Where can I get Joseph McElroy's Women and Men?

[dfw]

on amazon only a few sellers have it and they're charging over a hundred dollars

do libraries carry it?
not the ones i've checked

[islandclimber]

It may be found at a few University libraries in bigger cities.

If I recall correctly it had a print run as a two volume work, and then as a single volume work, and has remained out-of-print since. Some 20 years or so. That explains the price. There aren't too many copies of it floating around.

I'd recommend checking out his earlier novels Lookout Cartridge and A Smuggler's Bible and Hind's Kidnap... The last one is hard to find for a decent price, although I think there are copies on Abebooks for about $25. The first two can be found for as little as $5 on Abebooks. And are generally easy finds in well-stocked used bookshops. Plus, all three are fantastic books.

With regards to Women and Men... I was lucky enough to chance upon a leather bound copy from a tiny print run, in a used bookshop a few years ago. For $30! I'd just keep an eye open. Eventually you'll stumble across a copy when you least expect it. And his other works are pretty amazing to keep you company during the long search.

You may have read this article already, as it was from that same series of articles that contained that 61 essential post-modern reads list. Here it is anyways.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2009/07/the-lost-postmodernist-joseph-mcelroy.html

[grechzoo]

+good luck man,

im having the same problem with Darconvilles Cat.

[Desolation]

I tried looking into it a little bit...It's really hard to find at a reasonable price. Like islandclimber said, you just might have to wait until you stumble across it somewhere unexpected, or until Dalkey reissues it (and you never know, they might, even though they haven't printed it since '93...but they like to keep things like that alive).

[islandclimber]

http://www.worldcat.org/title/women-and-men-a-novel/oclc/13524399

DFW, just type in your location here and it will show libraries that hold this book in that location. I don't where you're from, but if it's a major city there will be copies at some library.

[dwnwthvwls]

Weird, his books were not so expensive recently. Not sure if you'd settle for an ebook but Dzanc Books is reissuing all his back titles as ebooks at some point. I actually have 2 copies (ditto Darconville's Cat -- no wonder you can't find any) but got em for $5-10.

[islandclimber]

Women and Men is the only one of his books that is overly expensive. It's somewhat understandable as it has been out of print for 20 years, and the original print runs weren't all that large due to the rather lengthy and difficult nature of the book and the likely readership.

I'd never heard of Dzanc Books. That's pretty cool that they've been reissuing so many out of print titles.

[dfw]

islandclimber,
thanks for that link


there are actually quite a few that hold it close to me
the los angeles public library has a copy
so i'll def check that out