Description
Author: Sharon Webb
Publisher: Bantam Books
Year: 1983
Edition: First Bantam paperback edition (November 1983, Full Number Line 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1)
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 245
Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+) mass-market paperback with pristine spine and vibrant cover gloss.
Publisher: Bantam Books
Year: 1983
Edition: First Bantam paperback edition (November 1983, Full Number Line 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1)
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 245
Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+) mass-market paperback with pristine spine and vibrant cover gloss.
Originally published in hardcover by Atheneum in 1982, this November 1983 release is the true first paperback edition of Sharon Webb’s acclaimed debut novel, book one of The Earth Song Triad. The plot develops around the Mouat-Gari process, a medical breakthrough granting absolute biological immortality to children, and follows Kurt Kraus as he navigates the complex social fragmentation and existential despair of a world run by an ageless, immortal ruling class.
A Note on the Author:
Sharon Webb stands as a notable figure in a publishing era where female voices in hard science fiction remained heavily underrepresented. A registered nurse by trade, Webb directly applied her clinical medical background to her writing. Rather than treating immortality as a fantasy trope, she approaches the concept with a deeply grounded, psychological, and biological realism, examining the societal stagnation that occurs when a species stops aging.
Sharon Webb stands as a notable figure in a publishing era where female voices in hard science fiction remained heavily underrepresented. A registered nurse by trade, Webb directly applied her clinical medical background to her writing. Rather than treating immortality as a fantasy trope, she approaches the concept with a deeply grounded, psychological, and biological realism, examining the societal stagnation that occurs when a species stops aging.
The Visual Aesthetic:
This volume features incredible, atmospheric cover artwork by John Rush. Rendered in a striking, art-deco-infused framing layout, the composition displays two central figures back-to-back amidst warm celestial gradients, perfectly mirroring the book's themes of immortality and human isolation. The cover includes a notable blurb from grandmaster Theodore Sturgeon, adding deep historical value for genre collectors tracking the golden era of 1980s speculative paperbacks.
This volume features incredible, atmospheric cover artwork by John Rush. Rendered in a striking, art-deco-infused framing layout, the composition displays two central figures back-to-back amidst warm celestial gradients, perfectly mirroring the book's themes of immortality and human isolation. The cover includes a notable blurb from grandmaster Theodore Sturgeon, adding deep historical value for genre collectors tracking the golden era of 1980s speculative paperbacks.
Collector's Condition Details:
Very Good Plus (VG+) / Near Fine Archive Quality. A spectacular specimen sourced directly from a pristine, single-owner private collection of uncreased spinner-rack literature. The front and back wrappers maintain their deep, lustrous black background and highly reflective gloss coating with no surface scuffing. The spine is completely straight, tightly bound, and flawless, showing zero vertical reading creases or stress marks. Interior pages are clean, square, and tight, with very light, uniform edge toning consistent with 1980s pulp paper stock. The volume is preserved within a museum-grade archival protective sleeve.
Very Good Plus (VG+) / Near Fine Archive Quality. A spectacular specimen sourced directly from a pristine, single-owner private collection of uncreased spinner-rack literature. The front and back wrappers maintain their deep, lustrous black background and highly reflective gloss coating with no surface scuffing. The spine is completely straight, tightly bound, and flawless, showing zero vertical reading creases or stress marks. Interior pages are clean, square, and tight, with very light, uniform edge toning consistent with 1980s pulp paper stock. The volume is preserved within a museum-grade archival protective sleeve.