THE WORDS

George Braziller, New York, 1964, BCE.  Hard cover, 255 pages.  Black boards with white lettering and design on spine; some spots on front board; some edge, corner and spine end wear.  Binding sound with head and tail bands.  Dust jacket complete; some edge and cover wear, short edge tears and small losses; sticker residue on front panel, sunning.  Prior owner’s ex libris label on front paste-down; remainder of interior clean and unmarked with tanned pages; rose top-stain.  Translated from the French by Bernard Frechtman.  ‘Now, at fifty-nine, Sartre has undertaken his autobiography, bringing to his own childhood the same rigor of honesty and insight which he has applied so brilliantly in earlier books to Baudelaire and Jean Genet. … But ultimately, Sartre is exploring and evaluating the whole use of books and language in human experience.  It was the great illusion of his life, he argues, that he grew up loving books, and taking it for granted that a courageous and productive literary career could do something positive on behalf of humanity’s total struggle.  If he eventually came to think otherwise, nonetheless his childhood joy in words, and his lifetime’s commitment to their just and purposeful use, have remained powerful enough to sustain him. (from flaps)