Description

EXCEPTIONAL PRESENTATION/ASSOCIATION COPY OF THE CONVICT, JAMES LEE BURKE’S FIRST SHORT STORY COLLECTION, INSCRIBED BY HIM TO THE PUBLISHER’S MARKETING DIRECTOR, MICHAEL PINKSTON

BURKE, James Lee. The Convict. Baton Rouge and London: Louisiana State University Press, 1985. Octavo, original blue cloth, original dust jacket.

First edition of Burke’s first collection of short stories, one of only 500 copies published, warmly inscribed on the title page, “To Michael Pinkston, without whose dedicated help this book would not have enjoyed the success it has. With appreciation, Your friend, Jim Burke,” featuring nine short stories, all appearing in book form for the first time.

Following the critical success of his first three novels, Burke went through “a dry spell for nearly 12 years,” unable to get further work published. He finally approached Louisiana State University Press and found a home for both The Convict, this first collection of his short stories, and his fourth novel Lost Get-Back Boogie (1986), which had accumulated over 100 rejections by then but on publication was nominated for a 1987 Pulitzer Prize. This rare association copy is inscribed by Burke to Michael Pinkston, director of marketing at LSU Press. As the publisher’s sales manager later recalled, “‘It was Michael Pinkston who believed in Burke so much that he sent out double the number of review copies. He was so convinced that Jimmy was good” (LSU News). When Pinkston died in 1995, Burke would deliver the memorial address at his funeral. The Convict contains nine of Burke’s short stories, three appearing in print for the first time, and six variously published from 1975-95 in Atlantic, Kenyon Review, Antioch Review and other magazines First edition, one of only 500 cloth copies; published simultaneously in hard- and softcover.

A highly memorable association copy, in fine condition.