NEWFOUNDLAND LITERARY NOIR

Norman, Howard (1949–2024)

The Bird Artist [Signed First Printing]

London, Faber & Faber, 1994. First Edition, First Printing.
SIGNED TRUE FIRST OF NORMAN’S BREAKOUT NOVEL

Howard Norman’s acclaimed Newfoundland novel of obsession, isolation, memory, and violence, issued here in the true first edition preceding the American publication. Signed on the title page, this Faber & Faber first printing represents the earliest appearance of the work that established Norman as a major literary voice blending mythic atmosphere, psychological tension, and sharply observed regional detail.

Set in the remote outport community of Witless Bay, Newfoundland, the novel follows Fabian Vas, a bird artist haunted by murder, desire, and memory within a tightly bound coastal society. Norman’s restrained prose and unusual narrative structure helped distinguish the novel within contemporary literary fiction, while its maritime setting and emotional intensity gave it lasting crossover appeal among readers of literary suspense and regional fiction.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Black paper-covered boards with gilt spine titles in the original dust jacket. Octavo. [viii], 289 pages. Approximately 8.5 inches tall. Signed without personalization by Howard Norman on the title page. First British edition / First printing. The British edition precedes the American edition and is considered the true first edition.

CONDITION: A Fine hardcover in a Fine dust jacket. Appears unread. Clean boards, sharp corners, bright gilt, and no ownership marks beyond the author’s signature. An exceptionally well-preserved collector copy. New giftable condition.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE —
‘The Bird Artist’ became one of Howard Norman’s best-known novels and helped establish his reputation for psychologically charged literary fiction rooted in isolated northern landscapes and maritime communities. The novel was later adapted into the 2019 film ‘The Birdwatcher,’ directed by Siobhán Devine.

SUBJECTS: Howard Norman, signed first edition, The Bird Artist, Faber & Faber first edition, Newfoundland fiction, maritime literary fiction, literary suspense, Canadian literature, psychological fiction, true first edition, Witless Bay, signed modern fiction, Modern Fiction, Literary Fiction, Maritime Fiction, Signed Books.

Item #22006
ISBN: 0571171877

Price: $75.00