McEwan's startling debut
MCEWAN, Ian. First Love, Last Rites. London: Jonathan Cape. 1975.
8vo. Original black boards gilt to spine with publisher's device to foot; unclipped jacket in black, white and green with wrap-around image by Bill Botten; pp. [ix], 9-165, [iii]; very good.
First edition. McEwan's first work, and a collection of short stories which he has subsequently referred to as his initial experimental output, written while he was a student and still attempting to find his voice as an author. He called them "A kind of laboratory for me. They allowed me to try out different things, to discover myself."
At the time, the tales of sibling incest, cross-dressing and cat-roasting children scandalised critics, but the collection also brought McEwan instant recognition, and kickstarted his writing career.
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