Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace( First Edition, Second Printing (Little, Brown, 1996)

First edition, second printing of David Foster Wallace’s landmark novel Infinite Jest, published by Little, Brown and Company in 1996. The copyright page carries the number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2, confirming the second printing of the first edition.

Original blue paper-covered boards with darker blue cloth spine and silver lettering, accompanied by the original sky-and-cloud dust jacket. This is the iconic original hardcover design associated with the book’s 1996 publication.

This copy is in Very Good condition overall. The binding remains solid and square, with attractive blue boards and bright spine lettering. Interior appears clean and unmarked. Page block shows some age toning/soiling, particularly along the lower and fore edges. The original dust jacket remains bright and attractive, with light edge wear, rubbing, and minor creasing, most noticeable around the spine ends and corners. No major tears or losses are apparent from the photographs.

Infinite Jest is Wallace’s defining work and one of the major American novels of the late 20th century. Its sprawling 1,079-page narrative moves between the Incandenza family and Enfield Tennis Academy, a Boston-area addiction recovery house, and a mysterious film so entertaining that viewers lose the desire to do anything but watch it. Its nonlinear structure, extensive endnotes, dark comedy, and examination of addiction, entertainment, loneliness, achievement, and American culture established Wallace as one of the central writers of his generation.