Mistler's Exit

First edition. 8vo. Pp. [x], 206, [2]. Quarter bound black cloth over beige paper-covered boards, lettered in gilt to spine; rough-cut fore edges. Jacket design by Carol Devine Carson (priced $22.00 to front flap).

A 1998 New York Times Notable Book. Author's fifth novel. A wealthy scion of old money searches for the meaning of life amidst the decadent splendours of Venice after learning he has fatal liver disease.

Best known for his debut novel, Wartime Lies (1991), and the Schmidt trilogy, the first of which, About Schmidt (1996), was made into the eponymous 2002 film by Alexander Payne, starring Jack Nicholson. "There is perhaps no more worldly novelist writing today than Begley... A haunting work of art." –Publishers Weekly