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First Edition of V. (1963)
J.B. Lippincott Company
Jacket design: Ismar David (1910-1996) Read his bio...

From the front flap:

This will almost certainly be the most original novel published in 1963. It is a wild, macabre tale of the twentieth century and of two men. One of them is looking for something he has lost; the other never had much to lose and so isn't looking for it. But no two readers will agree about this book because, like life itself, it is big, mysterious, and absolutely fascinating.

Thomas Pynchon's creative imagination appears to be boundless. Set in various and wonderful places (New York, Alexandria, Cairo, Paris, Florence, Malta, Africa), peopled with vivid characters, V. is indescribably original. In a madcap, sometimes sad, frequently hilarious way, it captures the ruthlessness and multiplicity of the modern world. Incident piles on incident until, in what amounts almost to a revelation, the pattern of the book and the century it describes emerge with a terrible beauty.

As for "V.," the unknown lady of the title, she is somebody's mother, somebody's mistress, and a world gone made with despair. Neither the reader nor the American novel will remain unchallenged and unchanged by this astonishing book.