ALMANAC OF THE DEAD. A Novel

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1991. First edition. Hardcover. A near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket. Signed by the author on the title page dated 1-12-1993. Almanac of the Dead begins with a map before the reader actually engages with any sentences. The map is a simplified version of the borderlands of the American Southwest with various cities marked, yet Tucson is designed as being a sort of center of the region. There are all kinds of names and arrows on the outlined territories, but their meaning only begins to make sense as the reader moves forward (truncated) in the novel. Silko's narrative takes place within this landscape, but Colombia also becomes a country where characters end up and others like Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, and Honduras are alluded to. It depicts the lives of many characters throughout six parts that contain various numbers of "books", embedded with short chapters that almost function as interconnected short stories. The story does away with normative constructs of time, as the reader is usually placed or "dumped" into various scenarios or moments which come into sharper view as the book moves along. Much of the story takes place in the "present", although lengthy flashbacks and mythos tied to indigenous knowledge, are also woven into the plot.763 pages. Laid into this copy is slick color 8-page staple-bound piece titled: "Notes on writing the book that Tony Hillerman calls "a masterwork of American literature" and Larry McMurtry describes as "brilliant, haunting, and tragic." Others join the parade of praise for this work, including; Maxine Hong Kingston, Richard RThis small book of praise is signed by the author and dated "4-16-95. (Inventory #: 14730)