Description
First edition of Stoner by John Williams, in first state dust jacket.
Octavo, [6], 278pp. Brown paper boards over yellow cloth. Title stamped in black on spine. First printing statement on copyright page. Solid text block, ownership stamp on front pastedown, marginalia in pencil throughout, a near fine example. In the publisher’s first state dust jacket, $4.95 on front flap, sunning to front cover and spine, short closed tear along top edge, a scarce example of the first state dust jacket. Cover art by Ellen Raskin.
This copy belonged to a student of Dr. Williams at the University of Denver, with the student’s ownership stamp on the front pastedown. The first printing of Stoner, published in 1965, was met with positive critical reviews but limited commercial success, selling less than 2000 copies. It was reissued as a mass-market paperback in 1972 and has enjoyed numerous printings since. Blumhouse Productions announced in 2017 that Andrew Bovell would be adapting Stoner into a screenplay for a film directed by Joe Wright and starring Casey Affleck.
