Advance Uncorrected Proof (ARC) | St. Martin's Minotaur, New York | 2008
A near fine advance proof copy of the posthumous lost novel by one of American crime fiction's most legendary figures. Stark was written by Edward Bunker in the late 1960s and discovered after his death in 2005 by his widow, making it his first novel and, as the publisher notes, perhaps his most explosive. This proof copy features a foreword by James Ellroy, who called Bunker "a true original of American letters," and an afterword by Jennifer Steele.
Edward Bunker (1933–2005) was a career criminal who turned his life around through writing — spending years in San Quentin, where he educated himself and began the work that would make him a cult icon. His novels Animal Factory, Dog Eat Dog, and Little Boy Blue are touchstones of American noir. Quentin Tarantino, a lifelong admirer, cast Bunker as Mr. Blue in Reservoir Dogs and credited Little Boy Blue as the best first-person crime novel he had ever read. Bunker died before Stark could be published, and this proof — issued ahead of the January 2008 first U.S. edition from St. Martin's Minotaur — represents the first appearance of the text in book form.
Set in 1962 Oceanview, California, Stark follows Ernie Stark, a heroin-addicted grifter navigating a world of lowlifes, cons, and violence. It is vintage Bunker: raw, propulsive, and uncompromising.
Near Fine. Binding tight. Pages clean and bright throughout with no markings or annotations. Light shelf wear only. A superior copy of a scarce proof.
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