[Poster or broadside]: A Confederacy of Dunces. A Novel by John Kennedy Toole. Foreword by Walker Percy. Applauded by Authors and Reviewers

Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, [circa 1980-1981].

Price: $4,500.00

Unbound. Vintage, contemporary illustrated poster. Measuring 27½" x 23". Reproduces the black and white printed illustration for the original dust jacket by Ed Lindlof, for Toole's novel *A Confederacy of Dunces.* Small chip in upper margin not affecting the image or text. Poster for the posthumously published novel that was the first work of fiction published by LSU, and which had a very small first printing (reportedly 2500 copies). Initially the book was rejected by dozens of publishers and the author committed suicide in 1969. Years later the author's mother brought the manuscript to Walker Percy, insisting that he read it. Percy championed the book, arranged for its publication, and contributed an introduction. Excellent reviews and word of mouth led to its becoming a best-seller, and eventually it won the Pulitzer Prize. This poster list several few highlights from contemporary American reviews or comments including, those of Percy and John Gardner. The book was published on May 31, 1980 according to one review copy we've handled, so presumably the poster was issued close to publication, and it lists neither British reviews (the U.K. edition was published in 1981), or any mention of the Pulitzer Prize. *Burgess* 99.

Item #332992

Add to Cart Ask a Question Add to Wish List

item image

Item #332992 [Poster or broadside]: A Confederacy of Dunces. A Novel by John Kennedy Toole. Foreword by Walker Percy. Applauded by Authors and Reviewers. John Kennedy TOOLE.

John Kennedy Toole
birth name: John Kennedy Toole
born: 12/17/1937
died: 3/26/1969
nationality: USA

View Reference Info

Biography

New Orleans-born author who was unpublished at the time of his suicide in 1969. His writing was championed at first by his mother and then by Walker Percy, and his novel A Confederacy of Dunces won a posthumous Pulitzer Prize.more

Collecting tips:

Toole's story is well-known, but if you don't already know it, he killed himself in despair when he couldn't get A Confederacy of Dunces (1980) published. His mother haunted publishers until, with the help of Walker Percy, she managed to get LSU to publish the book, the first work of fiction from that publisher. To everyone's surprise, the book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981. The boards of the book seem to warp or splay pretty easily, but copies with just a little splaying probably shouldn't be rejected out of hand, unless you really want to be a stickler. The jacket is uncoated, and primarily black, so its hard to find copies that don't have at least some rubbing. Also, look to see whether the pale blue lettering on the book has faded or not. Needless to say, a signed copy should raise a little suspicion (unless its been channeled from the spirit world), although copies signed by either Percy or the author's mother do turn up, and command a modest premium. A decade and a half ago one collector told us he had a bunch of copies signed by Percy, and rather annoyingly, he's been dangling them ever since. We'll keep you posted.more