Him with His Foot In His Mouth and Other Stories
New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1984. 1st Edition. Octavo, publisher’s blue cloth, spine gilt, upper board blind stamped, original illustrated dust jacket.
Inscribed presentation copy first edition of Nobel laureate Saul Bellow’s second story collection. Lesser known for his output in short fiction, Bellow published stories and novellas throughout his career, with the pieces gathered here treating his customary themes of love, art, the role of the intellectual in society and in relation to power, and Jewish life in the Chicago of his youth. This copy is inscribed to Mimi Sheraton, the celebrated food writer and restaurant critic, who, like Bellow, shared an interest in the preservation of immigrant and Jewish cultural traditions. In 1983, Sheraton published a feature on Bellow in the Times concerning his regular dining spots in Chicago. Inscribed in blue ink to front endpaper: "To our delightful friend Mimi who doesn’t come to Chicago often enough / Saul Bellow / May 21, 84." First printing with complete number row to copyright page. Dust jacket designed by Paul Perlow; author photo to lower panel by Thomas Victor. Light toning to board edges; unclipped dust jacket with some edgewear and a few small chips. Very good. Item #12554
$300.00