I Married a Communist

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998 Limited first edition. One of 200 numbered copies signed by Roth, this being number 198. Publisher's red cloth, with Roth's initials in gilt to front board, spine lettered in gilt, and gray endpapers; in publisher's black slipcase. Fine book; fine slipcase. Overall, an exceptional copy. I Married a Communist is the story of Ira Ringold, who climbs up from his tough upbringing in Newark to become a 1940s radio star. Ira marries silent film star Eve Frame, and when their marriage begins to deteriorate, he is betrayed by her in her memoir titled "I Married a Communist." In the paranoia of the McCarthy Era, the book's claims threaten to destroy Ira's life and career. It is widely theorized that Roth wrote the book as a response to Claire Bloom, his partner of nearly 20 years, who had portrayed Roth as a cold and financially controlling partner in her 1996 memoir Leaving a Doll's House. . Signed by Author. Limited First Edition. Hard Cover. Fine.