Kosinski, Jerzy. The Painted Bird. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, The Riverside Press Cambridge, 1965. First edition, correct first issue (with first line of type on p. 270 duplicated on top of p. 271). Octavo, 272 pp. Original brown cloth, front cover blind-stamped, spine panel stamped in black, top edge of text block stained brown, brown endpapers. A fine copy in fine dust jacket. #3118. $425. One of the classics of modern literature. The story of how a young boy survives the horrors of WWII in Europe. The author was born in Poland in 1933 and came to the U.S. in 1957. "Although there is nothing overtly fantastic in the book, the extremity of the events rendered in meticulous detail by the boy's flat, almost clinically detached voice gives the novel the feeling of a long, protracted surrealistic nightmare." -- Barron (ed.) Horror Literature, 4-195. Listed (with an asterisk) in the appendix to King's Danse Macabre. Jones & Newman (eds.) Horror: 100 Best Books (#62). Seller Inventory # 3118

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Bibliographic Details

Title: The Painted Bird

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Publication Date: 1965

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Fine

Dust Jacket Condition: Fine

Edition: 1st Edition

Store Description

When I began my bookselling business in 1996 I called it "Eldritch Books" because that adjective at least partly covered the type of material I offered (and because its similarity to my own surname seemed so -- eldritch). "Ghost stories" would be another handy, if somewhat reductive, term. Most of it is fiction from the 19th and early 20th century with a strong emphasis on the fantastic. Since the most familiar and relevant genre terms in use today -- "science fiction," "fantasy," "supernatural," "horror" -- were not so much in use when these books were first published, pegging them that way can be anachronistic. But that should give you the general idea. I don't have much in the way of American pulp (either in magazine or specialty press book form) but otherwise my interests range widely from high-brow to middle-brow to low-brow to amateur/eccentric. You're more likely to find rare and obscure works here than high spots. (Or at least they're obscure now, whatever their status was when first published.) In 2001 I went to work for L. W. Currey as cataloguer and general assistant. Since 2014 I've been back working on my own. I have exhibited at convention fairs (such as WFC and Readercon) in the past. I began collecting and studying antiquarian fantasy around 1980. Some of my essays have appeared in genre publications such as NYRSF, Wormwood and F&SF. I tend to carefully research my inventory and write extensive notes. (If another dealer wishes to make use of any of these notes, I'd appreciate the courtesy of putting such excerpts in quotes and giving proper attribution to me. That's what I do when I quote from any of my reference works.) I will be gradually listing my inventory on ABE over the coming years. I hope you find something of interest.

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Robert Eldridge, Bookseller
NY, U.S.A.

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Robert Eldridge
P. O. Box 293
Elizabethtown NY 12932
USA.
Tel: 518-873-9966.
Email: rfx51@charter.net.

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I ship only by U.S. Postal Service. All shipments are packed carefully and mailed with insurance and (for domestic shipments) tracking information. Except where specified for extra large items, rates are: Domestic (within USA) Media Mail: $5. Domestic Priority: $10. International First Class (must be under 4 lbs.): $25. International Global Priority (...

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