The Bonfire of the Vanities
New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1987. 1st Edition. Thick octavo, publisher's light gray cloth over rose paper-covered boards, spine stamped in black and silver, upper board stamped in black, light gray endpapers, original illustrated dust jacket.
Signed first edition of author and New Journalism pioneer Tom Wolfe's "quintessential novel of the 1980s." Wolfe's unfettered commentary on metropolitan life was originally conceived and published serially in 27 parts over the course of a year in Rolling Stone before it was released in book form in 1987. The magazine's publisher Jann Wenner proposed the Victorian manner of publication to Wolfe, who was enticed as a fan of authors such as Dickens and Thackeray, each of whom found major success and acclaim through the serial fiction craze the century prior. The initial critical reaction was unenthusiastic and at times dismissive—in the Times Literary Supplement, Christopher Hitchens opined, "When pudding came to proof, the only Dickensian thing about this capacious entertainment was its serialisation, episode by episode, in a monthly magazine"—leading Wolfe to an extensive two year rewrite after the final chapter was published in August of 1985. Changing the ending and, crucially, swapping protagonist Sherman McCoy’s occupation of writer with bond trader in order to more succinctly embody the flashy, capital-driven spirit of the 80s, helped the book become an immediate success, earning Wolfe millions, the rare literary celebrity status, and a movie adaptation (which, unlike the book, was widely panned). Dust jacket designed by illustrator Fred Marcellino. Signed by Wolfe to front endpaper. Faint sunning and minor shelfwear to board edges; unclipped dust jacket with minor edgewear. Near fine. Item #13666
$250.00