Outerbridge Reach.

STONE, Robert.

$275.00

Item Number: 123971

London: Andre Deutsch, 1992.

First edition of Stone’s fifth novel. Octavo, original cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, “For Sally recalling a lovely, morning in London – wishing all the best. Bob Stone London May 19, 1992.” 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. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket illustration by Rockwell Kent. Author photograph by Gigi Kaeser.

In the tradition of Dog Soldiers and A Flag for Sunrise, Outerbridge Reach depicts the drama that unfolds from a single, fateful moment of decision, commanding comparison with the great sea novels of Conrad, Melville and Hemingway. The novel follows the story of a copywriter who enters an around-the-world solo boat race, and a filmmaker who makes him the subject of a documentary. Stone reportedly stated that it is partly based on the real-life story of British businessman and amateur sailor Donald Crowhurst, though the novel does not mention Crowhurst by name.