A Theft (1989) Signed First Edition Reference

A Theft (1989) is a short novella about Clara Velde, a high-powered media executive in New York, and her obsessive attachment to an emerald ring given to her by her lover. Published as a Penguin paperback original — not a hardcover first, which makes it a bibliographic curiosity — the novella was Bellow’s deliberate experiment with the mass-market format, an attempt to reach a broader audience by selling a literary novella at paperback prices.

First Edition Identification

Publisher: Penguin Books, New York Publication date: 1989 Format: Trade paperback (no hardcover first edition exists) First printing indicator: Number line on copyright page

The paperback-original publication is the defining bibliographic feature. There is no hardcover first edition to pursue — the paperback is the first and only edition.

Signed Copy Values

• Signed: $100–$300

Low pricing, reflecting the unusual paperback format and the novella’s modest critical profile. Signed paperbacks are inherently less desirable than signed hardcovers in the rare book market, and the novella’s brevity limits its collector appeal.

Collector Significance

A Theft is primarily significant as a bibliographic curiosity — a Nobel laureate publishing a novella as a mass-market paperback is unusual enough to warrant attention from collectors interested in publishing history and format experiments. The novella itself, while competent, is minor Bellow.

Market Notes

One of the cheapest signed Bellow items available. A completist acquisition at minimal cost.