THE GINGER MAN; A Novel by J.P. Donleavy / With an Introduction by Arland Ussher

New York: McDowell, Obolensky, 1958. First American Edition, 1st Printing. Cloth. Near Fine/Very Good +. 8vo (5 5/8" x 8 1/2"), black cloth with silver lettering on spine and blind-stamped jester on front cover, archival mylar-protected pictorial dust jacket (unclipped with original "$3.95" price) depicting a Medieval Jester in maroon colors, red topstain, gray endpapers, xvi, [xvii-xviii] + 327 pages + [2] About the Author. A literary HIGH SPOT in VERY GOOD overall CONDITION in a colorful jacket with slight shelf wear, some soil on back panel and a red streak, with some minor chipping to head and tail of spine. Corners slightly bumped. The novel is set in Dublin during 1947. It deals with the drunken and sexual encounters of a married law student attending Trinity college, who is married and has a daughter. The sexually explicit quasi-autobiographical novel was immediately banned in Ireland and America due to supposed "obscenity." Nevertheless, Irish-American author Donleavy's humorous rogue Sebastian Dangerfield has joined the canon of the best 20th century literature. It also has become a cult classic selling millions of copies. The first edition was publshed in Paris during 1955 by Maurice Girodias's Olympia Press. This is the First American Edition (stated First Printing), "Revised" from the issues by Olympia Press and Neville Spearman, but not yet the text Donleavy wanted. The Ginger Man was named one of the 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century by the Modern Library in 1998. Donleavy, born 1926, who died in September of 2017 at age 91, also wrote The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B, The Onion Eaters, A Singular Man, and The Lady Who Liked Clean Rest Rooms. He was also an accomplished artist.