Giovanni's Room

First published in 1956, this novel is narrated by David, a young American in Paris who is waiting for his fiancee Hella to return from Spain. In a gay bar he meets Giovanni, an Italian bartender, and begins an affair that he will not name to himself as love. The story moves between their rented room, the streets and cafes of the city, and David's memories of an earlier attachment to a boy in America. When Hella comes back, David must choose how to live and what to admit. The book is a study of desire, shame, and the cost of refusing a life he wants.

Quarter-bound in yellow cloth with monochrome picture printed paper sides. Slipcase printed with a wrap-around colour picture. (Signed by the illustrator on a tipped in sheet).