Cities of the Plain [Cormac McCarthy]

[Cowboys] [Clash] [Modernity]

Cities of the Plain

Cormac McCarthy

Borzoi Books, NY. 1998. First edition hardcover. Remainder mark on bottom of text block, otherwise clean. An excellent, near mint copy.

From the publisher:

"The setting is New Mexico in 1952, where John Grady Cole and Billy Parham are working as ranch hands. To the North lie the proving grounds of Alamogordo; to the South, the twin cities of El Paso and Juarez, Mexico. Their life is made up of trail drives and horse auctions and stories told by campfire light. It is a life that is about to change forever, and John Grady and Billy both know it.

The catalyst for that change appears in the form of a beautiful, ill-starred Mexican prostitute. When John Grady falls in love, Billy agrees—against his better judgment—to help him rescue the girl from her suavely brutal pimp. The ensuing events resonate with the violence and inevitability of classic tragedy. Hauntingly beautiful, filled with sorrow, humor and awe, Cities of the Plain is a genuine American epic."

Despite being the third book in the border trilogy, it works as a standalone if you're feeling antsy. Amazing stuff; kind of underrated, if that's possible.

The border trilogy rocks and all the copies you'd find at estate sales are getting scooped by twisted flippers - buy this one instead.