first edition Hardcover
1971 · Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
by Anonymous [Beatrice Sparks, Linda Glovach, et al]
Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1971. Hardcover. Fine/Near Fine. First edition. Fine in very near fine dust jacket with tiny creases on the jacket flaps. Fictitious "diary" of a smart, 15 year-old who descends into heavy drug use and other ills, allegedly found by her parents after her death by overdose and published as a cautionary tale. The book was actually the product of author and "editor" Beatrice Sparks and other "preparers" who have since produced a number of similar first-person warnings for youth, though the exact authorship remains unknown. Despite (or perhaps because of) its manufactured origins, surprisingly compelling reading. Basis for a 1973 TV movie with William Shatner as Alice's father and Mackenzie Phillips, in her prophetic debut, as one of Alice's ill-influencing friends. Something of a cult classic, reprinted several times, and very scarce in the first edition. (Inventory #: 540949)