Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University Press, 1986. After publishing three novels in the late Sixties and early Seventies, Burke went 15 years without having a novel published in hardcover, until LSU -- which had recently had great critical and commercial success publishing John Kennedy Toole's posthumous, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel A Confederacy of Dunces -- published this. Critical reception was immediate and extremely positive, and the following year Burke had the first book in his award-winning Dave Robicheaux mystery series published by a major New York publisher. It can rightly be said that this was his breakthrough book. Signed by the author. Fine in a very near fine dust jacket with just a hint of wear to the spine extremities. [#912963] SOLD