About this Item
Stated Second Printing, 1947 (same year as the first printing). The New York Review of Books put out a new edition in 2016. I believe it's the only new edition of any of his books. This book is flat-signed by Abner Dean on the title page (see photo). There's only one other signed book for sale on the Internet. That book's a first, but lacks the jacket. It's selling for $150.00. As the condition, the front cover has a number of small spots off its top edge. There are also a few tiny dents at its bottom edge. The lettering on the spine is nicely bright. The spine ends are in solid shape, the bottom one has a slight bit of superficial rubbing. The rear cover looks very good. I don't see any rubbing on either the edges or the corners. The book is square and the spine is straight. The binding is very solid from cover to cover with nicely tight pages throughout and nicely tight covers as well. The front inside cover has a small area of light scuffing of the paper, also a small bit (the top corner) of what was affixed at one point to the front inside cover. If you would like a photo let me know. There's also a very light tan rectangular area on the blank front end paper, and just off the bottom edge of the front end paper there's a small tan area that goes across 2 1/4" and comes up 1/4 ". The same is the case for the blank rear end paper, 2 1/4 by 1/4. And again there is a very light tan rectangular area on the blank rear end paper. The rear inside cover does not have any scuffing, nothing was removed from there, and there are no attachments there. There is a tiny bit of surface paper just off the top edge that looks like it got pulled over from the facing end paper, very superficial, not much of anything. The front end paper and next page have a very thin vertical crease. The first few pages have a shallow indent coming up 1 1/4 inches from the bottom edge, looks like something pressed against the pages there, not terribly significant. Beginning with the second Preface page there is a small crease just off the top corner of eight consecutive pages, not coming anywhere near the print or cartoons. I also found a small number of bottom corners with a very light, vague crease. One page has a short crease off its outer edge. There is also an occasional crinkle here and there. The pages are very clean. I saw two facing pages with two tiny tan spots in the same place. I saw three pages with a speck-sized tan spot or two. That may be it for soiling. There are no markings in the book. The only attachment is that tiny bit of paper (1/2" by 1/2") which could be removed, maybe with a little more scuffing. The only writing is the author's signature. The dust jacket has a large amount of creasing and crinkling, also a thin tear off its front top edge, and there is a 1 1/4" tear at the juncture between the rear cover and rear flap. The jacket is NOT price-clipped, but all four corners have clips. The flaps are clean, but also have some creasing and crinkling. The jacket fitted with a protective cover. 'Abner Dean was an American cartoonist. His artwork prompted Clifton Fadiman to comment, 'His pictures are trick mirrors in which we catch sight of those absurd fragments of ourselves that we never see in the smooth glass of habit.' The nephew of sculptor Jacob Epstein, Dean graduated from Dartmouth College in 1931, and studied at the National Academy of Design. He worked as a commercial illustrator, contributing to The New Yorker, Esquire, and other publications. His work for Life included illustrations of George Orwell's 1984 for a Life article on Orwell. His more personal work portrayed most often unclothed people in a variety of absurdist situations, reflecting the themes of disillusionment, self-delusion, yearning and the meaninglessness of modern life, a dark vision atypical of cartoon work of his time. He has begun to accumulate a posthumous cult following of admirers.'. Seller Inventory # 004939
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Bibliographic Details
Title: What Am I Doing Here? (Signed)
Publisher: Simon and Schuster, New York
Publication Date: 1947
Binding: Hardcover
Illustrator: Abner Dean
Condition: Very Good Minus
Dust Jacket Condition: Good Minus
Signed: Inscribed by Author(s)
