The Stories of John Cheever (1978) Signed First Edition Reference
The Stories of John Cheever is one of the landmark publications in American literary history — an omnibus collection of sixty-one stories spanning three decades, published by Knopf in 1978, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and spent twenty weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. It is among the bestselling story collections in American publishing history and the single most important volume in the Cheever collecting universe.
The Collection
The sixty-one stories, drawn from Cheever’s four previous collections and enriched by additional selections, represent the full sweep of his achievement in the short form. The collection includes many of the most celebrated American short stories of the twentieth century: “The Enormous Radio,” “The Five-Forty-Eight,” “The Country Husband,” “The Swimmer,” and “Goodbye, My Brother,” among others.
“The Swimmer” — in which Neddy Merrill decides to swim home across the county via his neighbors’ pools, only to find that each pool marks a further stage in his own dissolution — may be the most anthologized and discussed American short story of the postwar period. Its inclusion here, alongside dozens of equally accomplished stories, gives the volume a cumulative power that transforms it from a mere compilation into an artistic statement.
The collection’s commercial success was unprecedented for a story collection. It spent months on the bestseller list, was a main selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club, and introduced Cheever to readers who had never encountered his work in The New Yorker. The Pulitzer Prize recognized what the market had already confirmed: this was a major cultural event, the canonization of a body of work that would endure.
First Edition Identification
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, New York Publication date: 1978 Pages: 693 pages Copyright page: “First Edition” stated per Knopf convention with appropriate number line Binding: Cloth-covered boards, substantial volume given the length Dust jacket: The original Knopf jacket design
Important: The book’s enormous commercial success means that later printings are very common. The number line on the copyright page is the definitive identification point — only copies with “1” as the lowest number are true first printings.
Signed Copy Market Values
- Signed first edition, fine/fine: $1,000–$3,000
- Inscribed copies: $1,500–$5,000
- Association copies: Premium for copies inscribed to fellow writers, editors, or literary figures
- Unsigned first edition, fine/fine: $200–$500
The book’s commercial success generated a large first printing and extensive book tour promotion, meaning signed first editions are more available than for Cheever’s less successful books. However, demand is also higher, driven by the Pulitzer, the bestseller status, and the book’s enduring critical reputation.
Why This Is the Cheever Trophy
The Stories of John Cheever is the volume that defines Cheever’s legacy. While The Wapshot Chronicle and Falconer are important novels, Cheever is ultimately remembered as one of the greatest American short story writers, and this volume is the definitive expression of that achievement. A signed first edition is the Cheever item that most fully represents his contribution to American literature.
The book also has a practical advantage for collectors: its 1978 publication date means copies in fine condition are more readily available than the 1950s and 1960s titles, and the large first printing provides a broader base of potential signed copies. For collectors seeking a single Cheever acquisition that combines literary significance, historical importance, and reasonable availability, this is the title.