FORTY STORIES by Barthelme, Donald - 1987

New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1987. First Edition. . Hardcover. Fine/Near Fine. The 10th collection of short stories from Barthelme, this book is considered the "companion" volume to his "Sixty Stories," issued six years earlier in 1981. Described variously as a postmodernist, or a surrealist, whose satiric stories often place his characters in absurd situations or environments, Barthelme was known an an innovator for his "flash" fiction or "short short" stories, many of which first appeared in "The New Yorker." First Edition, First Printing (with complete numberline). 256 pages quarter bound in red cloth over red paper-covered boards with gold lettering on spine. The dustjacket shows title and author's name in white on a red background on the front panel separated by a single, green design element. The back panel contains five "blurbs" praising "Paradise," Barthelme's 1986 novel. Boards and text are clean, complete and unmarked, tight and square. No tearing, creasing or bumping, not remaindered. The price-clipped dustjacket shows only some very light edge wear. No tears, no chipping or creasing. A collectable copy from one of the 20th century's short story masters.