Nelson Algren SIGNED FIRST EDITION The Man with the Golden Arm 1st Printing HCDJ

The Man with the Golden Arm. SIGNED FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING, FIRST STATE (1/1/1). Garden City, New York, 1949. This is a First Edition, First Printing, First State Book in a First State Dust Jacket, signed by the author, Nelson Algren, on an otherwise blank page affixed in between the front free endpaper and the half-title page.

The book is a first state of the first edition, in that it has the "that that" error on page 121, line 31, and "we" instead of "be" on page 180, line 11. In addition, the dust jacket also is the first state jacket, as evidenced by its correct height (later printing jackets reportedly were shorter by about 4mm). Please see photographs evidencing these points. Both the book and the jacket have all the FedPo points.

The Man with the Golden Arm is regarded as Algren's best work. It won the first National Book Award and was the basis for the excellent 1955 film starring Frank Sinatra and Kim Novak. Sinatra was nominated for, but did not win, the Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of heroin addict Frankie Machine.

This copy is one of purportedly only 10,000 copies in the first printing. The book is in very good condition but for some light soiling to the boards and some faint foxing to the inside perimeters of the boards, tanning to the interior pages, a prior owner's name written on the front free endpaper, and the faintest smoke smell. The smoke smell is really faint, and you may not even notice it, but I want to mention it. Please see photographs as to condition. Please see photos as to condition. The dust jacket has a removable old mylar jacket protector. This collectible book is not price-clipped, not ex-library, not remaindered, and not a book club edition.