New York: Doubleday (1981). First edition, 1st printing. 8vo. 704 pp. Original black cloth boards, stamped in gold, in original unclipped ($15.95) dust-jacket. Mild edge wear, spine ends curled, a few small wrinkles to front flap, some wear to edges, tips, mild handling and shelf wear. Protected in archival mylar. Book is tight, square and firm. Corners lightly bumped, spine ends lightly curled, mild handling wear present. Very good or better. Page edges toned, light foxing. Interior is clean and unmarked. No remainder spray which is commonly found, first-issue point present with the “checkerboard” pattern to page 483. Scarce.

Dust Jacket: Very Good

Hardcover: Very Good

“The novel displays Theroux's love of words and mastery of language, – it is as Victor Howes puts it, "a potpourri of language, a torrent of verbalism, a feast of vocabularies. Patrick O'Donnell calls it a "largely ignored masterpiece". The novel was included by Anthony Burgess in his book-length essay Ninety-Nine Novels: The Best in English Since 1939. It was also nominated for a National Book Award and made the Good Reads list of the 100 Top Literary Novels of All Time. The novel contains 100 chapters of all forms of style including essay, diary, poem, sermon, invocation, satire, fable, travelogue, catalogue, meditation, list, precis, and pages mirrored or black.”