Nelson Algren was the first recipient of the National Book Award for fiction in 1950. He will be best remembered for his portrayal of societies discards, the addicts, the hookers, the poor hustling the poor, the washed up & down for the count. His novels capture the mood of the city’s underside, uplifted only by his characters’ pride, humor, and unquenchable yearnings. Among his popular successes were The Man with the Golden Arm and  A Walk on the Wild Side, both of which went on to be adapted into successful films. Algren was known to have had a 17 year long love affair with Simone de Beauvoir, he died May 9, 1981 in Sag Harbor, where is now buried.

“Never play cards with a man called Doc…
Never eat at a place called Mom’s….
Never sleep with a woman whose troubles are worse than your own”
– Nelson Algren  A Walk on the Wild Side (1956)

Description: INSCRIBED BY NELSON ALGREN WITH AN ORIGINAL DRAWING OF A CAT. Algren’s third book, a collection of 24 short stories that established Algren in the pantheon of American writers. I nscribed to the famous New York bibliophile Burt Britton “with best wishes to Burt Britton from Nelson Algren N.Y.C. Oct 11 1975“.  In the 1970s, while working at the Strand bookstore in NYC Burt Britton assembled more than 500 self-portraits for a now well know book Self-Portrait: Book People Picture Themselves. His collection of original drawings & signatures was sold through Bloomsbury auction house in 2009. He was also instrumental in the the creation of the landmark New York book shop Books & Co. This copy shows some minor wear to Second state jacket with reviews on rear panel. Edge wear to boards. Some age toning, otherwise very good. A scarce New York association copy!

Bookseller Inventory# 26992

SOLD

The Neon Wilderness
Algren, Nelson

Publisher: Doubleday
Publication Date: 1948
Binding: Hardcover
Book Condition: Very Good
Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
Signed: Inscribed by Author(s)
Edition: 1st Edition

· Category: Sold ·