Somebody’s Darling.

MCMURTRY, Larry [Peter Bogdanovich].

Item Number: 103572

New York: Simon & Schuster, 1978.

First edition of the fourth novel in McMurtry’s Houston series. Octavo, original cloth. The dedication copy, inscribed by the author on the dedication page, “Peter [circled] Your contribution to this hectic effort was immense, but unfortunately so ineffable that for once you probably won’t be blamed Love, Larry.” McMurtry and Peter Bogdanovich are close friends, with Bogdanovich directing and co-writing the film The Last Picture Show, which was adapted from McMurtry’s novel. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Ben Johnson and Jeff Bridges for Best Supporting Actor, and Ellen Burstyn and Cloris Leachman for Best Supporting Actress, with Johnson and Leachman winning. In 1998 the film was deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. With Peter Bogdanovich’s signature and stamp to the second endpaper. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Paul Bacon. Jacket photograph by Diana Walker.

McMurtry's background is the Frontier, but the Frontier of Somebody's Darling is farther west than Texas; it is Hollywood and the motion picture business, where one woman, in love with two men, confronts her ambitions. A book of tremendous passion and strength, the novel conveys the extravagant tension of the film industry with McMurtry's signature acuteness and readability.