The Natural

New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, (1952).

Price: $8,500.00

Hardcover. First edition. Spine a little faded, near fine in the gray binding (one of three, with no priority) in a very near fine, price-clipped dustwrapper with a couple of tiny tears and nominal rubbing. Inscribed by the author in the year of publication: "For Charles Crow. Cordially Bern. July 1952." Crow was a friend of Malamud's from New York, and advised Malamud when he was applying for teaching positions, eventually accepting a position at Oregon State College. Crow's advice to Malamud is quoted in *Bernard Malamud: A Writer's Life* by Philip Maurice Davis. An especially nice copy of the author's first book, perhaps *the* classic baseball novel, and basis for the Barry Levinson film starring Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, and Kim Basinger.

Item #323924

Add to Cart Ask a Question

item image

Item #323924 The Natural. Bernard MALAMUD.
The Natural
The Natural
The Natural
The Natural

Bernard Malamud
birth name: Bernard Malamud
born: 4/26/1914
died: 3/18/1986
nationality: USA

View Reference Info

Biography

American novelist and short-story writer who made parables out of Jewish immigrant life. - Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literaturemore

Collecting tips:

His 1952 novel The Natural is very eagerly sought after, by both literature and baseball collectors, it came in three different color bindings - red, blue, and gray, with dealers invariably asserting the priority of whatever color copy they happen to have in hand. All of our experience would tend to indicate that there is no obvious priority - frankly we'll note the color of the binding in our descriptions, but we pretty much value them equally. The English edition (1963) is interesting as it offers a glossary for baseball-challanged Britishers that is not in the American edition. The first edition of The Assistant needs to have reviews of The Natural on the rear panel. Fine copies are very uncommon. his 1958 collection The Magic Barrel and Other Stories comes in two issues with no established priority, but collectors seem to prefer the issue from the Jewish Publication Society over the issue from Farrar Straus and Cudahy.

Email us to request a printed copy of our catalog of Bernard Malamud Rare Books and First Editions (or download it via the link as a 1.62 MB pdf file).

We also offer a comprehensive Bernard Malamud Bibliography and Price Guide.more