Superlatives like those could work against the book s vitality, which is palpable. Jan 14, 2009 this year marks the 70th anniversary of the publication of ask the dust, by john fante. Ask the dust by fante, john and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. This book is another sterling recommendation from the saltzman workshop. Other books included the story collection dago red 1940 and the novels full of life 1952 and brotherhood of the grape 1977. Hellfrick the neighborhackmuth the great editorand hargraves the landlady.
How ask the dust nearly missed greatness books the guardian. Signed by john fantes wife, joyce, and the book s editor, stephen cooper. However, since it is itself relatively fragile, and since dust jackets have practical, aesthetic and sometimes financial value, the jacket may in turn be wrapped in another jacket, usually transparent, especially if the book is a library volume. But the reality he finds is a city gripped by poverty. Having moved from a small town in colorado, bandini rides a roller coaster of emotions as he tries to make a life for himself in the big city. John fante italianamerican novelist, short story writer and screenwriter. Ask the dust is the story of arturo bandini, a young italianameric. Ask the dust john fante paperback harpercollins publishers. I call my book ask the dust because the dust ofthe east and the middle west is in these streets, and it is a dust where nothing will. Early editions of this tour lamented john fantes obscurity. The saga of arturo bandini, by john fante kevinfromcanada. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading ask the dust. May 04, 2012 having read john fantes ask the dust i can now see why it is heralded as an american contemporary classic. Kordich university of california, santa cruz in john fantes 1939 novel ask the dust, protagonist arturo bandini struggles with the shifting agenda of a young man simultaneously reviling and reveling in his italianamerican upbringing and assert.
Book collecting, book history, dust jackets as most collectors are aware, a dust jacket in fine condition can greatly enhance the value of a book. Ask the dust first edition john fante bauman rare books. Octavo, original beige cloth, original dust jacket. Possible loose bindings, highlighting, cocked spine or torn dust jackets. John steinbeck 1st edition book the moon is down 1942 w dust jacket viking pres for sale online. There he writes a short story called the little dog laughed. Bandini meets a local waitress, camilla lopez, and falls for her.
John fante began writing in 1929 and published his first short story in 1932. At the end of 1800s publishers began making pictorial dust jackets, but the wrappers were still disposed of more often than not. Ask the dust by john fante first edition 1st printing 1939 stackpole sons for sale online. Full of life, a biography of john fante by stephen john. And thats why going through a site like facsimile dust jackets is such a. Bell used no more than two or three colors for her book designs, but the dust jackets remain some of the most beautiful in literature. How ask the dust nearly missed greatness books the. And thats why going through a site like facsimile dust jackets is such a treat. Having read john fantes ask the dust i can now see why it is heralded as an american contemporary classic. Ask the dust by john fante overdrive rakuten overdrive. Ask the dust paperback by john fante and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.
A brief history of the dust jacket books tell you why, inc. Binding hardcover publisher north point press place of publication new york date published 2000. Ask the dust john fante facsimile dust jackets, llc. A prolific screenwriter, he was stricken with diabetes in 1955. It reminded me a bit of steinbecks tortilla flats mashed up with kerouac or bukowski obviously i suppose given the vaunted heights of bukowskis introduction to fantes prowess as an author because of the episodic, fleeting quality of the scenes and the characters delusional indifference to the world.
John fante is a lost gem of american literature and the man who was credited by charles bukowski as the inspiration for him to start writing. John fantes novel ask the dust is about a young man named arturo bandini. Huge lot 17 john updike hardcover books with dust jackets 1st editions for sale online. One the one side, in the school of sinclair lewis, erskine caldwell and john steinbeck, the economy. Bandini, a close standin for fante himself, is a depressionera writer who has come to l. Here goes my 200th book report since joining goodreads. When you know the background of fantes career it is hard not to look at dreams from bunker hill in a totally different light.
Ask the dust by john fante signed first edition 1939 from. Bukowski had also referenced fante many times in his. It is a semiautobiographical novel which tells the story of arturo bandini, an inexperienced 20year old who aspires to be a writer. Ask the dust is a virtuoso performance by an influential master of the twentieth century american novel. Buy a cheap copy of ask the dust book by john fante. The limits of literature in john fantes ask the dust, western american literature, vol. Ask the dust is a very good book as a standalone novel but it is even more important in what it does for the bigger story. Dust jackets clearly dont actually protect a book from dust, and a quick skim of the wikipedia page for dust jackets shows that they never did. This book is both surprisingly witty and at times downright depressing with the main character, arturo bandini to be pronounced in the voice of bukowski in the preface set on his dream of becoming the greatest writer the world has ever seen. Buy ask the dust canongate canons by john fante, charles bukowski from amazons fiction. But bandinis delusions take a worrying turn when he is drawn into a. It reminded me a bit of steinbecks tortilla flats mashed up with kerouac or bukowski obviously i suppose given the vaunted heights of bukowskis introduction to fante s prowess as an author because of the episodic, fleeting quality of the scenes and the characters delusional indifference to the world. Ask the dust and over 8 million other books are available for amazon kindle. John fantes dreams from bunker hill special on the john fante tour.
Ask the dust is a book in the arturo bandini series. He has a strong outlook in what it means to be an american, yet is attract. The limits of literature in john fantes ask the dust. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Its a tenacious, hardscrabble valentine to townes beloved city, to the lonely craft of writing, and to elusive love. Feb 07, 2006 john fante began writing in 1929 and published his first short story in 1932. In john fante followed by his bestknown book, ask the dust 1939, the first of his novels set in depressionera california.
Adapted from the 1939 novel by john fante, ask the dust represents a 30year labor of love for robert towne, the oscarwinning screenwriter of chinatown. The underappreciated fantes second outing details the adventures of his alterego, arturo. In addition to its promotional role, the dust jacket protects the book covers from damage. When he makes a small fortune from the publication of a short story, he reinvents himself, indulging in expensive clothes, fine food and downtown strip clubs. John fante has 38 books on goodreads with 121855 ratings. Add to wishlist added to wishlist removed from wishlist 0. John fante a first edition published by stackpole sons in 1939.
A joining of voices and views critical studies in italian america paperback. Torture, fiction, and ethnic identity in john fantes ask the dusk. In a life that spanned 74 years, fante wrote several great novels, such as ask the dust, and numerous screenplays. All of our books with dustjackets are shipped in fresh, archivalsafe mylar. Ask the dust john fante paperback harpercollins us. It is mostly an autobiographical account of fante coming west as a young man. Today its widely regarded as a classic of american literature. Add to cart facsimile dust jacket only book not included see all items in literature. Almighty god, i am sorry i am now an atheist, but have you read nietzsche. Ask the dust is the most popular novel of italianamerican author john fante. Ask the dust is a virtuoso performance by an influential master of the twentiethcentury american novel. Full of life, a biography of john fante author fante, john cooper, stephen formatbinding hardcover book condition new as new jacket condition as new quantity available 1 edition first edition. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. Near fine book with very slight foxing of the front and back endpapers in a good dust jacket which is missing 12 of the top spine and 1 12 of the bottom.
Having moved from a small town in colorado, bandini rides a roller coaster of emotions as. You got ten years to write a book, so take it easy, get out and learn about. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the publication of ask the dust, by john fante. His first novel, wait until spring, bandini, was published. Ask the dust by john fante ebook isbn 9781847673657 book cover.
He died in 1983 from diabetesrelated complications. He lives in the bunker hill neighborhood in a downscale residential hotel. Instantly, ask the dust not only became my favorite book but also confirmed my ambition to be a writer, just like arturo bandini, and just like john fante. Binding hardcover publisher north point press place of. In the decades that followed, dust jackets became marketing tools that featured beautiful illustrations as well as promotional text about the book and its author. What the hell, i used to say, take your time, bandini. Get an answer for what is the summary for ask the dust. A devoted fan of fantes work, bukowski famously claimed that ask the dust was the best book ever written and that john fante was his god. John fantes ask the dust and fictions of whiteness. Indeed, for modern first editions, a book without the dust jacket will sell for only a fraction of the price. Ask the dust by john fante, black sparrow abebooks. He has a strong outlook in what it means to be an american, yet is attracted to who he calls mayan princesses.
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