Books

Octavo, 320pp. Purple boards, black cloth spine, title printed in purple on spine. Stated "second impression" on copyright page. Bookplate of Joseph P. Martino on front free endpaper. Touch of rubbing along bottom edge of front board, internally clean. In the publisher's second state dust jacket, $4.95 on front flap, with "second printing" stated on front flap, touch of toning to spine, bright illustrations, a near fine example. (Currey, 367). Walter M. Miller Jr. (1923-1996) was an American science fiction writer who served as a source of inspiration for Margaret Atwood's writings. The two have similar themes throughout their stories, including post-apocalyptic and dystopian societies, regressive/cyclical politics, and challenges between church and state. Miller won the 1961 Hugo Award for Best Novel for A Canticle for Leibowitz, a post-apocalyptic work of science fiction. This copy is from the library of Joseph P. Martino, a fellow science-fiction author and contributor of short stories to numerous magazines. He died in Sidney, Ohio in 2022.

A Canticle for Leibowitz is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by Walter M. Miller Jr., first published in 1960. It is a reflective work of the Cold War era that explores the cyclical nature of history, particularly the conflict between science and religion. The story spans thousands of years and centers on the monks of the fictional Albertian Order of Leibowitz as they preserve the remnants of humanity's scientific knowledge until the world is again ready for it.