✨ Featured Offer
Used, Like New
$30.74
List Price: $17.95
🚚
See all 5 offers from $15.52 FREE standard delivery by: 29 Mar 2026
Overview
""It began with a woman's name: Sylvia. I loved the name, I loved the song, 'Who is Sylvia and what is she?' And the other sweet song 'Sylvia's hair is like the night.' Dark hair, raven black, a tall woman and beautiful. I could envision her as I might a living person."" "So writes Howard Fast in his introduction to Sylvia, first published thirty-two years ago under the pseudonym of E. V. Cunningham. Fast, one of America's finest storytellers, had written the book at a time when he was hounded by J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI for his then radical views and was eventually blacklisted by same of America's most prestigious publishers. But Fast could not stop writing." "He told his agent, Paul R. Reynolds, "I have a book in my mind and it's seething there and driving me crazy."" ""Write it," Reynolds replied." ""And the blacklist?" Fast inquired." ""We'll worry about that when we have the manuscript," Reynolds said." "Fast then sat down to write Sylvia, the story of a woman born into unspeakable poverty who, against all odds, saves her soul from destruction and emerges, defiantly, as a woman of stature, talent, and great beauty. The novel would also be a tale of suspense, mystery, and action - the search of a down-on-his-luck private investigator hired by a millionaire to find out who his bride-to-be - Sylvia - actually is." "When Fast completed the book and gave it to Reynolds, the agent told him that publishers were still intimidated by the blacklist, and as a result, at Reynolds's suggestion, Fast took the pseudonym E. V. Cunningham. Now, for the first time, Sylvia is being published under Howard Fast's own name." "Howard Fast, a bestselling author, has published more than eighty books, including Citizen Tom Paine, Freedom Road, Spartacus, The Immigrants, ten plays, and twenty books of non-fiction." "Once labeled prolific, he detests the term and insists, "I'm not prolific. I'm just here a long time."" "In France, where the blacklist has no meaning, Sylvia was published under Fast's name and has sold over a hundred thousand copies. A new edition of fifty thousand copies has just been printed there." "In regard to the American edition, the author comments, "Since Sylvia is one of my favorites, I am absolutely delighted that at this late date, while I'm still alive and well, I can see it published under the name of Howard Fast.""--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
| ISBN-13 | 9781559721288 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10 | 1559721286 |
| Weight | 1.25 Pounds |
| Dimensions | 5.75 x 1.25 x 8.50 In |
| List Price | $17.95 |
| Format | Hardcover |
|---|---|
| Pages | 240 pages |
| Publisher | Birch Lane Pr |
| Published On | 1992-07-01 |
View All Offers
Sort by:
Price
Condition
Seller
Seller Comments
Price
Used, Very Good
Seller details
Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB
Frederick, MD, USA
Very Good condition. Good dust jacket. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also conta...
Free delivery by: 29 Mar 2026
✨ Used, Like New
Seller details
Southampton Sag Harbor Books
Southampton, NY, USA
First Edition, First Printing (Full Number Line). Not price-clipped ($17.95 price intact). Publish...
Free delivery by: 29 Mar 2026
Used, Like New
Seller details
JOHN LUTSCHAK BOOKS
BURLINGTON, WI, USA
BOOK IS FINE WITHOUT ANY MARKS TO THE BINDING OR THE TEXT. D.J. IS FINE AND IS NOT PRICE-CLIPPED. ...
Free delivery by: 29 Mar 2026
Used, Good
Seller details
Bonita
Santa Clarita, CA, USA
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. May be an ex-library book.
Free delivery by: 29 Mar 2026
Used, Like New
Seller details
Gear
The Bronx, NY, USA
Book. 8vo or 8° (Medium Octavo): 7¾" x 9¾" tall. 332 pp. Clean, fresh copy and dj with very light s...
Free delivery by: 29 Mar 2026