FAULKNER, William. Go Down, Moses and Other Stories. New York: Random House, 1942.

FAULKNER, William. Go Down, Moses and Other Stories. New York: Random House, 1942.



8o. Original black cloth, first binding; pictorial dust jacket (price-clipped, a few old tape reinforcements on verso, some edgewear). Provenance: Else Jonsson (1912-96, presentation inscription; sold Christie\'s New York, 16 December 2004, lot 532).



FIRST EDITION, TRADE ISSUE, FIRST PRINTING. PRESENTATION COPY, INSCRIBED BY FAULKNER TO ELSE JONSSON ON THE DATE OF HIS NOBEL PRIZE ACCEPTANCE on the title: \"William Faulkner for Else 11 Oct 1950.\" A journalist, Thorsten Jonsson (1910-1950), served as the New York correspondent for a leading Swedish newspaper during World War II (1943-1946) while pursuing his interest in American contemporary authors. He translated Hemingway and Steinbeck into Swedish, and in Spring 1946, as part of his plan to undertake the translation of Faulkner\'s novels, he visited with Faulkner in Oxford, Mississippi. But four years later Thorsten passed away unexpectedly, survived by his widow Else and a young daughter. Because of her knowledge of English and American customs, Else, employed by the publishing firm of Bonniers, was to be Faulkner\'s liaison when he visited Stockholm to collect the Nobel Prize. A romance blossomed, as witnessed by the volumes inscribed to her.



Go Down, Moses is a collection of seven related pieces of short fiction, sometimes considered a novel. It spans more than a century in the history of the McCaslin family, viewing their hardships and triumphs by examining their daily lives. It is considered by some to be Faulkner\'s most spiritual book, as shown in the connection to nature and the land in \"The Old People,\" \"The Bear,\" and \"Delta Autumn.\" Peterson A23.2a.