signed first edition Hardcover
1958 · New York
by UPDIKE, John
New York: Harper and Brothers, 1958. Hardcover. Near Fine/Near Fine. First edition. A little age-toning on the boards, near fine in near fine, first issue dustwrapper with two short tears. Inscribed (but not signed) by Updike on the front endpaper to Janet Pott: "For dearest J. in grateful memory of her many kindnesses to two very young Americans in Oxford, 1955." Laid in is an index card, evidently from the recipient's daughter, stating: "This should be in the Updike section. The inscription is from John U. & wife to Janet. And see p. 30. Genetics sometimes plays tricks." The poem on page 30, "Time's Fool," is about Janet's husband, Frederick Alexander Pott. Updike had been befriended by the Potts while in England and the poem and the book express his thanks. Updike's first book, a volume of poems written in Oxford while on a Knox Fellowship, just before returning to the United States to join the staff of *The New Yorker*. A wonderful early association copy of the author's first book. (Inventory #: 109044)