Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade, A Duty-Dance With Death.
New York: The Easton Press, 1998. Special Edition. 8vo. Fine. Item #17841
A gorgeous 1998 leatherbound edition, signed twice by Vonnegut, once on a special presentation, and once on an Easton Press Certificate of Authenticity included with the volume.
Also included is an author biography card, laid in.
Blue leather with elaborate gilt decor to both bards and gilt titling to spine. 205pp. Moire endpapers. Silk ribbon. All edges gilt.
"Slaughterhouse-Five has been the subject of many attempts at censorship due to its irreverent tone, purportedly obscene content and depictions of sex, American soldiers' use of profanity, and perceived heresy. It was one of the first literary acknowledgments that homosexual men, referred to in the novel as "fairies", were among the victims of the Holocaust.
"In the United States it has at times been banned from literature classes, removed from school libraries, and struck from literary curricula. In 1972, following the ruling of Todd v. Rochester Community Schools, it was banned from Rochester Community Schools in Oakland County, Michigan. The circuit judge described the book as "depraved, immoral, psychotic, vulgar and anti-Christian." It was later reinstated.
"In 1973, Vonnegut learned of a school district in North Dakota that was antagonistic towards Slaughterhouse-Five. An English teacher at a high school in the district wanted to read the novel with their class. Charles McCarthy, the head of the school board, declared the novel inappropriate because of obscene language. All copies of Vonnegut's novel in the school were burned in a furnace.
"In a letter to McCarthy in 1973, Vonnegut defended his credibility, his character, and his work. In the letter, entitled "I Am Very Real", Vonnegut wrote that his books "beg that people be kinder and more responsible than they often are". He contended that his work should not be censored based on the general message in the novel" - wiki
A sublime edition of gift and collectible quality.
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