NY, Holt, (1988). His last novel to be published in his lifetime, and the work he considered to be his magnum opus. Inscribed by Abbey in the month of publication: "To Gus Blaisdell - good friend - old philosopher - reformed lecher! Ed Abbey/ Albuquerque NM/ October 1988." An excellent association copy: Blaisdell was a longtime professor at the University of New Mexico and, in addition to being an author himself, was heavily involved in the promotion and development of Native American literature in the 1960s and 1970s: he was an editor on N. Scott Momaday's The Way to Rainy Mountain, and counted numerous Native writers among his friends, colleagues, and even students, including Leslie Marmon Silko, Simon Ortiz, Joy Harjo, James Welch and others. He introduced Ortiz to Welch's work when Ortiz was preparing an anthology of Native American writing. Blaisdell also ran a bookstore and small publishing company for many years, and thus was tied into the Western literary scene on a number of fronts. In particular he was known for "smoothing the way" to publication for a number of young writers, many of them Natives. He and Abbey both had longstanding ties to UNM, and, as the inscription suggests, went back many years together. Abbey died the following March, so there was a very small window of time during which he could sign copies of this title. Fine in a very near fine, first issue dust jacket ("mist" for "myth" on the front flap), with just the tiniest nick to the upper rear flap fold. [#028880] SOLD