NY, Knopf, 1976. Her acclaimed first book, the first in the Vampire Lestat series, and one of the unlikeliest success stories of any publishing season. Modest hardcover sales of the book would not have led one to imagine the long-term popularity and success of Rice's later books in the Vampire Lestat series, nor did they predict the huge success this novel had in paperback, selling millions of copies; it has been estimated that Rice has sold more than a hundred million copies of her books over the years, and this title has gone through several successive collectible editions. Even so, Rice's novels did not begin to approach such sales again until her second vampire novel, which was published after two mainstream historical novels. Rice's vampire novels have been unprecedented bestsellers as well as being critically acclaimed, and even her erotic novels of sado-masochism have achieved a kind of mainstream success that defies prediction. This was the basis for a well-received movie in 1994, directed by Neil Jordan and starring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, among others. Rice abandoned the vampire genre in 2004, in a prominently announced return to her Roman Catholic faith. This is the scarcest of the books, particularly in nice condition, as the gold foil dust jacket is notoriously prone to wear. Fine in a fine dust jacket, and scarce thus. [#027461] SOLD