WILLIAMS, William Carlos (1883-1963)

First Act : White Mule [and] In the Money

Norfolk, Conn. New Directions [from 1937], 1945. First Edition. Hardcover. First Printing of the first combined edition, bound from first edition sheets of each novel with separate title pages identical to the originals and no separate general title page added. Short, thick 8vo: [8],293[3]; 382pp. Publisher's gray cloth, spine stamped in crimson, top edge stained crimson, original rough beige paper dust jacket printed in black. About Fine, spine end bumped and small spot of fading to upper cover; Near Fine or better jacket, spine and flaps lightly toned, several tiny nicks and chips to corners not affecting lettering or design. Wallace A21b. Fine- / Near Fine+. Item #BB1287

During the social crises of the 1930s and early 1940s, Williams explored the social realist argument that art ought primarily to fight economic injustice. His novel trilogy, White Mule (1937), In the Money (1940), and The Build-Up (1952), as his many poems and plays, focused on his fond tolerance of middle-class life and apple-pie America, and on one family in particular—his wife, Flossie's (Florence Herman), and its immigrant experience. ("The facts are true," Williams wrote, "the situations fictionalized.") He conceived the idea for White Mule because he wanted to write about a baby—he delivered more than two thousand in his career as a pediatrician—and had heard stories of Flossie's babyhood. But beyond the story of the infant Floss Stecher is the story of her infant American family, particularly her parents, Joe and Gurlie. In the Money follows Joe as he establishes his own printing business and moves to the suburbs, making way for the picture of middle-class life Williams presents in The Build-Up. N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition, with dust jackets carefully preserved in archival, removable mylar sleeves. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed. (Fine Editions Ltd is a member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, and we subscribe to its codes of ethics.).

Price: $349.00