William Faulkner : Novels 1930-1935 : As I Lay Dying, Sanctuary, Light in August, Pylon (Library of America) (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Joseph Blotner (Editor), Noel Polk (Editor) "JEWEL AND I come up from the field, following the path in single file..." (more)
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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The Library of America begins publication of 20th-century writers with corrected texts of four novels from the midpoint of Faulkner's career. The corrections eliminate past editorial adjustments and present the works according to Faulkner's original intentions, based on extant typescripts and galley revisions. For example, editors often changed Faulkner's deliberately unusual punctuation to make his texts more appealing to general audiences; restored now are the "Faulknerian" dashes, missing apostrophes, compound words, and lengthy unpunctuated passages. Pylon received the most extensive revision, but all the changes are significant, and at last readers can enjoy and ponder these works in the form intended by their author. A distinguished addition to a distinguished series. Starr E. Smith, Georgetown Univ. Lib., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

At last, readers can enjoy and ponder these works in the form intended by their author. -- Library Journal

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 1056 pages
• Publisher: Library of America (December 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0940450267
• ISBN-13: 978-0940450264
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #267,315 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb collation and an outstanding value, May 27, 2000

By	Michael Zalanka "jzalanka" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

There is nothing quantitative in this volume that you can't get in other editions of Faulkner's work; however, the Library of America copy is to be strongly commended for the clarity of its typeface, its sturdy cloth-bound hardcover, and its designed ability to *lie flat* at each page. The only fault I could find with this volume is that it would be nice to have _The Sound and the Fury_ included in a Library of America edition as well (currently, the Modern Library edition is the best that can be done). I strongly recommend this edition to the serious reader who, familiar with Faulkner, is looking for a reference copy of these works that will not deteriorate over time (did I mention acid-free paper and a cloth bookmark?). Considering the price of each of these titles in paperback, this volume's value to the casual reader speaks for itself; you, too, are advised to invest in this worthy tome.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Mother is a Fish, March 29, 2000

By	"martinfightmaster" (Cincinnati, OH United States) - See all my reviews

There are many great books, but I have read only two perfect ones, "As I Lay Dying" by Faulkner and Shakespeare's "King Lear." Lear's "howl" after Cordelia's death is (I think) the high point of English literature and Vardeman's internal dialoge (and chapter heading "My Mother is a Fish") is the purest form of writing expression and the high-water mark of American Literature. If you like to read, there are so many subtle threads that run through "As I Lay Dying." You'll recognize Chaucer, T.S.Eliot, and I think Shakespeare's "Lear." Like Gorky, Faulkner uses common people to expound upon universal themes like betrayal and unrequited love, but he does it better, and looks at it harder, than anyone has before or since.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Intro to Faulkner, September 10, 2003

By	Agent Cooper (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

I am currently reading Sound and the Fury and it is not an easy read. Fortunately, I started out with this volume and read Sanctuary. If you want to get into Faulkner this is an excellent place to start. It is a great story, shocking though it may be, and gives a good idea of what's to come if you want to delve deeper into WF. Next I read Light in August which may be one of his best. Faulkner is a genius at creating characters and then going into the details of their psyche. Every now and then he gets a little over-indulgent in his wordsmithing but always seems to bring it back home before going too far afield.

Faulkner is the green tea of literature. He's a great story teller but still a bit of an aquired taste. Once you get into his work, though, you'll definitely want more.