Description
The first edition, first printing of The Sand Pebbles, a novel by Richard McKenna, in the publisher’s fine dust jacket.
Octavo, [2], 597pp, [5]. Red cloth, title stamped in gilt on the spine. Stated “First Edition” with “I-M” code below, noting the publication date in September, 1962. Cartographic endpapers. Two stamps with “1031” code on the front pastedown, dust jacket previously affixed to endpapers, with light glue remnant. Text block clean throughout. In the publisher’s fine dust jacket, $5.95 on the front flap, “0163” code on lower flap, a bright, attractive example.
The Sand Pebbles was Richard McKenna’s first and only completed novel, published in 1962 by Harper & Row. McKenna, a former Navy machinist himself, drew heavily from his own experiences serving on a Yangtze River gunboat in the 1930s, lending the novel a strong sense of authenticity. The book was both a critical and commercial success, winning the 1963 Harper Prize and becoming a finalist for the National Book Award. Its popularity led to a major motion picture adaptation in 1966, starring Steve McQueen.
