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Nathanael West
Details
The Dream Life of Balso Snell, the dedication copy
Nathanael West
WEST, Nathanael (1903-1940). The Dream Life of Balso Snell. New York: Contact Editions, 1931.
The dedication copy of West's 1931 first novel, inscribed on the limitation page: “*Alice Shepard; Pep’s book / Nathanael West. *Priscilla’s crock.” Shepard had attended Pembroke College with West’s sister Laura. West and Shepard were secretly engaged from 1929-32, but by 1933 were broken up. Some attributed this to West's poverty or perhaps religious differences, as Shepard was Catholic. "Pep" was the subdued West's nickname, bestowed on him in irony by friends at summer camp. West, who came from a middle-class Jewish family, attended high school in New York City and college at Brown University, where he graduated in 1924. Balso Snell was written during a 15-month stay in Paris and it told the story of an odd assortment of grotesque characters inside the Trojan horse. Published in an edition of 500 copies, only 15 were in cloth. This copy is number one.
Octavo (242 x 155mm). Publisher’s blue cloth, printed boards (some fingersoiling to paper and cloth). Custom slipcase.
Nathanael West
WEST, Nathanael (1903-1940). The Dream Life of Balso Snell. New York: Contact Editions, 1931.
The dedication copy of West's 1931 first novel, inscribed on the limitation page: “*Alice Shepard; Pep’s book / Nathanael West. *Priscilla’s crock.” Shepard had attended Pembroke College with West’s sister Laura. West and Shepard were secretly engaged from 1929-32, but by 1933 were broken up. Some attributed this to West's poverty or perhaps religious differences, as Shepard was Catholic. "Pep" was the subdued West's nickname, bestowed on him in irony by friends at summer camp. West, who came from a middle-class Jewish family, attended high school in New York City and college at Brown University, where he graduated in 1924. Balso Snell was written during a 15-month stay in Paris and it told the story of an odd assortment of grotesque characters inside the Trojan horse. Published in an edition of 500 copies, only 15 were in cloth. This copy is number one.
Octavo (242 x 155mm). Publisher’s blue cloth, printed boards (some fingersoiling to paper and cloth). Custom slipcase.
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Christina Geiger
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