American Psycho

1998, the first printing of the first English hardback edition

Author

Publisher

Printing Details

First edition thus, first printing, with the full number line of 1–9, and the dustwrapper price of £10.00 (the second printing onwards was £14.99). Hardback in dustwrapper. 20.5 × 13.5cm, 399pp.

Brett Easton Ellis' modern classic. "Patrick Bateman is twenty-six, handsome, sophisticated, charming and intelligent. He is also a psychopath. He works on Wall Street by day earning a fortune. At night he spends it in ways we cannot begin to understand. American Psycho is a bleak, bitter, black comedy about a world we all recognize but do not wish to face and it takes us on a head-on collision with America's greatest dream—and its worst nightmare".

American Psycho had an interesting publishing history. The American publishers, Simon and Schuster, withdrew the first US hardback in 1991 after the book drew a great deal of criticism for its sadistic violence, but were contractually obliged to issue the paperback edition. Picador took up the mantle and issued this edition, the first hardback edition in English in 1998.

Condition

The book itself is in very good condition, with clean pages, secure binding and is free from inscription. There is one very slight crease to the blue paper front endpaper and one very small nick to the fore-edge of the half-title. The dustwrapper is in good order (it has not been price-clipped at £10.00) but there is some sun fading to the spine. A minor issue is when originally put on, it has been placed on a little to the left so the A of American to the front cover appears more on the spine. However, this remains a very good first hardback edition of a landmark in modern American literature.

ISBN

9780330372480