CHILD OF GOD
Larkspur, CA: Chatto & Windus, 1975. First U.K. Edition. Item #8338
First Impression, one of 2,500 copies. Octavo (20.5cm); black paper-covered boards, with titles stamped in gilt on spine; dustjacket; [iv],[2],3-197,[3]pp. Spine ends gently nudged, hint of foxing to text edges, else internally clean and Near Fine. Dustjacket is unclipped (priced £2.50 net), showing a tiny tear to lower front flap fold, and a hint of foxing along upper edge on verso and along the upper flap folds; very Near Fine.
McCarthy's third novel, the story of murderer and necrophile Lester Ballard – an outcast from his small Appalachian community, living among the decomposing bodies of his victims in the mountains and in an underground cave. The American edition (1973) was not a commercial success for Random House; it sold just 2,415 copies of its only printing prior to being remaindered. As disappointing as sales of Child of God were in the U.S., they proved even more so in the U.K. Sales were minimal, almost certainly due to the disturbing and violent content. Christopher MacLehose, then the editorial director at Chatto & Windus, was unsuccessful at getting a single U.K. publishing house to acquire paperback rights to the novel, and the hardcover was ultimately remaindered after disappointing sales. 8338.
Price: $1,250.00