Viking Press
The Day of the Jackal
New York: Viking Press, 1971. 6 x 8 3/4". First US edition, first printing. Dust jacket with some creasing and rubbing, small enclosed tear on bottom of front cover, price clipped, very good condition. Red paper boards with grey cloth on spine, red blind-stamped design on cover, red letting on spine, top edge stained red, in near fine condition.
Frederick Forsyth (1938 - ) is an English novelist and journalist. He is well know for writing thrillers and this is probably his best known novel. It won the Best Novel Edgar Award in 1972 and is historical fiction.
The Forgotten Village: Life in a Mexican Village
New York: Viking Press, 1941. 143 pp. Approximately 7 x 10". First Edition with the words "First Published in May 1941" on copyright page. Coarse buckram cloth over boards with bright green illustration on front cover, top edges stained green, slight toning of paste-down endpapers, near fine condition. Very good pictorial dust jacket, a few short closed tears, original price of $2.50 present, some chipping and loss, some toning to back cover. (Goldstone & Payne A14a)
From the front dust jacket flap, "This is a story of the little pueblo of Santiago on the skirts of a hill in the mountains of Mexico. And this is the story of the boy Juan Diego and of his family and of his people, who live in the long moment when the past slips reluctantly into the future." Photographs from the motion picture throughout.
The Short Reign of Pippin IV
New York: Viking Press, 1957. 188 pp. Approximately 5 1/4 x 8". First Edition, first state of dust jacket. Illustrated dust jacket in very good condition with minor edge wear, some rubbing, publisher's price of $3.00 on the front flap; Strawberry cloth over boards with heraldic blind-stamping, yellow spine with red printing but discolored/darkened slightly, top stain red, pages clean and bright, in very good condition. (Goldstone & Payne A36a)
Generally considered as one of Steinbeck's lesser books, this book did become popular enough to be a book-of-the-month selection. This is Steinbeck's only work of political satire and tells the story of an amateur astronomer, Pippin, who is proclaimed King of France. He spends most of his time trying to avoid any responsibilities and deal with hangers-on with inherited money. Much of the satire is clearly relatable to today's people and politics as well.
The Wayward Bus
New York: Viking Press, 1947. 312 pp. Approximately 5 1/2 x 8 1/4". Pictorial jacket is in very good condition, with some wear, slight chipping of the spine, tape repairs to the inside of the jacket, original price of $2.75 intact. Dark reddish-orange cloth over boards with crisp lettering on cover and spine, blindstamp on front cover a lighter shade then the rest of the binding, top is not stained green and there is no book club dot so likely some variant of first printing, slight edge wear to covers especially along the bottom edges, stained on the upper page edge corners, otherwise in very good condition. (Goldstone & Payne A23a)
Originally thought to be one of Steinbeck's weaker novels, it was actually financially successful. The interesting thing about it is that no one single character in the book dominates. Rather, the viewpoint shifts from one character to another quite frequently, with access to the character's thoughts through an internal monologue. Adapted to film in 1957 to some success at the box office, it starred Jayne Mansfield, Joan Collins, Dan Dailey and Rick Jason.