The Natural - Bernard Malamud 1952 - Harcourt, New York - First Edition First edition of Bernard Malamud’s first novel, widely considered as one of the greatest baseball narratives of all time, the basis for the acclaimed 1984 film of the same name directed by Barry Levinson, and starring Robert Redford, Glenn Close, Robert Duvall and Kim Basinger.

‘This book established that we could have a serious adult baseball novel by playing with the parallels between mythical elements in the game and mythical elements in literature’. –
Chicago Tribune.

‘A brilliant and unusually fine novel.’ –
The New York Times.
  Provenance: With compliments slip from Anne Adelaide Ford (1901-93) then director of publicity for Harcourt Brace where she helped promote the works of T.S. Eliot, Thomas Merton and others.

Octavo (book size 21.1x14.5cm), pp. 237 [3]. In publisher’s blue cloth (one of three three cloth colours, blue, red or grey, no priority given), spine lettered in gilt, all edges trimmed. Dust jacket priced ‘$3.00’ to upper corner of front flap, and with publisher’s decorative to clip to all corners.
  Condition: Fine, page edges toned, in very good dust jacket, some soiling to outer edges of rear panel, rubbing to corners, more so to head of spine, short closed tear to upper edge of front panel, .   Ref: 111729   Price: HK$ 16,000