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Bloom, Harold (Editor); Andersen, Hans Christian; Shakespeare, William & Other Authors : Stories And Poems For Extremely Intelligent Children Of All Ages

Scribner, New York City, NY, 2001

ISBN 0684868733

First Edition / First Printing. Fine in Fine Dust Jacket. 575 pages. Retrospective collection of stories and poems. One of the best collections of its kind ever published in our time. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now scarce. Presents Harold Bloom's "Stories And Poems For Extremely Intelligent Children of All Ages". A brilliant and rewarding reminder-selection of the greatest short stories and poems in the Western tradition. The key phrase of the extremely long title is "of all ages", which makes Bloom's selection elitist and inclusive at the same time. That is, he means ALL serious readers. As anyone familiar with Bloom's aesthetic of superior intelligence knows, the title is not pretentious but ironic. He gives grown-ups avid permission to dip into his book because there is much in it to discover, re-discover, and treasure. As Bloom repeatedly makes clear, the choice is not between The Old and The New (we need them both), but between what's great and what's mediocre (we need only the former). The choice would seem to be obvious enough, but it really isn't in our prevailing culture of identity politics. As such, Bloom's book is a refreshing antidote to the meretricious derivative products being packaged and marketed today by publishers and their hacks. Beware: Bloom savors irony of the most pungent, uncompromising kind. He believes that a sense of irony must be instilled at a very young age (even though it is never too late to develop one at any age). Dismissive of contemporary children's literature, Bloom stubbornly insists once more that we go back to the great ironic writers: "Children's literature is a mask for the dumbing-down that is destroying our literary culture. Most of what is now commercially offered as children's literature would be inadequate fare for any reader of any age at any time" (Harold Bloom). An absolute "must-have" title for Harold Bloom collectors. This copy is very prominently and beautifully signed in black ink-pen on the title page by Harold Bloom. It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. This title is a contemporary classic. As far as we know, this is the only such signed copy of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright, a pristine beauty. Please note: Copies available online have serious flaws, are subsequent printings, or are remainder-marked. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare signed copy thus. The greatest literary critic of our time. A fine collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER HAROLD BLOOM TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 0684868733.

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