Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1956. His first book, winner of the Houghton Mifflin Literary Fellowship Award. 1956 ownership signature of "R. [Richard] Ovey" and inscribed by Hoagland to Ovey's wife, Elizabeth Danforth Ovey, but apparently returned to Hoagland at some point, as this copy is from Hoagland's personal library. A novel of a circus roustabout, based in part on the author's two summers spent as a cat man with a traveling circus. Three titles on the list of Houghton Mifflin Literary Fellowship Award winners have pencil marks next to them. Offsetting to endpages and crease to spine; a very good copy in very good dust jacket. An auspicious debut to a long and fruitful literary career, and an uncommon book signed. [#033459] SOLD