New York: Random House. First edition. A Fine copy of the book in a Near Fine dust jacket. The jacket with the spine faded (as often) and with one short split to the front flap fold.

"'All the tales are a variety of detective story,' wrote Bowles of this, his first short story collection, 'in which the reader is the detective; the mystery is the motivation of the characters' behaviors.' In such stories as A Distant Episode and How Many Nights, Bowles pushes human character beyond socially defined limits and maps a transformed (often horribly transformed) reality" (Vida). "Brutal and gorgeous, visceral yet perceptive, this timeless collection is one of the most profound, beautifully wrought, and haunting collections in our literature...at once austere, witty, violent, and sensuous" (Wolff). Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. (Item #4548)