Something About a Soldier. (Inscribed and signed to John Ciardi at the 1963 Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference)


Inscribed and signed by Hall: “For John Ciardi — at Bread Loaf — August 21, 1963.” A notable association between two figures of mid-century American poetry. A finalist for the 1958 National Book Award for Fiction, the novel follows Private Jacob Epp, a young, idealistic soldier navigating basic training during World War II. Epp confronts racial discrimination, working-class hardship, and a rising awareness of social injustice. Based on Hall’s own military experience, including his draft in 1943, brief service, psychiatric hospitalization, and discharge in 1944, the novel offers a candid and morally engaged portrait of a soldier’s psychological and ethical struggle within an unequal wartime system.


Description: Something About a Soldier. (Inscribed and signed to John Ciardi at the 1963 Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference)

New York: The Macmillan Co., 1957. Octavo. 175 pages. First edition, with “First Printing” stated on the copyright page. No blind-stamped square to rear cover. Dust jacket is clipped at both the top and bottom of the front flap, suggesting the possibility of a book club issue. Bound in beige and red cloth. Overall, a very good copy.

[3735195]

Price: $85.00

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