Bastard Out of Carolina. By Dorothy Allison. First Edition, First Printing. Dutton. New York, 1992.

Dorothy Allison is a Southern literary talent who has carved her own place in the region’s literary culture. She writes about gender, sexuality, and class from a lesbian perspective. Her work is considered some of the best LGBTQ writing of her generation. Bastard Out of Carolina is her first published novel. It is a semi-autobiographical narrative about Ruth Anne Boatright, a child growing up with her mother and stepfather in South Carolina. As the narrative progresses, issues of class, sexual abuse, and dysfunctional parenting compound one another. The work is at times brutal and shocking. It became a surprise bestseller and a finalist for the National Book Award in 1992. This first edition, first printing is near-fine condition. In the original quarter cloth, near-fine with only minor rubbing to bottom edge and soiling to back board. Text block fine. In the original dust jacket, fine. A near-fine first edition of Bastard Out of California.