THE FUN STUFF AND OTHER ESSAYS

New York City, NY: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2012. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. Fine/Fine Dust Jacket.. New York City, NY: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2012. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First Edition/First Printing. 342 pages. The author's third collection of literary essays. One of James Wood's best books. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now scarce. Presents James Wood's "The Fun Stuff And Other Essays". Confirms Wood's position as a discerning critic (and appreciator, lovely word) of the contemporary novel. "In twenty-three passionate, sparkling dispatches that range over such crucial writers as Thomas Hardy, Leon Tolstoy, Edmund Wilson, and Mikhail Lermontov, Wood offers a panoramic look at the modern novel. He effortlessly connects his encyclopedic, passionate understanding of the literary canon with an equally in-depth analysis of the most important authors writing today, including Cormac McCarthy, Lydia Davis, Aleksandar Hemon, and Michel Houellebecq. Included are the title essay on Keith Moon and the essay on George Orwell. Indispensable reading for anyone who cares about contemporary literature" (Publisher's blurb). An absolute "must-have" title for James Wood collectors. This copy is very prominently, neatly, and beautifully signed in black ink-pen on the title page by James Wood. It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. This title is a contemporary classic. As far as we know, this is the only such signed copy of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing (American) available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Copies available online have serious flaws, are subsequent printings, or are remainder-marked. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare signed copy thus. One of the most important literary critics of our time. A fine copy. . ISBN 0374159564.