The Monkey Wrench Gang - Edward Abbey 1975 - J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia and New York - First Edition ‘Hell of a place to lose a cow,’ Smith thinks to himself while roaming through the canyonlands of southern Utah. ‘Hell of a place to lose your heart. Hell of a place... to lose. Period’.

‘Since the publication of
The Monkey Wrench Gang, Mr. Abbey has become an underground cult hero.’ - New York Times

A fine first edition of this inspirational and incendiary call to protect the American wilderness, by its prickliest and most outspoken environmentalist. A ‘comic extravaganza’ based on a group of misfits who join forces with a Vietnam vet on a rafting trip down the Colorado River, and together they wander off to wage war on the big yellow machines.

‘Ribald, outrageous and, in fact, scandalous.’ -
Smithsonian.
  Abbey sums up his writing style better than we can – ‘I write in a deliberately provocative and outrageous manner because I like to startle people. I hope to wake up people. I have no desire to simply soothe or please. I would rather risk making people angry than putting them to sleep. And I try to write in a style that's entertaining as well as provocative. It's hard for me to stay serious for more than half a page at a time.’.

Environmental activist group ‘Earth First’ acknowledges the book’s influence by using a monkey wrench in it’s logo.

‘A sad, hilarious, exuberant, vulgar fairy tale... It'll make you want to go out and blow up a dam.’ -
National Observer.

Octavo (book size 23.6x16cm), pp. 352. Publisher’s red cloth-backed black paper covered boards, spine lettered in silver, silver monkey-wrench insignia stamped at lower right corner, tan map endpapers. Dust jacket designed by Paul Bacon, slightly smaller than book as published, priced ‘$8.95’ to lower corner of front flap.
  Condition: Fine in fine dust jacket without fading to red lettering on spine.   Ref: 111744   Price: HK$ 6,000