Display Vonnegut's masterpiece as a respectful tribute to his influence on modern literature. Vonnegut's most powerful book and also as important as any written since 1945. Featured on all three major lists of the top books of the 20th century, "Slaughterhouse Five" is one of Kurt Vonnegut's most well-known novels. This first edition, first printing from Delacorte Press in 1969 is in Fine condition, a rare gem.
Vonnegut signed this hardcover book with a self-portrait; the combination of condition and signature make this a highly collectible work.
A Seymour Lawrence Book. Delacorte Press, New York 1969. First Edition, First Printing. "Slaughterhouse Five" or "The Children's Crusade, A Duty-Dance With Death". Octavo with original full blue cloth and original first printing dust jacket showing a price of $5.95. Boldly signed with a self-portrait by Kurt Vonnegut directly onto the title page.
Review
"During the decade of the 1960s Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. emerged as one of the most influential and provocative writers of fiction in America" Slaughterhouse-Five, perhaps Vonnegut's most powerful novel, presents two characters who can see beneath the surface to the tragic realities of human history but make no attempt to bring about change. The central event is the destruction of Dresden by bombs and fire storm-a catastrophe that Vonnegut himself witnessed as a prisoner of war. (Vinson, 1414-15). A masterpiec. A key work. (Anatomy of Wonder II:1204). "Currey, 407.
About Slaughterhouse-Five
Slaughterhouse-Five is taken from the name of the building where the POWs were held. Like Catch-22, it fashions the author's experiences in the Second World War into an eloquent and deeply funny plea against butchery in the service of authority. Slaughterhouse-Five boasts the same imagination, humanity, and gleeful appreciation of the absurd found in Vonnegut's other works, but the book's basis in rock-hard, tragic fact gives it unique poignancy -- and humor.
Don't let the ease of reading fool you--Vonnegut's isn't a conventional, or simple, novel. He writes, "There are almost no characters in this story, and almost no dramatic confrontations, because most of the people in it are so sick, and so much the listless playthings of enormous forces. One of the main effects of war, after all, is that people are discouraged from being characters..." Kurt Vonnegut's absurdist classic Slaughterhouse-Five introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes 'unstuck in time' after he is abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. In a plot-scrambling display of virtuosity, we follow Pilgrim simultaneously through all phases of his life, concentrating on his (and Vonnegut's) shattering experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the firebombing of Dresden.
About The Author
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (November 11, 1922 to April 11, 2007) was a prolific and genre-bending American author. The novelist is known for works blending satire, black comedy and science fiction, such as Slaughterhouse-Five (1969), Cat's Cradle (1963), and Breakfast of Champions (1973). He is also known for his humanist beliefs and being honorary president of the American Humanist Association.He was a master of contemporary American literature. His black humor, satiric voice, and incomparable imagination first captured America's attention in The Sirens of Titan in 1959 and established him as "a true artist" with Cat's Cradle in 1963. He was, as Graham Greene declared, "one of the best living American writers.
Design career
Vonnegut's work as a graphic artist began with his illustrations for Slaughterhouse-Five and developed with Breakfast of Champions, which included numerous felt-tip pen illustrations, such as anal sphincters, and other less scatological images. Later in his career, he became more interested in artwork, particularly silk-screen prints, pursued in collaboration with Joe Petro III.
In 2004, Vonnegut participated in the project The Greatest Album Covers That Never Were, where he created an album cover for Phish called Hook, Line and Sinker, which has been included in a traveling exhibition for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- Publisher:
- Delacorte Press, New York 1969
- Edition:
- Signed First Edition
- Binding:
- dj/HC
- Illustrator:
- Signed First Edition, First Printing
- Dimensions:
- Fine/Fine
- Signature Authenticity:
- Lifetime Guarantee of Signature Authenticity. Boldly signed by the author Kurt Vonnegut directly onto the title page with a self-drawing. The autograph is not a facsimile, stamp, or auto-pen.
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