Maclean, Norman | A River Runs Through It, first edition, inscribed by Maclean

Maclean, Norman

A River Runs Through It. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, [1973]

8vo (215 x 135 mm). Inscribed by Maclean on the front free endpaper, half-title, with the truncated 9-digit ISBN code on copyright page, and "adways" (for "always") on p. 27. Publisher's blue cloth, spine lettered in silver, cream endpaper; minor rubbing to foot of spine. Original blue dust-jacket, pictorially printed in black and lettered in white; minor rubbing to edges. Generally a lovely copy.

First edition, first printing, presentation copy.

“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters.” ― Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It and Other Stories

Fifty years ago, Norman Maclean published A River Runs Through It and Other Stories (1976). Maclean was 73 years old, and this was his first work of original fiction. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, it went on to sell more than a million copies, and is now considered a classic. "The novella almost never came to be. Maclean worked for 45 years as an English teacher and administrator at the University of Chicago, a stern but beloved figure on campus. Upon retirement in 1973, he wrote to a friend and said, 'I think I’ll try a little writing'" (Burke). A professor of English literature, Maclean published only two academic articles over the course of his career at the University of Chicago. He'd intended to compose a work on fly fishing. Instead, he penned a poignant exploration of nature, family, masculinity, faith, and addiction.

Signed or inscribed copies are rare on the market.

REFERENCES

Burke, Monte, "Could ‘A River Runs Through It’ Have Been a Hit Today?" in The New York Times, 20 April 2026, accessed 21 April 2026: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/20/books/could-a-river-runs-through-it-have-been-a-hit-today.html