Cities of the Plain, uncorrected proof
Knopf, New York, 1998
Uncorrected proof of the first edition. Softcover, 21.3 × 14.2 cm, 289 numbered pages. Yellow wrappers lettered in black on the spine and front cover, which notes the publication date as “31 May 1998,” a first printing of 200,000 copies, and a price of “$24” (APG 010b).
Barry Lopez copy, with a note by McCarthy’s editor at Knopf Gary Fisketjon laid in. The note is dated “15 March” and reads: “Dear Barry I thought you’d want to see the end of the Border Trilogy. Hope this finds you well. Yours, Gary”. The verso of the note reports Barry Lopez address in Fisketjon hand.
CONDITION: a near fine copy.
Issued before March 15, 1998 in an unknown number of copies.
This copy is bibliographically relevant as it shows that the proof was available on March, 15, preceding the first edition, published on May, 31, by two months and a half.
Barry Lopez was an admirer of McCarthy’s work and provided a blurb for the first edition dustjacket of All the Pretty Horses.
APG estimates the print run of this proof between fewer than 100 copies (Ken Lopez, catalog 7/98) and 150 copies (Waverley Books, catalog 6/98). Some dealers have suggested that Cities of the Plain proofs were issued in smaller numbers than other McCarthy proofs, but no clear evidence supports this. Judging from market appearances, copies of this proof surface about as often as those for The Crossing.
COLLECTING TOPICS: Unsigned copies are not uncommon. Rare Book Hub records nine at auction. As of August 2025, Abebooks listed nine available. Signed or inscribed copies remain rare.
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