Cities of the Plain, advance reading copy of the first English edition 

Picador, London, 1998.

Uncorrected advance reading copy of the first English edition, so stated on the front panel. Softcover, 21 x 15 cm, 291 numbered pages. Plain white wrappers lettered in black and brown on the spine and front cover which features a sepia photo of McCarthy by Marion Ettlinger. The front cover reads also in black and brown: “Volume Three of The Border Trilogy / The legend is complete”. There is a praise for McCarthy by The New York Times on the back cover which mentions “15 June 1998” as date of publication and “£16.99” as price. The copyright page differs from both the first English and first Australian editions in that it doesn’t show any notice about where the book is bound and printed and adds a warning against circulation and sale of the proof without publisher’s consent. Book described on the back panel as “advance reading copy from uncorrected proofs” (APG, 010g).  

                                                                                            In a trial white dust jacket lettered in black and brick red with a photograph by Larry Schwarm on the front panel. The back cover has five praise for All the Pretty Horses by Mick Brown, Daily Telegraph; Geoff Dyer, Guardian; Andrew Clements, Financial Times; Stephen Amidon, Sunday Times; Blake Morrison; and two praise for The Crossing by Erica Wagner, The Times; John Banville, Irish Times.                                                         The trial dustjacket differs from that used for the first English trade edition in that: it has on the back flap a photo of McCarthy by Marion Ettlinger which differs from that used on the proof front cover and on the accomplished trade edition dust jacket; other differences are in the price mentioned on the front flap which is “£15.99”; in the front flap summary which at line 32 reads: “With the terrible beauty of Cities of the Plain” instead of: “In the terrible beauty of Cities of the Plain”; in the note about McCarthy on the back flap which reads: “Winner of the American National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award for All the Pretty Horses, Cormac McCarthy is the author of seven previous novels. His novels…”, instead of: “Cormac McCarthy won the American National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award for All the Pretty Horses. His seven novels…”; and last, in the praise by John Banville which ends with the words: “He is unique in contemporary writing” (words which are omitted on the first English trade edition dustjacket. Curiously, they are present instead in the first Australian edition dust jacket). Benjamin Mierkalns of Book Box London made me notice that in the proof the blurb by Erica Wagner is mistakenly signed “Eric Wagner”. The mistake was corrected in the first edition dustjacket.

CONDITION: a fine book in a very good dustjacket.

PROVENANCE: Purchased from Benjamin Mierkalns of Book Box London in 2020.

Issued in an unknown date, approximately 400 copies printed.