Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara, 1934, 1st Edition, Unique Binding

Binding Details:  A beautiful modern binding by The Chelsea Bindery in full hand dyed leather with onlays to both the front and rear boards after the striking dust jacket design by Alfred Maurer. The page ends are dyed black and the endpapers and pastedowns match the page ends. Included with the book is the metal plate used by The Chelsea Bindery to fabricate this spectacular binding. A Letter of Provenance from the Chelsea Bindery will accompany the book.

Measures approximately 9” x 5.875” x 1.5” and contains 301 pages plus Publisher's errata slip tipped in after title page, as called for.

Book Details:  This is the true first edition, first printing of John O’Hara’s critically acclaimed first book realistically detailing the three-day disintegration of Julian English in O'Hara's invented town of Gibbsville, PA. Making this copy even more interesting is the presence of a tiny blindstamp on the title page reading "PUBLIC LIBRARY / POTTSVILLE, PA." Pottsville was O'Hara's birthplace and the basis for O'Hara's fictitious "Gibbsville." The book was selected by the Modern Library as one of the best 100 American novels of the 20th century and was the basis for the NBC television series "Gibbsville".

Condition Report:  The book is in FINE condition with no notable flaws. Overall, this is a spectacular unique leather binding that houses the true first edition of one of the highpoints of 20th century literature.

Photographs of the binding and binders plate appear in the photo section of the listing.