Fowles, John

The Ebony Tower [Signed]

Boston: Little Brown & Company, 1974. First Edition, First Printing. Hardcover with Dust Jacket.

Signed by the author with an inscription and date of 1987 on the half-title page.

Green cloth over the spine with titles in a darker green outlined box in gilt to front tan-cloth; 8vo. 9.25 inches, 3-312 pages. The bindings are tight and square. Text clean, Minimal shelf handling wear. The dust jacket with the price of $7.95 has damage on the lower spine corner. Closed tears with wrinkling, older clear tape reinforcement, now in a new clear Mylar sleeve.

The author's fifth book, containing a novella and four long stories.

Maugham once said, ‘The artist's egoism is outrageous; it must be; he is by nature a solipsist and the world exists only for him to exercise his powers of creation.’ This idea is central to the title story of Fowles' collection, where the artist must disregard the world and its values to nurture his creativity.

Fowles introduces Breasley, a self-centered artist living in seclusion in Brittany, served by two young women. David Williams, a writer who has abandoned his own work, visits to interview Breasley and realizes his own life is empty, hiding his lost potential. In ‘Poor Koko,’ a 66-year-old reclusive writer is destroyed by a young intruder.

In ‘The Enigma,’ a conservative MP vanishes, leaving behind a question mark over his unremarkable life.

The final story is a bittersweet fairy tale, and ‘Eliduc’ offers a medieval lais. Fowles brings his erudition, sensual detail, and modern commentary, drawing the reader's eye to deeper reflections.

Item #19360

Price: $125.00