Although the name contains the word “tint”, this is a black-and-white printing process aquatint plates can often be hand colored, however. By changing the areas of the plate that are exposed and the length of time the plate is submerged in the acid bath, the engraver can obtain fine and varying shades of gray that closely resemble watercolor washes.

Aquatint Copperplate process by which the plate is “bitten” by exposure to acid.

First issue dust jacket, with uncorrected 'Vollman' on rear panel.

One year after publication of this acclaimed novel, a work hailed as 'jubilantly anecdotal, windingly sardonic and self-consciously literary… Wallace received a MacArthur Foundation grant, the so-called genius award' ( New York Times). Here, as in all his work, 'Wallace's achievement was to make thinking about the effects of postmodern life, and thinking about thinking about them, one of the keenest pleasures of being alive' ( Slate). The 'buzzing, claustrophobic energy' of Wallace's 'mammoth 1079-page satire of America' immediately placed him in the company of Pynchon and DeLillo ( Wall Street Journal).

Thick octavo, original blue paper boards, original dust jacket.įirst edition of Wallace’s epic postmodern satire-“jubilantly anecdotal, winkingly sardonic” (New York Times)-in scarce first-issue dust jacket. Satisfaction guaranteed.“WALLACE’S ACHIEVEMENT WAS TO MAKE THINKING ABOUT THE FACTS OF POSTMODERN LIFE… ONE OF THE KEENEST PLEASURES OF BEING ALIVE” All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition, with dust jackets carefully preserved in archival, removable polypropylene sleeves. 'The plot of Infinite Jestâ 'which revolves around, among other things, a lost, unwatchably beautiful art film and a conspiracy among wheelchair-bound Quebecois secessionistsâ 'is decidedly secondary to the painfully funny dialogue and Wallace's endlessly rich ruminations and speculations on addiction, entertainment, art, life and, of course, tennis.' (Time 100) To help readers slice through the novel's dense thickets of prose, Wallace included 98 pages of 'Notes & Errata.' The title is from Hamlet, Act V, Scene 1, in which Hamlet holds the skull of the court jester, Yorick: 'Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath borne me on his back a thousand times and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is!' N. Superb, a virtually pristine copy, square, clean, and tight. Publisher's quarter-bound French blue cloth spine over periwinkle paper-covered boards, spine stamped in silver. First Printing (full number line), in First State dust jacket (incorrectly spelling William Vollmann as 'Vollman' on back panel) of the author's magnum opus.

Infinite jest first edition