Fante, John. Prologue to Ask the Dust. Etchings by John Register

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Magnolia Editions, Okeanos Press: San Francisco, 1990.  

John Fante's gritty, tersely lyrical novel Ask the Dust has been praised by critics and writers for more than 60 years; Charles Bukowski once wrote that "Fante was my god." This previously unpublished manuscript, found by Joyce Fante five decades after its composition, was written by Fante as a condensed preview of the novel for his publisher.

Issued by the Black Sparrow Press a year later, this is the scarce limited edition, one of only 75 copies (110 total) accompanied by a series of etchings excised in hardground, aquatint, and drypoint by John Register and is signed by the artist.

A fine copy, slipcase with small area of damp staining (book unaffected).  A lovely production.