Crash

New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, (1973). First edition (U.S.), 1st printing. 8vo. 224 pp. Original quarter black cloth over heather grey paper-covered boards, stamped in silver, in original unclipped ($6.95) dust-jacket designed by Lawrence Ratzkin. Edge wear with three closed tears to front panel, wrinkling, handling and rubbing wear to gloss. Some light toning, spotting, chipping to spine ends. Protected in archival mylar. Book is tight, square and firm. Mild wear to edges and corners, with rubbing and edge toning. Some indentations, creases and divots to panels. Light curling to spine ends. Interior is clean and unmarked. Signed by the film adaptation’s director, David Cronenberg, on the title page.

Dust Jacket: Good

Hardcover: Good

“Crash follows a group of car-crash fetishists who become sexually aroused by staging and participating in car accidents, inspired by the famous crashes of celebrities. The novel was released to divided critical reception, with many reviewers horrified by its provocative content. It was adapted into a controversial 1996 film of the same name by David Cronenberg. The novel received divided reviews when originally published. One publisher's reader returned the verdict "This author is beyond psychiatric help. Do Not Publish!" A 1973 review in The New York Times was equally horrified: "Crash is, hands-down, the most repulsive book I've yet to come across."