Catalog 145, Z
239. ZUSAK, Markus. The Book Thief. NY: Knopf, 2006. The first American edition of his most recent novel, reviewed by Janet Maslin in The New York Times with the opening sentence: "Markus Zusak has not really written Harry Potter and the Holocaust. It just feels that way." Together with the advance reading copy, and also together with "The Book Thief Word Dominoes Game," a dozen cardstock dominoes printed on the reverse with words ("Predicament," "Basement," etc.) and featuring an 8-step set of instructions for using the game to spark discussion after the book has been read. The Knopf edition features a Domino-themed dust jacket. All items fine.
240. LEE, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Lippincott (1960). Advance reading copy of her first and only book, a huge bestseller upon publication, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and basis for an Academy Award-winning film adaptation. The book has become, over the decades since its publication, a cultural touchstone and has retained its relevance as a commentary on, and criticism of, racial discrimination since its original publication in the early years of the Civil Rights movement. Interestingly, the publisher's note on the advance copy describes the book in terms that would seem more suitable for light summer beach reading than for a Gothic novel of racism and prejudice set in the deep South: it promises to "furnish a jackpot of sales during the summer" and calls the publication of this first novel "rare fun and lift"; the Truman Capote blurb emphasizes the book's humor and calls it "so funny and so likeable." None of this is too unusual for publishing hyperbole, but in retrospect it seems ironic that this book was marketed in this way. There were two prepublication softbound issues of the book; the one with the type in Courier typeface (like a typewriter) has been presumed to be earlier than the one with more polished typesetting. This copy has the Courier typeface. Small crescent stain on front wrapper, and 1/2" tear at lower edge; still a near fine copy of this book, with less browning and wear to the spine than is typically encountered.