PORT WILLIAM STORIES • SIGNED FIRST

Berry, Wendell (b. 1934)

Watch With Me [Signed First Edition] [Port William Series] [Kentucky Agrarianism]

New York: Pantheon, 1994. First Edition, First Printing.
A MASTERFUL COLLECTION OF SEVEN INTERRELATED STORIES FROM THE HEART OF PORT WILLIAM, KENTUCKY. A KENTUCKY COMMUNITY TOLD IN QUIET VOICES.
A signed first edition of Watch With Me, a collection of interrelated stories set in Wendell Berry’s fictional Port William community, where individual lives are shaped by land, memory, and long-standing human ties.

These stories follow Ptolemy Proudfoot and Miss Minnie, among others, presenting Berry’s enduring themes of stewardship, belonging, and rural continuity. The Port William sequence remains central to his work, offering a sustained vision of American agrarian life told through restrained, character-driven narrative.

KEY FEATURES
+++ Signature: Hand-signed and inscribed 'Merry Christmas' by Wendell Berry on the title page.
+++ Series: A vital entry in the 'Port William Membership' series, featuring some of Berry's most comic and poignant characters.
+++ Content: Includes the title novella, 'Watch with Me,' widely considered one of the most important American short stories of the 20th century.
+++ Philosophy: Champions the 'Agrarian' values of sustainable farming, humility, and neighborly responsibility.
+++ Imprint: New York: Pantheon, 1994. [First Edition / First Printing].
+++ Specs: 8vo, 210 pages.

CONDITION: Fine in a Fine Dust Jacket -- Gift Quality. Both the book and the dust jacket are in pristine, as-new condition. The bindings are tight and square; the text is bright and clean. The dust jacket is unclipped and protected in a Mylar sleeve.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE --
Wendell Berry is arguably America's most influential agrarian voice, a writer whose work serves as a moral compass for the sustainable agriculture movement. 'Watch With Me' represents Berry at the height of his storytelling powers, using the fictional town of Port William to preserve the ethos of mid-20th-century rural life. His characters aren't just figures in a story; they are embodiments of a philosophy that prioritizes the health of the land and the strength of local community.

The Port William series has achieved a canonical status similar to Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County, but with a focus on grace, tolerance, and 'membership.' Collectors prize the Pantheon first editions for their clean, classic design and their role in introducing Berry’s deeply localized Kentucky vision to a national audience.

SUBJECTS: Kentucky Literature, Agrarianism, Short Stories, Rural Life, Sustainable Agriculture, Port William, Southern Gothic.

Item #21598
ISBN: 0679434690

Price: $125.00