Tyrone Slothrop, a GI in London in 1944, has a big problem. Whenever he gets an erection, a Blitz bomb hits. Slothrop gets excited, and then (as ...Show synopsisTyrone Slothrop, a GI in London in 1944, has a big problem. Whenever he gets an erection, a Blitz bomb hits. Slothrop gets excited, and then (as Thomas Pynchon puts it in his sinister, insinuatingly sibilant opening sentence), "a screaming comes across the sky," heralding an angel of death, a V-2 rocket. The novel's title, "Gravity's Rainbow", refers to the rocket's vapor arc, a cruel dark parody of what God sent Noah to symbolize his promise never to destroy humanity again. Soon Tyrone is on the run from legions of bizarre enemies through the phantasmagoric horrors of Germany. "Gravity's Rainbow", however, doesn't follow such a standard plot; one must have faith that each manic episode is connected with the great plot to blow up the world with the ultimate rocket. There is not one story, but a proliferation of characters (Pirate Prentice, Teddy Bloat, Tantivy Mucker-Maffick, Saure Bummer, and more) and events that tantalize the reader with suggestions of vast patterns only just past our comprehension. "Gravity's Rainbow" is a blizzard of references to science, history, high culture, and the lowest of jokes.Hide synopsis
Edition: Paperback 1st edition issued simultaneously with cloth.
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Viking Books
Description:Good. Mild sun-fade to spine. Gift inscription on front flyleaf....Good. Mild sun-fade to spine. Gift inscription on front flyleaf. Moderate rubbing. Good Plus. First edition. Sewn binding. 760 p. Audience: General/trade. Viking Compass C374 with $4.95 price on front cover
Description:1 b/w Photograph (title page); Few b/w Decorations. Very Good-...1 b/w Photograph (title page); Few b/w Decorations. Very Good- 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" Tall (thick) Slight scratches, creases, rubbing and browning to wrappers (chiefly at extremities); previous owner's ink name on half-title page; slight bumping to corners; slight internal browning to edges. [6], 760 pages. First softcover issue (simultaneous with the hardcover edition) of the famed allegorico-picaresque fantasy, set at the close of the Second World War in Europe; dedicated to Richard Farina. Fairly well-preserved (but certainly well-read) paperback copy.
Description:Very Good. No Jacket. Book 1973 Viking/Compass FIRST Softover...Very Good. No Jacket. Book 1973 Viking/Compass FIRST Softover edition of Gravity's Rainbow issued simultaneously as the HB. The reference C374 appears at the top spine end as does the photos on the title page. A VG copy with very minor scrapes/color loss along the covers and corners. The interior is very clean and tight and appears unread.
Description:First edition. Written by Steven Weisenburger. Just a touch of...First edition. Written by Steven Weisenburger. Just a touch of minor rubbing to edges, otherwise fine in glossy pictorial paperwraps.
Description:Very Good. 0670003743 first pb printing clean and tight minor...Very Good. 0670003743 first pb printing clean and tight minor wear price on the cover is $4.95.
Description:Very Good. 0143039946 1st printing of the 1st Bantam mass...Very Good. 0143039946 1st printing of the 1st Bantam mass market edition-with double front cover-some wear to cover-some tanning to page edge-otherwise binding like new contents clean-a rare collectible of this important novel-enjoy.
Description:Very Good. 0143039946 1st edition 3rd printing of the 1st...Very Good. 0143039946 1st edition 3rd printing of the 1st Viking paperback edition of March 1973-published same time as hard cover-some staining to page edge-otherwise a clean like new collectible-enjoy.
Description:First Edition. New York: The Viking Press, 1973. 1st edition,...First Edition. New York: The Viking Press, 1973. 1st edition, issued concurrently with hardcover. 760 pp. 8vo. Softcover. Book Condition: Very good. The covers are lightly rubbed. The corners of the covers are mildly bumped. There is a very small moisture stain on the front cover. Fiction.
I have read GR numerous times and each time it is still an education. The book really does require a couple of readings to grasp all its intricacies, and there are passages I still don't understand, but overall, the experience is more than worth it. So, not for the faint of heart, but stick with it ...
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I picked up Gravity's Rainbow along with Slow Learner, a collection of short stories, after seeing a bumper sticker that said ?My other car is a Pynchon novel?. Though not an avid reader I do tend towards classics, classic Sci-Fi in particular.
I enjoyed Slow Learner but I guess I?m just not ...
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