Empire of the Sun, 1st edition, 1st Printing, SIGNED

BALLARD, J.G.: EMPIRE OF THE SUN

London: Victor Gollancz Ltd., 1984 15.5 x 23.5 cm. 278 pp. 

First edition, first printing. Signed by the author.

An ideal copy. Tight binding and publisher's original black cloth, with spine lettered in gilt. Complete with dust wrapper by Patrick Doyle, without fading, loss or tears, nor price-clipped. Absolutely no tears or fading, no marks or dots, contents clean throughout: this is an ideal copy of one of the most influential semi-autobiographical novels of the twentieth century, by one of the finest speculative fiction authors in Britain. 

"Empire of the Sun is breathtaking. It is beautifully written. It is hypnotic. It is one of the greatest books about war written in this century by a British author." — BookBag

J.G. Ballard's heartbreaking, at times lyrical semi-autographical novel was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Guardian Fiction Prize. An adaptation by Tom Stoppard, directed by Steven Spielberg, was produced in 1987, starring Christian Bale, age thirteen, together with Miranda Richardson and John Malkovich. According to Christopher Priest, the publication of this particular novel, and subsequent adaptation, ensured that Ballard's work "was taken up and accepted not only by critics and the literary world in general but by the book-reading public too", despite the "avant-garde and 'controversial'" nature of his earlier work. A chance to own a first edition, first printing of the novel that re-introduced an absolute master of speculation, dystopia and the uncanny to a new generation of writers.

A very fine first edition, first printing signed by the author. 

£450