Non-Fiction Books

First published in 1976 and long out of print, a colorful memoir by the accomplished Irish novelist gracefully recounts the author's coming of age in rural Ireland against the background of Irish history and the customs of her village. Reprint. 15,000 first printing.

James and Nora: A Portrait of Joyce's MarriageAuthor: Edna O'BrienTitle: James and Nora: A Portrait of Joyce's MarriagePublication: Lord John PressEdition: FIRST THUSDescription: First Edition Thus (Limited Edition). Published by Lord John Press, 1981. Octavo. Hardcover in slipcase. Signed by O'Brien on page in back, 1 of 26 lettered copies (Lettered copy E). Book is like new. An excellent, signed copy of this classic biographical work. 100% positive feedback. 30 day money back guarantee. NEXT DAY SHIPPING! Excellent customer service. Please email with any questions. All books packed carefully and ship with free delivery confirmation/tracking. All books come with free bookmarks. Ships from Sag Harbor, New York.Seller ID: 319679Subject: Biography & Letters We Buy Books! Collections - Libraries - Estates - Individual Titles. Message us if you have books to sell!

This book is a celebration of Ireland—inspired by the stirring visual images of a prodigiously gifted Richard Fitzgerald had been recording scenic splendor and spirit of his homeland for many years, and when these photographs were brought together they formed a magnificent collection. It struck a deep chord in one of Ireland's finest novelists, Edna O'Brien, as it will in all who open this beautiful book. Both photographer and writer share a love of the Ireland that was—a land of shenanigans and miracles, whitewashed thatch cottages built of stone, religious fervor, and isolation from the rest of the world. Both are also wary of the collision of this ancient land with the late twentieth century and its consequent loss of a sense of wonder, its metamorphosis. They honor here the character and culture of a people and the profligate physical beauty of a landscape that remains inviolable.In unforgettable portraits Richard Fitzgerald captures the faces of those who have stayed behind—the elderly couples whose sons and daughters have long since emigrated and the lonely bachelors. He records the crumbling of stone and the majesty of nature, the overgrown deteriorating homesteads that dot the landscape like ancient monuments, women wearing black shawls, and fishermen in currachs, all of which are becoming a thing of the past along with the donkey and cart and botárin.

"How long it’s taken for these two mad, bad and dangerous writers to get together!" ―Alan Cheuse, San Francisco Chronicle Acclaimed biographer of James Joyce, Edna O’Brien has written a "jaunty" ( The New Yorker ) biography that suits her fiery and charismatic subject. She follows Byron from the dissipations of Regency London to the wilds of Albania and the Socratic pleasures of Greece and Turkey, culminating in his meteoric rise to fame at the age of twenty-four. With "a novelist’s understanding of tempo and characterization" ( Miami Herald ), O’Brien captures the spirit of the man and creates an indelible portrait that explodes the Romantic myth. Byron, as brilliantly rendered by O’Brien, is the poet as rebel, imaginative and lawless, and defiantly immortal. 8 pages of b/w illustrations

"Country Girl is Edna O'Brien's exquisite account of her dashing, barrier-busting, up-and-down life."-National Public Radio When Edna O'Brien's first novel, The Country Girls , was published in 1960, it so scandalized the O'Briens' local parish that the book was burned by its priest. O'Brien was undeterred and has since created a body of work that bears comparison with the best writing of the twentieth century. Country Girl brings us face-to-face with a life of high drama and contemplation. Starting with O'Brien's birth in a grand but deteriorating house in Ireland, her story moves through convent school to elopement, divorce, single-motherhood, the wild parties of the '60s in London, and encounters with Hollywood giants, pop stars, and literary titans. There is love and unrequited love, and the glamour of trips to America as a celebrated writer and the guest of Jackie Onassis and Hillary Clinton. Country Girl is a rich and heady accounting of the events, people, emotions, and landscape that have imprinted upon and enhanced one lifetime.