All the Pretty Horses, offprint of the advance excerpt in Esquire
Knopf/Hearst Corporation, New York, 1992
Offprint from the March 1992 issue of Esquire Magazine used for promoting the book. Softcover, stapled, 27 x 23 cm., 16 pages numbered 121-136. Cream paper lettered in black and red. Two pictorial illustrations by Marshall Arisman are included (APG 006b).
Inscribed in blue ballpoint pen by McCarthy to his friend and collector Philip Murray on the first page: “For Philip / From your friend / Cormac” (F&M, lot 740).
CONDITION: near fine.
PROVENANCE: from the Philip Murray collection auctioned by Fonzie Mealy in December, 2019. Purchased by Alex Wochnik of First and Fine and bought by me from him in 2022.
Issued in March or first days of April, 1992, in 250 copies.
This is one of many items issued by Knopf to promote All the Pretty Horses. It is preceded by the early galleys in large format, the smaller proofs in tan wrappers and, of course, the excerpt published in the March issue of Esquire. Gary Fisketjon, McCarthy’s editor at the time, remembered in an email to the compiler: “Terry McDonell, who was Esquire’s editor-in-chief, printed us a few hundred copies of his beautifully designed excerpt for promotional purposes”. The number of copies printed was confirmed by McDonnell.
RECIPIENT: Philip Murray, friend of McCarthy and collector.
COLLECTING TOPICS: unsigned copies in fine or near fine condition can be easily purchased for $100 or so. Signed or inscribed copies are instead definitely rare, this being the only one I have seen. Even the Woolmer collection of Cormac McCarthy held at the University of Texas, San Marcos, lacks one.
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