Description

Signed by William Saroyan on Title Page 1st Edition (see copyright page) Very Scarce Signing of Obituaries by Saroyan Published by Creative Arts Book Company 1979 (Saroyan died 1981) Dust Jacket Protected by Brodart Please see pictures for more detail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Obituaries ISBN-13: 9780916870171 ISBN-10: 0916870170 Author: William Saroyan Edition: 1st Binding: Hardcover Publisher: Creative Arts Book Co Published: May 1979 List Price: $15.00 William Saroyan (/səˈrɔɪ.ən/; August 31, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an American novelist, playwright, and short story writer. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940, and in 1943 won the Academy Award for Best Story for the film adaptation of his novel The Human Comedy. He has been described in a Dickinson College news release as "one of the most prominent literary figures of the mid-20th century" and by Stephen Fry as "one of the most underrated writers of the [20th] century." Fry suggests that "he takes his place naturally alongside Hemingway, Steinbeck and Faulkner. For more biography, please see Wikipedia ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *The book is in very good condition for its age. Very light foxing beginning to appear on edges. There is light toning throughout book and on the edges. On top edge of book there are a few small spots. There is a gold seal on inside of front board which was placed there by Book & Co. Book Store in New York City. The boards look like pencil circling but that is the design (not actual writing) by the publisher. The dust jacket is in very good condition - it has light edge wear. There are a couple of small tears on jacket - the largest being 1/4". Please see pictures. The price on jacket is intact ($15). There is some toning on inside of jacket. There is a spot near top of inside jacket- and same spot on outside as well. For its age, the dust jacket is in remarkably good condition. The book is very tight and there are no other writings, bookplates, no remainder marks, no underlining, not ex-library, etc. The dust jacket is now protected by a Brodart cover. Please see pictures for more detail. **the gold seal on inside of front board probably indicates where the book was purchased and most likely Saroyan signed this book there. Book and Co. was a prestigious bookstore very close to the Whitney Museum on Madison Avenue. It was where writers often came together with the owner of the store, Jeannette Watson . Quoting from one small paragraph from her book " Celebrity shoppers included Jackie Onassis, Kurt Vonnegut, Neil Simon, Robin Williams, John F. Kennedy, Jr., Edward Albee, Romare Bearden, John Cleese, Elmore Leonard, Candice Bergen, Jacques Derrida, and many others. General William Westmoreland was in griping about a Viet Nam book the same week Michael Jackson picked up a British import on skinhead photography and Aesop’s Fables . Margaux and Mariel Hemingway popped in for a Sagan novel. Truman Capote would whisk Jeannette away to the Carlyle for a Tab. Sam Shepard and Jessica Lange smooch in the back of the store, a smiling James Baldwin is outside looking in at a window of his works, and John and Yoko walk their Great Danes past in the middle of the night" (Bookstore: The Life and Times of Jeannette Watson) * **William Saroyan died 24 months after the book was published and consequently he may have not done very many book signings this late in life (died of prostate cancer). This rare signing would be great to have in any collector's library especially collectors who are trying to collect the true greats of American literature. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you might have. I will be glad to take additional pictures. I tried to describe the book through words and pictures the best I can but if you are not 100% satisfied with the purchase, please know you can return the book for full refund. Boxed and packaged VERY carefully! Will ship within 1 business day of receiving payment. Thank you for looking!