A Careless Widow and Other Stories.

PRITCHETT, V. S.

$75.00

Item Number: 124590

New York: Random House, 1989.

First American edition, second printing of Pritchett’s classic short story collection. Octavo, original half cloth. Presentation copy, signed by the author on the title page and inscribed on the half-title page, “For Sally Soames with admiration from V. S. Pritchett March 1993.” The recipient, British photojournalist Sally Soames, worked for The Sunday Times from 1968 until 2000 and was highly regarded for her exclusively black and white portraits of many of the most prominent figures of the 20th century including Menachem Begin, Margaret Atwood, Margaret Thatcher, Sean Connery, Rudolf Nureyev, Alec Guinness and Andy Warhol. Soames, who was known to be a warm and personal journalist, performed extensive research on her subjects and developed intimate rapports with them during her process, resulting in striking and revealing portraits. In addition to the several world leaders Soames came to know and photograph, she captured the unique personalities of some of the world’s most gifted authors, poets, and playwrights. She published two books of photographs during her lifetime: Manpower (1987) with text by Robin Morgan and an introduction by Harold Evans and Writers (1995) with a preface by Norman Mailer. With an additional autograph postcard signed to Soames by Lady Dorothy Pritchett laid in. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket.

Here is England's leading man of letters - as old as the century - at the height of his powers, the incomparable V. S. Pritchett, whose brilliantly observed short stories have become classics in his own lifetime. In these six beautifully crafted stories - his last effort - we see a master at work, casting his eye over the subjects he known best, the ordinary men and women of England.