The essential collection of Tom Wolfe's writing on a turning-point era in modern American culture, newly repackaged and reissued with the original introduction by Joe David Bellamy. It was in the 1960s and 1970s--those "purple decades"--that Tom Wolfe rose to fame as one of the late-twentieth-century pioneers of American literature. He became the foremost chronicler of the gaudiest period in American history, much of which is spread out before us in these selections from nine of his books. Wolfe's innovations in style, ...
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The essential collection of Tom Wolfe's writing on a turning-point era in modern American culture, newly repackaged and reissued with the original introduction by Joe David Bellamy. It was in the 1960s and 1970s--those "purple decades"--that Tom Wolfe rose to fame as one of the late-twentieth-century pioneers of American literature. He became the foremost chronicler of the gaudiest period in American history, much of which is spread out before us in these selections from nine of his books. Wolfe's innovations in style, his feats as a reporter, and his insights into modern American life dominated a period of widespread experimentation in the writing of nonfiction. Wolfe's contributions to the language of the purple decades range from the phrases "the right stuff" to "radical chic," the latter of which he coined in 1970, when Leonard Bernstein gave a party for the Black Panthers in his apartment on Park Avenue; and on to "the Me Decade," as the 1970s were dubbed as soon as Wolfe's essay "The Me Decade and the Third Great Awakening" appeared in 1976. The complete texts of "The Last American Hero" and "The Me Decade and the Third Great Awakening," and long sections of "Radical Chic" and The Right Stuff , are included here in The Purple Decades . Wolfe's long piece "Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers" (included here in its entirety) provided the first insider's view of that bizarre government-sponsored rebellion known as the poverty program. Another long piece called "The Truest Sport: Jousting with Sam and Charlie" (also complete here) has become a classic work on aerial combat in Vietnam as experienced by the pilots themselves. His 1968 book The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (two chapters of which appear in these pages) is recognized as the major book on the hippie movement of the 1960s. Generous selections from both From Bauhaus to Our House and The Painted Word also appear here, as well as many stories from The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby , The Pump House Gang , and Mauve Gloves & Madmen, Clutter & Vine. When Tom Wolfe's first book, The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby , was published in 1965, Newsweek predicted: "This will be a sharp pleasure to reread years from now, when it will bring back, like a falcon in the sky of memory, a whole world that is currently jetting and jazzing its way somewhere or other." In these pages the falcon flies with big talons, and an even bigger grin, across the first two decades of Tom Wolfe's literary career.
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Add this copy of The Purple Decades: a Reader to cart. $11.16, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1982 by Farrar Straus Giroux.
Add this copy of The Purple Decades: a Reader to cart. $11.16, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1982 by Farrar Straus Giroux.
Add this copy of The Purple Decades: a Reader to cart. $14.99, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Emerald rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1982 by Farrar Straus & Giroux.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Purple Decades: a Reader to cart. $15.00, very good condition, Sold by Sessions Book Sales rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Birmingham, AL, UNITED STATES, published 1982 by Farrar Straus & Giroux.
Add this copy of The Purple Decades: A Reader to cart. $15.79, very good condition, Sold by vinyljeopardy rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lenexa, KS, UNITED STATES, published 1982 by Farrar Straus Giroux.
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Bellamy, Joe David. Very good in very good dust jacket. The photo shown is of the book I'm selling. VG/VG. Sewn binding. Paper over boards. Audience: General/trade. The Book is in Very Good condition with some yellowing. The DJ is in VG condition with edge wear / corner wear and is price clipped. This is a difficult book to find, but it'll be priced fairly. The photo provided is the book you're considering.
Add this copy of The Purple Decades a Reader to cart. $19.00, very good condition, Sold by Ann Open Book rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lansing, MI, UNITED STATES, published 1982 by Farrar Straus Giroux.
Add this copy of The Purple Decades: a Reader to cart. $19.80, very good condition, Sold by Half Price Books Inc rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1982 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Purple Decades: a Reader to cart. $21.95, very good condition, Sold by George Lyon rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Alexandria, VA, UNITED STATES, published 1982 by FSG.
Add this copy of The Purple Decades: a Reader to cart. $23.99, fair condition, Sold by Russell Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Victoria, BC, CANADA, published 1982 by Farrar Straus Giroux.
Add this copy of The Purple Decades: a Reader to cart. $25.95, very good condition, Sold by Broad Street Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Branchville, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1982 by Farrar Straus & Giroux.
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Very Good. Size: 6x1x9; First Edition First Printing. Hardcover with dust jacket. Book is in very nice condition, text is unmarked and pages are tight.