Idyll in the Desert

New York: Random House, 1931 First edition, first printing. One of 400 copies signed and numbered by the author, this being number 22. Additionally inscribed on title page: "William Faulkner / Los Angeles, Cali / 23 April, 1936". Publisher's original red marbled paper-covered boards, white label to front board with feather design and titles in black, uncut pages; original glassine wrapper. Very good book with some toning to boards, some wear and splitting to paper on spine, tiny black spot to front board, bookseller's ticket to rear pastedown; glassine wrapper with some shallow chipping and small closed tears to edges. A very nice copy overall, scarce in the original glassine, and additionally inscribed by the author. Idyll in the Desert, set in southwest Arizona, tells the passionate story of a woman who leaves her husband and two children to be with a younger man. Faulkner would later include a similar love triangle in his novel The Wild Palms (1939). Faulkner wrote the short story around the same time as two of his early masterpieces, As I Lay Dying (1930) and Sanctuary (1931). Best known for his Yoknapatawpha cycle, Faulkner also wrote numerous short stories and screenplays throughout his career. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1949.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Dust Jacket Included.