The Wapshot Scandal (1964) Signed First Edition Reference
The Wapshot Scandal is John Cheever’s second novel and the sequel to The Wapshot Chronicle, published by Harper & Row in 1964 (the publisher had changed its name from Harper & Brothers in 1962). Where the first novel was warm and nostalgic, the sequel is darker and more satirical — Cheever’s tone had shifted in the intervening years, reflecting both his personal descent into alcoholism and his growing sense that the suburban America he chronicled was morally bankrupt beneath its pleasant surface.
The Novel
The novel returns to the Wapshot family but with a considerably more jaundiced eye. Cousin Honora, the family’s matriarch and financial anchor, is discovered to have been evading income taxes for decades. Moses Wapshot has become a suburban alcoholic; Coverly works at a missile test site that embodies Cold War absurdity. The small-town New England world of the first novel has been replaced by a fragmented, anxious America in which the old values no longer hold.
The Wapshot Scandal won the Howells Medal from the American Academy of Arts and Letters but was less commercially successful than its predecessor. Critics were divided — some admired its ambition and its willingness to confront darker material, while others missed the warmth of the first novel. In retrospect, the book marks the transition between Cheever’s early, lyrical mode and the harsher, more experimental work of Bullet Park and Falconer.
First Edition Identification
Publisher: Harper & Row, New York Publication date: 1964 Copyright page: First edition identification per Harper & Row convention Binding: Cloth-covered boards Dust jacket: Original 1964 jacket
Signed Copy Market Values
- Signed first edition, fine/fine: $500–$1,500
- Inscribed copies: $700–$2,000
- Unsigned first edition, fine/fine: $150–$400
The Wapshot Scandal occupies the middle tier of Cheever collecting — more valuable than the later novels but less sought after than the debut or the omnibus Stories. It is an essential acquisition for any serious Cheever collection and represents good value relative to its literary significance.
Collecting Notes
The dust jacket condition is the primary variable in pricing. Copies without jackets lose a significant portion of their value. The 1964 publication date means that copies have had sixty years of potential wear, and truly fine examples are not common. Signed copies are moderately available — Cheever was active on the literary circuit in the mid-1960s, and the book’s promotion generated a reasonable number of signed copies.