SOUTHERN OUTSIDERS & OBSESSION

Tyler, Anne (1941–)

A Slipping-Down Life [Signed First Edition] [Scarce Early Novel]

New York, Knopf, 1970. First Edition, First Printing. Hardcover with Dust Jacket.
SIGNED FIRST EDITION OF ANNE TYLER’S SCARCE EARLY CULT NOVEL — A DARK SOUTHERN STORY OF ADOLESCENT OBSESSION, IDENTITY, AND SMALL-TOWN FAME
A haunting and raw exploration of adolescent obsession and self-inflicted identity in the American South. Anne Tyler’s third novel follows Evie Decker, a shy, overweight teenager who carves a rock star’s name into her forehead in a desperate bid for visibility and connection. 

This copy is a 'Stated First Edition' of a famously scarce early Tyler title, featuring a personal inscription from the author to Michael Preston on the front free endpaper.

KEY FEATURES
+++ Visuals: Original dust jacket designed by Mozelle Thompson featuring iconic 1970s psychedelic-influenced typography.
+++ Binding: Tan cloth spine with gold titles over vibrant yellow paper boards; includes the original yellow topstain.
+++ Content: A pivotal work that transitioned Tyler from southern regionalism to the eccentric domestic realism that would later earn her the Pulitzer Prize.
+++  Signed and inscribed by Anne Tyler to 'Michael Preston' with 'best wishes'.
+++ Rarity: Uncommon; widely considered one of the 'Big Three' difficult early Tyler titles to acquire in a first printing.
+++ Imprint: New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1970. [First Edition / First Printing].
+++ Specs: 8.5 inches tall / [8], 214, [2] pages.

CONDITION: Very Good in a Very Good Dust Jacket -- The bindings are tight and square with moderate shelf handling wear to the board edges. Text is clean with light, even age-toning throughout. The dust jacket is unclipped (retaining the $4.95 price), showing even light toning and modest handling wear; now protected in a new clear Mylar sleeve.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE --
'A Slipping-Down Life' represents a critical juncture in Anne Tyler’s career. Written while she was living in Baltimore, it moved away from the more traditional structures of her first two novels, 'If Morning Ever Comes' and 'The Tin Can Tree', and introduced the theme of the 'eccentric outsider' that would become her literary trademark. It is a starker, more experimental work than her later bestsellers, capturing the gritty, flickering atmosphere of small-town North Carolina roadhouses and local fame.

The book’s scarcity is a result of a relatively small initial print run combined with the typical wear-and-tear of 1970s trade fiction. It gained a new generation of fans following the 1999 film adaptation starring Lili Taylor and Guy Pearce, further cementing its status as a cult classic of Southern literature. This signed copy, with its direct link to the Michael Preston collection, offers a high-level association for any serious collection of modern American fiction.

SUBJECTS: American Literature, North Carolina, Adolescent Identity, Southern Fiction, 1970s Counterculture, Obsession, Modern Firsts, Southern Gothic.

Item #19266

Price: $350.00