Kesey, Ken

8vo (202 x 135mm.), FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE, PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR ("Dear Barry; | This is one of a very | small first run of original | Cuckoos before I got sued by | a fat twit called Gwen Davies | (see page 86) and Viking made | me change the character to | a man called the Public | Relations. Only a couple | thousand got printed. | Rare. | Ken Kesey | 1987") on the front free endpaper, original green cloth printed in yellow on the spine, dust-jacket, collector's green cloth box, one minor closed tear at centre lower edge of dust-jacket

Sale, Sotheby's New York, 13 December 2011, lot 71

Condition is as described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate. Additional information: some minor creasing to jacket; book itself very fine
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

AN EXTENSIVE AND HUMOROUS INSCRIPTION, IN WHICH KESEY EXPLAINS THE SCARCITY OF THE FIRST ISSUE OF HIS MOST CELEBRATED NOVEL

Based on his experiences working nights at the Menlo Park Veterans' Hospital, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was later made into an Oscar winning film starring Jack Nicholson. Gwen Davis attempted to sue Kesey when the book was first published, believing the Red Cross worker in the novel was based on herself. Kesey later remarked, "She convinced enough people of the likeness to collect ten thousand bucks...Lucky, I guess, that she didn't decide she was Big Nurse....That would have cost me a whole hell of a lot more" (Gordon Lish, '"What the Hell You Looking in Here for, Daisy Mae?" An Interview with Ken Kesey (1963)).