First American edition of Michael Ende’s The Neverending Story, published by Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City, New York, 1983.
The copyright page explicitly states “First Edition,” with no number line present, consistent with Doubleday’s publishing practice of the period.
Translation copyright © 1983 by Doubleday & Company, Inc.; original German copyright © 1979 by K. Thienemanns Verlag Stuttgart.
Translated from the German by Ralph Manheim and illustrated by Roswitha Quadflieg.
Ende’s novel stands as one of the defining works of late twentieth-century fantasy literature. Structured as a story-within-a-story, it follows Bastian Balthazar Bux, a solitary boy who discovers a mysterious book that draws him into the endangered realm of Fantastica. The narrative explores imagination, identity, moral courage, and the cost of wish fulfillment, themes underscored by the emblematic injunction printed on the fictional book within the jacket art: “Do What You Wish.” The American first edition appeared shortly before the major motion picture adaptation directed by Wolfgang Petersen, further cementing the novel’s international reach.
This example is Near Fine, clean and well preserved, with no ownership markings or remainder indicators. The original pictorial dust jacket, priced at $15.95, remains unclipped and bright, showing only minor handling wear. A strong collector-grade copy of the first American edition of a modern fantasy landmark.
First American edition of Michael Ende’s The Neverending Story, published by Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City, New York, 1983.
The copyright page explicitly states “First Edition,” with no number line present, consistent with Doubleday’s publishing practice of the period.
Translation copyright © 1983 by Doubleday & Company, Inc.; original German copyright © 1979 by K. Thienemanns Verlag Stuttgart.
Translated from the German by Ralph Manheim and illustrated by Roswitha Quadflieg.
Ende’s novel stands as one of the defining works of late twentieth-century fantasy literature. Structured as a story-within-a-story, it follows Bastian Balthazar Bux, a solitary boy who discovers a mysterious book that draws him into the endangered realm of Fantastica. The narrative explores imagination, identity, moral courage, and the cost of wish fulfillment, themes underscored by the emblematic injunction printed on the fictional book within the jacket art: “Do What You Wish.” The American first edition appeared shortly before the major motion picture adaptation directed by Wolfgang Petersen, further cementing the novel’s international reach.
This example is Near Fine, clean and well preserved, with no ownership markings or remainder indicators. The original pictorial dust jacket, priced at $15.95, remains unclipped and bright, showing only minor handling wear. A strong collector-grade copy of the first American edition of a modern fantasy landmark.
