and has no spotting or discoloration. The dust jacket is NOT price-clipped and shows the correct 1st issue price of $3.75. The dust jacket has no chips, no tears, and no wrinkles. The dust jacket has undergone some small amount of reinforcement (using archival, non-acidic materials) on the rear side of the dust jacket that has been accomplished by a professional paper conservationist. The reinforcement is not discernable when looking at the dust jacket from the outside. The famous dust jacket design is by the famous science fiction, fantasy, and horror artist Ronald Clyne. A MUST FOR THE COLLECTOR OF IMPORTANT MODERN HORROR FICTION 1st EDITIONS AND/OR THE COLLECTOR OF SHIRLEY JACKSON 1st EDITIONS! _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Additional photos are available upon request. I am continuing to list some of my best books (especially science fiction, fantasy, and horror 1st editions) on EBAY not so much as auctions (due to the fact that EBAY charges quite a bit to list items for reserve auctions), but more along the lines of listing my “catalogue” of books that I have for sale. I'm not going to “give” these books away, but my opening bids and Buy-It-Now prices are usually a fair amount below market value. Furthermore, however, for certain scarce books in great condition, I do expect to get close to what they're worth. Stay with me; I always have a number of important, collectible, cornerstone science fiction, fantasy, and horror 1st editions listed. Many thanks! All items are being offered for sale elsewhere; I reserve the right to end this listing early if this item sells elsewhere. Contact me if you’re looking for a particular title or titles. I have thousands of books for sale that may or may not show up in my EBAY listings. I am happy to set up flexible PAYMENT and/or HOLD PLANS for any book(s) that you bid on and win. Shipping: $4.00 for USPS Media Mail shipping. $10.00 for USPS Priority Mail shipping. Buyers who wish to have packages sent to addresses outside of the U.S. are required to pay for the postage necessary to send such packages. Please note: if you want something other than USPS Media Mail shipping, you must wait for me to send you an EBAY invoice or if you are a buyer outside of the United States, you must wait for me to send you an EBAY invoice. You must be willing to pay for non-USPS Media Mail shipping charges or for international shipping charges. I reserve the right to negate a purchase if you are unwilling to pay for the correct shipping charges either to an address in the U.S. or if international shipping is required. I am happy to set up flexible payment and layaway plans if these options make it easier for you to participate in bidding and winning. Please e-mail me if you have any questions. See my other auctions on EBAY for excellent science fiction, fantasy, and horror 1st editions (and a few other items). I specialize in science fiction, fantasy, and horror 1st editions: award winners, cornerstone books, and generally recognized important books in the genre(s). I GUARANTEE THE CONDITION OF THIS BOOK; IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, SEND IT BACK! If you prefer payment methods other than PayPal (as I do), I am happy to arrange for a different payment method for you. Before you buy from others, check out their return policies and their guarantees and compare them to mine. I stand behind all of my items FULLY. Why deal with a seller who won't guarantee their books, doesn't have a return policy, or doesn't correctly describe the edition or condition of their book(s)? OTIUM SINE LITTERIS MORS EST ET HOMINIS VIVI SEPULTURA.

Price: 299.99 USD

Location: Lincoln, Nebraska

End Time: 2024-12-09T20:28:56.000Z

Shipping Cost: 6 USD