Books

New York: Random House, 1973. First Edition. Hardcover. Good/Very good. First edition of McCarthy's third novel, a dark work that straddles literary and horror genres with a serial killer protagonist. First edition (stated). The lower rear corner is cracked, affecting both the board and the jacket. There is a lamination wrinkle on the spine; the book is otherwise very good in a like jacket. The book does not have a remainder mark, nor is the spine faded. From the collection of Tom Garner.

Cormac McCarthy's 'Child of God' tells the story of Lester Ballard, a dispossessed, violent man whose life is a disastrous attempt to exist outside the social order. McCarthy depicts the life of a violent young outcast and serial killer in 1960s Appalachian Tennessee. Though the narrative is stark, the protagonist's isolation and disaffection are depicted with empathy by McCarthy, whose prose reveals the layers of humanity in even the most desolate and detestable characters.

First editions of 'Child of God' published by Random House typically have the full number line present which includes '2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3', as Random House did not include '1' in their number line for first editions during that period.