Macmillan, 1976
Ragtime is that rare thing -- a book that got great reviews, was immediately popular, and has been popular ever since. Is it a genuine classic? Maybe a people's classic. I don't see a lot of academic criticism about it. On the other hand, it is probably keeping Doctorow's overall reputation alive. Not sure too many people are lining up to read "Loon Lake."
Allan was a big fan of Doctorow, although I think his copy of "Welcome to Hard Times" disappeared somewhere. Ragtime itself still has considerable value despite being printed in large numbers. Since it's such an American book, I don't think there's much market for the (rather blah) English edition, even signed like this one is.
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