American Psycho

First edition thus. With revisions by Picador stated on the copyright page. 8vo. Pp. [x], 399, [1]. Publisher's black cloth boards, lettered in silver to spine; navy blue end papers. Jacket artwork by Marshall Arisman priced £10 on inner front flap [changed to £14.99 on subsequent printings].

Signed by Author to title page.

The second U.K. edition and first hardcover printing of the author's most controversial work. First published in the U.S. as a Vintage paperback original in 1991, after the Simon & Schuster edition was cancelled due to "aesthetic differences."

Set in Manhattan during the stock market boom of the late 1980s, American Psycho narrates the nefarious activities of wealthy young investment banker Patrick Bateman, which range from recreation among New York's social elite to forays into murder by night. Upon publication Ellis was inundated with death threats and hate mail. A cult classic, it was adapted into an award-winning film with Christian Bale, Reese Witherspoon and Willem Dafoe. ''A seminal book.'' –Fay Weldon, Washington Post