American Histories (Signed First Edition)

John Edgar Wideman

ISBN 10: 1501178342 / ISBN 13: 9781501178344

Published by Scribner, New York, 2018

About this Item

New York: Scribner: 2018. First edition. First printing (with full number sequence including the 1). Very Fine in a very fine dust jacket. A tight, clean copy, new and unread. Comes with archival-quality mylar dust jacket protector. Shipped in well padded box. SIGNED BY AUTHOR on title page--the author's name only, with no other marks or writing. Purchased new and opened only for author signature. Comes with program from the 92nd Street Y on the night that Wideman signed the book, which includes a facsimile mss. page. New York: Scribner, 2018. First edition. First printing (with full number line including the 1). Hardbound. Fine in a fine jacket. A clean, tight copy. Publisher's price intact on front jacket flap. Comes with archival-quality mylar jacket protector. Smoke-free. Octavo, 240 pages. This collection includes experimental epistolary fictions and meditative narratives, notably JB & FD, a fictional dialogue between Jean-Michel Basquiat and Frederick Douglass, and Nat Turner Confesses, a reimagining of the historical figure's inner life. Several stories reflect on race, family, and historical memory in America. John Edgar Wideman is a MacArthur Fellow and the first person to win the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction twice.

Seller Inventory # signed-fiction-428

Bibliographic Details

• Title: American Histories (Signed First Edition)
• Publisher: Scribner, New York
• Publication Date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1501178342
• ISBN 13: 9781501178344
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: New
• Dust Jacket Condition: New
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • African-American LIterature

About this title

Synopsis

In this singular collection, John Edgar Wideman, the acclaimed author of Writing to Save a Life, blends the personal, historical, and political to invent complex, charged stories about love, death, struggle, and what we owe each other. With characters ranging from everyday Americans to Jean-Michel Basquiat to Nat Turner, American Histories is a journey through time, experience, and the soul of our country.

"JB & FD" reimagines conversations between John Brown, the antislavery crusader who famously raided Harper's Ferry, Virginia, and Frederick Douglass, the abolitionist and orator, conversations that belie the myth of race and produce a fantastical, ethically rich correspondence that spans years and ideologies. "Maps and Ledgers" eavesdrops on a brother and sister today as they ponder their father's killing of another man. "Williamsburg Bridge" sits inside a man sitting on a bridge who contemplates his life before he decides to jump. "My Dead" is a story about how the already-departed demand more time, more space in the lives of those who survive them.

Navigating an extraordinary range of subject and tone, Wideman challenges the boundaries of traditional forms, and delivers unforgettable, immersive narratives that touch the very core of what it means to be alive. An extended meditation on family, history, and loss, American Histories weaves together historical fact, philosophical wisdom, and deeply personal vignettes. More than the sum of its parts, this is Wideman at his best--emotionally precise and intellectually stimulating--an extraordinary collection by a master.

About the Author

John Edgar Wideman's books include, among others, Look for Me and I'll Be Gone, You Made Me Love You, American Histories, Writing to Save a Life, Brothers and Keepers, Philadelphia Fire, Fatheralong, Hoop Roots, and Sent for You Yesterday. He won the PEN/Faulkner Award twice and has twice been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and National Book Award. He is a MacArthur Fellow and a recipient of the Lannan Literary Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story. He divides his time between New York and France.