About this title: In this collection of essays, Wallace describes his various excursions into normal life--a Caribbean cruise, the Illinois State Fair--in comic terms. This book also includes several pieces on more intellectual subjects, such as the films of David Lynch, the relationship of television and irony to American fiction, post-structuralist literary ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Edition: First Edition. First Printing.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Little Brown & Co, Boston
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780316919890ISBN:0316919896
Description: Near Fine in near fine jacket. Essays and Arguments. 353 pp. Minor shelf wear. Spine ends bumped. Dust jacket is protected with a Brodart archival cover. read more
Edition: F 1st/1st
Binding: H Hardcover
Publisher: Little Brown & Co, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780316919890ISBN:0316919896
Description: As New in J As New jacket. 1st/1st. This book has some light shelf wear to the edges of its boards and the least trace of faint foxing is beginning to develop along the top edges of the text block. The book and its dust jacket are in excellent shape in every other regard. It is square and solidly bound. It's tight, free of dog ears or markings to the text, and plausibly unread. It sports a clean, unclipped, Brodart protected dustjacket, free from any creasing--you're bound to treasure this ... read more
Edition: 1st
Binding: Hard
Publisher: Little Brown & Co, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780316919890ISBN:0316919896
Description: Near Fine in Near Fine jacket. 8vo. First edition. Hard cover in dust jacket. Published Boston: Little Brown, 1997. First printing. 8vo. Mild foxing spots along the top and front edge, otherwise a fine, unread copy with no signs of wear in a near fine dust jacket with sun fading to the spine. Inscribed on the fly leaf by anthropologist Eric Wolf-a gift from him and his wife. read more
Edition: First Edition, 1st Printing
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Little, Brown and Co., Boston, Massachusetts
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780316919890ISBN:0316919896
Description: Very Good+ in Very Good+ jacket. Light rubs to lower corners of boards and foot of spine. No prev. owner name. DJ with sunned spine panel and hint of rubs at corners. DJ in plastic cover with price corner intact. read more
Edition: First edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Little Brown & Co
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780316919890ISBN:0316919896
Description: Used: Very Good in good jacket. A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again Essays and Arguments by Wallace, David Foster, Published by Little Brown & Co 1997, Hardcover First edition-353 pp. Stated First Edition with full number line. Showing only minor exterior wear to book. Dust Jacket is in good condition, with some edgewear, has small tear to upper, right front corner of dust jacket. Contents are in very good, clean, tight condition, no owner markings. Images available upon request. Please ... read more
Description: Very Good. 0316919896 First edition, First printing! The book has been read, but is in great condition. Pages are clean and intact and there are no notes or highlighting. Minor wear on the cover, dust jacket and pages. Overall clean, tight and unmarked copy. No remainder marks, price clips or other imperfections. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover.
Publisher: Little, Brown, NY
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780316919890ISBN:0316919896
Description: Very fine in like dj. Essays & Arguments. Signed by Wallace on the title-page. By the author of BROOM OF THE SYSTEM, INFINITE JEST, and THE GIRL WITH CURIOUS HAIR. 8vo boards & cloth. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company, Boston
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780316919890ISBN:0316919896
Description: Dust Jacket Design By Elizabeth Van Itallie. Fine in Fine Dust Jacket in Fine jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Signed by Author First printing of the Little Brown hardcover edition. First essay collection. Seven essays previously published in Harper's, Esquire, Review of Contemporary Fiction, Harvard Book Review, Premiere. vi, 362pp. Yellow paper back-strip, blue paper boards, red ink spine lettering. Dust jacket price 23.95. Signed by Wallace to title page [above lined-through author name]. Book ... read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company, Boston, MA
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780316919890ISBN:0316919896
Description: Signed by Author. Hardcover. First Edition. First Printing. 353 pages. Fine in Fine Dust Jacket. The author's debut collection of essays. Now considered a contemporary classic. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with copies signed on a tipped-in page and all other subsequent editions. Presents seven tour-de-force essays on a wide variety of interests. "In addition to a razor-sharp writing style, Wallace has a mercurial mind that lights on many subjects: He travels ... read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Little, Brown and Co., Boston
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780316919890ISBN:0316919896
Description: Very Good in Very Good jacket. Clean cover. Light bumping to corners and spine. Clean, undamaged dust jacket. Tightly bound. Clean text, 353 pages. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Little, Brown, Boston
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780316919890ISBN:0316919896
Description: Very Good+ in Very Good+ dust jacket. 0316919896. 1st edition; collection of essays by the late David Foster Wallace (1962-2008); includes seven pieces; dust jacket has some edge crease and superficial markings; corners of boards are lightly worn, spine ends are softened; no internal markings. RBR/NF. Pasadena's finest independent new and used bookstore.; 1.37 x 9.5 x 6.5 Inches; 368 pages. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Little Brown & Co, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780316919890ISBN:0316919896
Description: Fine in Fine jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" Tall. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Boston, Little, Brown and Co
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780316919890ISBN:0316919896
Description: Very Good + in Very Good + jacket. 8vo. Light blue boards with embossed cover, yellow spine with title text in raised red print. Covers in excellent conditon with minimal shelf wear at spine edges, two small dents in back board. Dust cover is in almost new condition, very minimal shelf wear on spine edges. Inscribed by author on title page, “ For Bart With Best Wishes” . Pages are crisp and clean. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Little, Brown & Co, Boston, MA
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780316919890ISBN:0316919896
Description: Near Fine in Fine jacket. Signed by Author First edition, hardcover, signed by Wallace on the title page and with his printed name crossed out as is his custom, tiny bump to top of spine, tiny light scuff to bottom page edges, otherwise a Fine copy in like dustjacket. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Little Brown & Company, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780316919890ISBN:0316919896
Description: Fine in Fine jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Signed by Author Signed "David Foster Wallace" on the title page above his lined-out printed name. read more
"So guess what: I still like David Foster Wallace. Funny, serious, attention to detail - what more could I want of creative non-fiction? I didn't even know I was interested in post-modernism and modern television, or why David Lynch films (which I've never seen) are creepy, or what cruises say about American culture.
On Lynch: "I submit that we also, as a audience, really like the idea of secret and scandalous immoralities unearthed and dragged into the light and exposed. We like this stuff because secrets' exposure in a movie creates in us impressions of epistemological privilege, of 'penetrating the civilized surface of everyday life to discover the strange, perverse passions beneath.'"
Anyway, I recommend ASFTINDA for its intelligent commentary on topics I otherwise might have scorned (country fairs, tennis tournaments, etc).
A note on the eponymous essay: there is free version floating around on the Internet from when it was published in a magazine. It is heavily edited, and not as good as the full version (I suspected as much when certain details were omitted)."
"DISCLAIMER: I only read the essay about David Lynch.
Really 3 essays in one: an on-the-set report about Lost Highway, satirical expose about the production of a Hollywood film, and a personal account of the significance of Lynch's work in Wallace's own life. The piece was not helped by is tripartite nature. The stench of Hollywood sleaze was nothing new, nor was the analysis of Lynch's oeuvre, myself being a long time Lynch fan. Wallace's perception of the particular production he was assigned to cover was interesting though. He seemed to have high hopes and foresee positive things about Lost Highway which went on to become one of Lynch's most maligned films.
Was it entertaining? Yes, but I'm in love with the subject matter. Was it enthralling? Hardly. With an editor it could have been easily turned into a run of hill production report. Not that it was poorly written, but it was self-indulgent and didn't make me want to read any of Wallace's novels."
"This is a totally enjoyable book where some of the essays talk about stuff that I would think I have no interest in, like tennis, or a cruise ship, but that are written so well I ended up laughing out loud at some points, something which I never ever do, I am usually the mute laughter sort of reader.
DFW is totally brilliant, I must confess that while reading him I always had my dicionary close by, thus adding new words to my vocabulary, while enjoying everything he writes about. It doesn't get much better than that.
Anyway, why does he make it so likable? It must be his personal approach, he has a totally different way of writing essays, they are an experience, not just something to be analysed, and everything seen through his eyes is so much better for being that.
I loved the one on David Lynch, Blue Velvet, when it came out to me, living in tijuana, and crossing to san diego to see it was a life changing experience, I thought it was the coolest, most bizarre thing I had ever seen in my life, and I loved it, even while being repulsed by it. The movie the essay is about, Lost Highway, was a very strange thing for me, I came out with a big interrogation sign on my forehead, I hadn't seen the tv series... Duh.
There is something that he says in the one about television and fiction writers, that I just loved; "Real rebels, as far as I can see, risk didisapproval. The old postmodern insurgents risked the gasp and squeal; shock, disgust, outrage, censorship, accusations of socialism, anarchism, nihilism. Today's risks are different. The new rebels might be artists willing to risk the yawn, the rolled eyes, the cool smile, the nidged ribs, the parody of gifted ironists, the 'oh how banal'. To risk accusations of sentimentality, melodrama. Of overcredulity. Of softness. Of willingness to be suckered by a world of lurkers and starers who fear gaze and ridicule above imprisionment without law."
Yeah, rebellion is about taking chances, about a risk, and those risks change every day, just as we do ourselves, our ways of comunicating, our way of expressing ourselves.
And the one about the cruise ship, well that was just laugh out loud funny, his portrait of the whole experience is something you don't want to miss. Great great book by a great writer."
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