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Peyton Place
by Metalious, Grace
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- Signed
- Condition
- Very Good/Very Good (Minus)
- Seller
-
Chico, California, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Simon and Schuster, 1956. This is a Very Good copy of the Book Club edition of this "scandalous" novel. Black cloth binding with titling on the spine in white. Clean text; 372 pages. There is an inscription on the first free endpaper : "To Roy; with all my love Grace." [Was this written by the author? Possibly, perhaps, or more likely, not. Please note this caveat: Quercus does not authenticate signatures and autographs. This book is offered as a curiosity only.] The dustjacket is Very Good (Minus). Nicely bright, but with chipping along the edges and spine. In an archival plastic protector.. Signed by Author. Book Club (BCE/BOMC). Hard Cover. Very Good/Very Good (Minus). 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.
Synopsis
The plot of Peyton Place is quite controversial among modern first editions, and the history of its publication is just as scandalous. Peyton Place was largely based off of the small town scandals that were known to plague several New England towns. Some of the places and characters so closely resembled their real life counterparts that author Grace Metalious was actually sued for libel. Some of the people in these towns were particularly distraught that their communities were depicted so negatively, the reception of Peyton Place nearly drove Metalious into hiding. The book was first published by Julian Messner, Inc in 1956, and it was an instant hit. Through word of mouth, it sold approximately 60,000 copies in the first two weeks of its publication, and it stayed on the New York Time best seller list for 59 weeks. It was so popular, it was adapted into a film and into a multi-year daytime soap opera. The first US edition dust jacket is fairly plain and the paper quality was low, so the jacket is likely to be browned or yellowed with age. Famously, Metalious was sued for libel by one of the people who was included in the book. Tomas Makris was featured in Peyton Place , and his name and physical characteristics matched the real-life individual. Notably, the character's name in UK edition was changed to Michael Kyros, and the character's name was changed in later US editions to Michael Rossi. In a shocking twist that infuriated many, Metalious had actually forged Makris' name on the release form. Such behavior is of course condemned by the literary community.
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Details
- Seller
- Quercus Rare Books
(US)
- Seller's Inventory #
- 006120
- Title
- Peyton Place
- Author
- Metalious, Grace
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good (Minus)
- Edition
- Book Club (BCE/BOMC)
- Publisher
- Simon and Schuster
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1956
- Size
- 8vo - over 7¾" - 9&f
- Bookseller catalogs
- Modern Literature;
Terms of Sale
Quercus Rare Books
We accept checks and money orders in US Dollars. Credit card orders are accepted through Biblio. California residents add appropriate sales tax. Items are returnable for any reason within ten days of receipt (please email or call first before returning item).
About the Seller
Quercus Rare Books
Biblio member since 2006
Chico, California
About Quercus Rare Books
Quercus Books seeks out and provides to the discriminating Reader or Collector noteworthy books in the First Edition. Our particular focus is on Modern Literature (roughly from the Second World War to the present) and Irish Authors. We also retain a small stock of non-fiction titles, mostly in the fields of American Western History, American Indians, and the American Civil War. Member of IOBA - the Independent Online Booksellers Association.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- Chipping
- A defect in which small pieces are missing from the edges; fraying or small pieces of paper missing the edge of a paperback, or...
- Book Club Edition
- A generic term denoting a book which was produced or distributed by one of any number of book club organizations. Usually the...
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