first edition Hardcover
(c.2011) · Kent OH
by Bauer, Paul J., and Mark Dawidziak
Kent OH: The Kent State University Press. Near Fine in Near Fine dj. (c.2011). First Edition. Hardcover. [tiny smudge on top edge of text block, otherwise a nice, as-new copy; jacket similarly nice, with just a touch of wrinkling at the base of the spine]. (B&W photographs) A deeply-researched biography of the best hard-boiled writer you've never heard of -- unjustly so. A very big deal in his day, Tully (1886-1947) is today virtually forgotten. He lived a hardscrabble early life, spending much of his youth as a "road kid" -- "scrambling into boxcars, sleeping in hobo jungles, avoiding railroad cops, begging meals from back doors, and haunting public libraries," all the while harboring "wild aspirations of becoming a writer." And become a writer he did, publishing his first book in 1922 and subsequently turning out a dozen more -- an ouevre so unique, infused as it is with his unmistakable literary style and voice, that it's no exaggeration to call him "incomparable." Much of his novelistic work drew on his personal experiences amidst the "lower depths" of American society, but he eventually carved out a significant niche in quite another area: settling in Los Angeles, he soon established himself as a major Hollywood journalist, renowned for his feather-ruffling celebrity profiles (which often appeared in Vanity Fair). Included with this copy of the book is a copy of ReadInk's exclusive publication, "The Dozen and One: A Field Guide to the Books of Jim Tully" (also available for separate purchase). . (Inventory #: 27086)