"A PICTURE OF MAIN STREET MADE SILLY, OF BABBITTRY GONE GOOFY": FIRST EDITION OF CHARLES PORTIS' MASTERS OF ATLANTIS

PORTIS, Charles. Masters of Atlantis. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1985. Octavo, original half navy cloth, original dust jacket, custom half navy morocco clamshell box. $1500.

First edition of Portis's "funny and touching" fourth novel, inscribed by the author: "For J— C—, of Spohane, with best regards, Charles Portis Aug. 15 1994 Little Rock."

In each of his five novels Portis, who died in February 2020, "repeatedly demonstrated his absolute mastery of a distinctly American, totally chuckleheaded idiom… his timing flawless, his prose a thing of beauty… craft of a very high nature" (Chicago Tribune). Masters of Atlantis, his fourth novel after Norwood (1966), True Grit (1968) and Dog of the South (1979), is a "funny and touching novel about an imaginary occult organization called the Gnomon Society" (Washington Post). The novel's main characters, Austin Popper and Lamar Jimmerson are "Laurel and Hardy, Mutt and Jeff, Abbott and Costello, the dummkopf and the wise guy… a picture of Main Street made silly, of Babbittry gone goofy" (New York Times). "First Edition" stated on copyright page. Small authentication sticker on front flyleaf verso.

A fine signed copy.