"A "cool, humorous, and affectionate" book of vignettes about a practice both universal and universally taboo: masturbation. In sixty-one vignettes, Harry Mathews records the imaginative varieties of this solitary activity in prose that is playful, intimate, urgent, quirky, and humane. The soloists range in age from nine to eighty; the locales from Australia to Zaire; the means of masturbation from the commonplace to the bizarre. The young man in Gaza with his hair dryers, the woman in Manila with her cello bow, the long ...
Read More
"A "cool, humorous, and affectionate" book of vignettes about a practice both universal and universally taboo: masturbation. In sixty-one vignettes, Harry Mathews records the imaginative varieties of this solitary activity in prose that is playful, intimate, urgent, quirky, and humane. The soloists range in age from nine to eighty; the locales from Australia to Zaire; the means of masturbation from the commonplace to the bizarre. The young man in Gaza with his hair dryers, the woman in Manila with her cello bow, the long-eared bat, the charioteer, the candelabra--this swirl of unlikely individuals and objects is brought together in such a way that it floods a world born fresh once more. "There is nothing pornographic, in the strict sense, about Mathews' text, since it does not seek to arouse the reader," wrote John Ash for Artforum. "His intention is to leave us deeply impressed by the ingenuity, tenacity, and inventiveness with which humans in all places and at all ages have pursued their own pleasure. He succeeds completely. "In this light-hearted collection, Mathews underscores the essential generosity of an apparently scandalous enterprise, where in the act of making love with ourselves we throw our imaginations open to a union with anything the universe itself has fended and fostered into being. The book is illustrated throughout with watercolors by Francesco Clemente that offer an intriguing counterpoint to Mathews's fictions"-- Provided by publisher.
Read Less
Add this copy of Singular Pleasures (American Literature) to cart. $19.15, good condition, Sold by Goodwill Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hillsboro, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Dalkey Archive Press.
Add this copy of Singular Pleasures (American Literature) to cart. $67.50, very good condition, Sold by Half Moon Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from High Falls, NY, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Dalkey Archive Press.
Add this copy of Harry Mathews: Singular Pleasures-Hardcover, First to cart. $69.00, very good condition, Sold by Big Star Books & Music rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from santa Fe, NM, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Dalkey Archive Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very Good in Like New jacket. Size: 5x0x8; As new, never read. Slight exterior shelf wear. Slight bowing to boards. Photos available. We ship daily. Expedited shipping available!
Add this copy of Singular Pleasures to cart. $407.00, like new condition, Sold by Cleveland Book Company rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Rocky River, OH, UNITED STATES, published 1988 by The Grenfell Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine. Octavo, unpaginated, illustrated. A very near fine copy in the publisher's black cloth with red paper spine label and red silk ribbon. Touch of white discoloration at the very bottom edges of the boards, only noticeable when holding the book upside down. Spine perhaps a tinge cocked. This is one of 350 limited copies SIGNED by both author and illustrator on the limitation page. First edition in English of this collection of erotic vignettes, executed on still-unopened leaves of Gampi and Kozo paper.
Add this copy of Singular Pleasures to cart. $20.13, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Dalkey Archive Press.
Add this copy of Singular Pleasures (American Literature) to cart. $61.45, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Clarita, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Dalkey Archive Press.
Add this copy of Singular Pleasures (American Literature) to cart. $95.61, new condition, Sold by Just one more Chapter rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Miramar, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Dalkey Archive Press.
Add this copy of Singular Pleasures to cart. $107.00, very good condition, Sold by Moe's Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Berkeley, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Dalkey Archive.
Add this copy of Singular Pleasures to cart. $122.11, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Clarita, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Dalkey Archive Press.
Add this copy of Singular Pleasures to cart. $169.23, new condition, Sold by Just one more Chapter rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Miramar, FL, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Dalkey Archive Press.
