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John Sepich

Notes on Blood Meridian: Revised and Expanded Edition (Southwestern Writers Collection Series, Wittliff Collections at Texas State University) Paperback – Illustrated, September 1, 2008

by John Sepich (Author), Edwin T. Arnold (Introduction)

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Blood Meridian (1985), Cormac McCarthy’s epic tale of an otherwise nameless “kid” who in his teens joins a gang of licensed scalp hunters whose marauding adventures take place across Texas, Chihuahua, Sonora, Arizona, and California during 1849 and 1850, is widely considered to be one of the finest novels of the Old West, as well as McCarthy’s greatest work. The New York Times Book Review ranked it third in a 2006 survey of the “best work of American fiction published in the last twenty-five years,” and in 2005 Time chose it as one of the 100 best novels published since 1923. Yet Blood Meridian’s complexity, as well as its sheer bloodiness, makes it difficult for some readers. To guide all its readers and help them appreciate the novel’s wealth of historically verifiable characters, places, and events, John Sepich compiled what has become the classic reference work, Notes on BLOOD MERIDIAN. Tracing many of the nineteenth-century primary sources that McCarthy used, Notes uncovers the historical roots of Blood Meridian. Originally published in 1993, Notes remained in print for only a few years and has become highly sought-after in the rare book market, with used copies selling for hundreds of dollars. In bringing the book back into print to make it more widely available, Sepich has revised and expanded Notes with a new preface and two new essays that explore key themes and issues in the work. This amplified edition of Notes on BLOOD MERIDIAN is the essential guide for all who seek a fuller understanding and appreciation of McCarthy’s finest work.

Print length

240 pages
Language

English
Publisher

University of Chicago Press Chicago Distribution Center
Publication date

September 1, 2008
Dimensions

6 x 1.4 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

0292718217
ISBN-13

978-0292718210
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About the Author

John Sepich is an artist living a few miles west of road signs in rural central Illinois, doing different things to make ends meet.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Chicago Press Chicago Distribution Center; Revised & enlarged edition (September 1, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0292718217
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0292718210
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.19 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.4 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #461,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,162 in American Literature Criticism
- #2,863 in Literary Criticism & Theory

Customer Reviews:
79 ratings

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Robert Bolton

A Valuable Resource for All Cormac McCarthy Fans

Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2014

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For those who have been entranced by the language of Cormac McCarthy's masterpiece, but are left wondering where the line between reality and fiction is demarcated in Blood Meridian, this volume is a fine piece of scholarship that explains page-by-page the historical sources of the novel. In essay format, this book also has the merit of adding a few new pieces of scholarship since its original publication in 1993.

Although anyone who has even casual background knowledge of the novel's origins can tell you of the influence Samuel Chamberlain's My Confession and its depiction of Judge Holden had on the novel's growth, this book limns a number of other interesting historical events and personages that appear throughout the novel. I was surprised while reading to find that the Yuma Indian raid on the ferry station actually occurred, along with numerous other small details such as the actual existence of Prussian Jewish arms dealer well-known in Mexico.

As for the text itself, it seems to be free of any significant typographical errors, although the font is comparatively small. Unsurprisingly, many of the resources Mr. Sepich cites are difficult to come by unless you have unlimited financial resources or are willing to travel. Fortunately, however, even since this new edition was published, Google Books and other resources have made electronically available many useful pieces of scholarship. While there have been a few other commentaries on Blood Meridian published in book form (and I have read many of them), I still believe this is the first, best, and longest-lasting resource available.

This new edition is available only in paperback, but fortunately as a counterbalance is reasonably priced and makes again widely available a volume that had become hard to find. The author, John Sepich, fortunately also maintains a website that contains short essays from him and others on a wide selection of Cormac McCarthy's works. If you enjoy the book, I would recommend searching for his name and the website should appear quickly. On the whole, an excellent work that is well-worth the short time it takes to read.

20 people found this helpful

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ACD

The Key to A Kingdom

Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2015

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In 2006 the New York Times Book Review ranked Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian 3rd in a 2006 survey of the most important American fiction for the previous 25 years. But the book's vernacular, complexity, and gory subject matter make it a daunting task for most readers (unless you're a masochist like me). Enter John Sepich's Notes On...Blood Meridian, a vital tool to understanding some of the book's arcane symbolism, historical context, and it's most difficult passages.

Complete with biographies of all the real players, including The Judge and John Glanton, Notes On also has every translation from Spanish to English, essays on themes, and speculation on meanings. I learned so much more about Blood Meridian and the wealth of its rich details, it's a testament to McCarthy's power that it was one of my favorite novels already. If you've been mystified by this masterwork and want to know more about, well, all things Blood Meridian, you must beg borrow or steal this book.

8 people found this helpful

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Richard L. Pangburn

An amazing, eye-popping study of McCarthy's masterpiece.

Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2002

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Out of print for many years, copies of the first edition of this book sold on Ebay for hundreds of dollars. There was an outcry for a new edition, but John Sepich seemed to be as reclusive as Cormac McCarthy during the 1990s, and so we waited.

Finally, at long last, here it is. Scholars everywhere will delight in this new edition.

McCarthy's masterpiece, BLOOD MERIDIAN, is based upon historical sources, not just Chamberlain's MY CONFESSSION, but a whole library of western memoirs and documents. John Sepich documents and annotates the work here. The real histories of many of McCarthy's characters are examined. This edition features an easy-to-map of the locations named in the novel.

In addition, the literary, mythic, and cosmological allusions are itemized, discussed, explained, and indexed. John Sepich, in association with other scholars, now maintains his own website and presents a concordance of the work which, last time I checked, was available for free.

I only wish the original cover artwork had been retained for the dustjacket, as the romantic picture here, so recently used on Per Petterson's Pulitzer-nominated OUT STEALING HORSES just has the wrong feel. It may grow on me in time. But the text of the book is magnificently presented.

Those who already treasure BLOOD MERIDIAN will want to purchase the expanded hardcover edition of this work, which features two new essays by Sepich, "Knitting The Winds," and "Why Believe The Judge?" They are a definite treat.

All in all, the amazing work of scholarship worthy of the masterpiece it illuminates.

53 people found this helpful

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david

like me, were blown away by it

Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2015

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I'd be cautious about recommending Blood Meridian to innocent readers, doing so only with some important caveats, but if you've read McCarthy's masterpiece and, like me, were blown away by it, getting a sense of why it rates comparison with The Iliad and Moby Dick but not quite comprehending why, then this book is a very useful companion. The first part, where the author cites books McCarthy may have read as research material, and points out how much of his over-the-top tale is in fact based on solid fact, I found interesting (particularly some of the quotes from other books, such as the eyewitness account of the devil-may-care wit of a man being hanged without good reason) but what was really compelling for me were the later essays which invoke a range of references including Jung, the Tarot and religious symbolism to help give insight into what McCarthy may have been trying to do. It also helps explain that ending!

4 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer

A fantastic background read to a phenomenal novel. It traces the blood of Blood Meridian.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 5, 2020

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Great read. Very in-depth look at all of the major happenings. It goes into many aspects that I hadn't realised about McCarthy's masterpiece. Worth every penny.

Sérgio Rosado Provênça

Masterpiece

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 1, 2018

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If you ever needed an informed vision on how the american west was won read it. Not a summer read.

J M Doran

Re Notes on Blood Meridian

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 23, 2014

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The classic text, now revised and expanded, recommended for the reader who wants to expand their understanding of McCarthy's masterpiece.

2 people found this helpful

Michael J. Collins

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on February 26, 2018

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an essential companion to this classic book.

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Notes on Blood Meridian: Revised and Expanded Edition (Southwestern Writers Collection Series, Wittliff Collections at Texas State University) Paperback – Illustrated, September 1, 2008

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