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Being Geniuses Together, 1920-1930 by Robert McAlmon, Kay Boyle

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This collaboration--posthumous in McAlmon's case--has proved amazingly successful. It gives us pictures of two lives--and many surrounding lives--from different angles, as if they had been taken with a stereoscopic camera. Thereby it gives us an impression of depth and substantiality that have been lacking in other memoirs of Paris in the 1920's. -- Malcolm Cowley, New York Times Book Review There was no more exhilarating decade in the history of modern letters than the twenties in Paris. They were all there: Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway, Gertude Stein, James Joyce, John Dos Passos, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Mina Loy, T. S. Eliot, Djuna Barnes, Ford Madox Ford, Katherine Mansfield, Alice B. Toklas... and with them were Robert McAlmon and Kay Boyle. Their collaborative memoir began as a book written by McAlmon in 1934. In the late 1960s, Kay Boyle revised and edited the book, adding alternating chapters of her own. The result is a marvelous chronicle of the period as seen through two sets of perceptive eyes. As both writers tell wonderful anecdotes--of Joyce on his evening binges, of Stein holding court, of Hemingway at his most vicious--they beautifully evoke 1920s Paris in this sad, funny, informative, and nostalgic memoir. On his side of the dual autobiography (an interesting device which works very well here) McAlmon tells fascinating stories... and he is always honestly direct. You like the man and you like the book... On the other side, Kay Boyle is a delightful writer with a style that can be dazzling, yet strong as steel... It is Miss Boyle who gives us the airy magic of Camelot-Paris simply by telling us the story of her hopelessly romantic life. -- Mario Puzo
Publication Details

Title: Being Geniuses Together, 1920-1930

Author(s):

  • Robert McAlmon
  • Kay Boyle

Illustrator:

Binding: Hardcover

Published by: Michael Joseph: , 1970

Edition:

ISBN: 9780718107246 | 0718107241

350 pages. 140 x 220mm

  • ENG- English
Book Condition: Very Good

Shelf wear
1047n

Pickup currently unavailable at Book Express Warehouse

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Product information

What does the Book Condition Very Good mean? Good? Fair?
See our descriptions of book descriptions here: book's conditions.
What does ffep stand for?
Front-facing endpaper - the first page of a book inside the cover. This page is typically blank. Often people will write their name on this page at the top, or a gift message - which is why you will see ‘owner’s name on ffep’ in some of our book descriptions.
What does dj stand for?
Dust Jacket - the outer paper wrapping on a hardback book. If we mention a book is ’No dj’ this means it should have a dust jacket but it is missing.
What is foxing?
Foxing is an age-related process of deterioration that causes spots and browning on old books. The causes of foxing are not well understood, but high humidity may contribute to to foxing. 
Foxing - Wikipedia
What is tanning?
Age tanning, or browning, occurs over time on the pages of books. This process can show up on just the edges of pages, when this occurs it is sometimes referred to as "edge tanning." This kind of deterioration is commonly seen in books printed before the advent of acid-free paper in the 1980s.
r/BookCollecting - Is this mold or normal aging for a well used book?
 
Where do you get your books from?
We buy books from the public and also take donations. We travel regularly around the Wellington/Manawatu region, and will go further afield to collect larger quantities in our big van. We also like to go to book fairs and other charity events and buy books that catch our eye.
Are your photos of the actual books being sold?
It depends - we have sometimes used stock images for very common books but are in the process of photographing our entire inventory. This will take awhile to finish! If we have 10 copies of the Da Vinci code all in Very Good condition, we will just photograph one and use that to represent all 10 in stock. However if the next copy of worn and only in Fair condition, we will photograph that separately and create a new listing for it.
What is the most expensive book you have sold?
To date it was a first edition first printing copy of JRR Tolkien’s The Two Towers. It was in very poor condition but still was worth over NZ$1000.
What is your favourite book to sell?
I love seeing anything written by Stephen King - they just do not stay in our inventory for very long before someone spots it and buys it. And Alison Holst’s book on muffins will not stay in inventory very long either - too cheap at $7 maybe?
Why do you also sell mailing supplies?
We had a lot of trouble sourcing the right sort of bubble mailer to send our books out in, and eventually found a supplier of high quality mailers in China to import them from. We figured other sellers of small items in New Zealand might like to also use them.
Are you open to the public?
Unfortunately our books are all stored in a large warehouse in boxes so they are not easily browsable. The SKU number for a book tells us where to find it in the warehouse, but there is absolutely no order to where things are stored! We do allow pickups so if you find what you like online you can order it and drop in to pick up p, saving on shipping.

 

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International orders normally arrive within 2-4 weeks of shipping. Please note that these orders need to pass through the customs office in your country before it will be released for final delivery, which can occasionally cause additional delays. Once an order leaves our warehouse, carrier shipping delays may occur due to factors outside our control. We, unfortunately, can’t control how quickly an order arrives once it has left our warehouse. Contacting the carrier is the best way to get more insight into your package’s location and estimated delivery date.

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Contact Details

  • Trade Name: Book Express Ltd
  • Phone Number: (+64) 22 852 6879
  • Email: sales@bookexpress.co.nz
  • Address: 35 Nathan Terrace, Shannon, 4821, New Zealand.
  • GST Number: 103320957 - We are registered for GST in New Zealand
  • NZBN: 9429031911290

       

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