Walter S. Tevis Libri

Perdere, vincere, cedere, resistere: imparare, grazie al gioco più solitario che ci sia, a chiedere aiuto, e a lasciarselo dare. Finita in orfanotrofio all'età di otto anni, Beth Harmon sembra destinata a una vita grigia come le sottane che è costretta a indossare. Ma scopre presto due vie di fuga: le pillole verdi, distribuite a lei e alle altre ragazzine dell'orfanotrofio, e gli scacchi. Il suo talento prodigioso è subito lampante; una nuova famiglia e tornei sempre più glamour e avvincenti le permettono di intravedere una nuova vita. Se solo riuscisse a resistere alla tentazione di autodistruggersi..

Lo «spaccone» del titolo -­ reso immortale dall'interpretazione che ne fece sul grande schermo un Paul Newman in stato di grazia -­ è Eddie Felson, detto Fast Eddie, un giocatore di biliardo professionista bravo e sbruffone che, dopo aver messo insieme un piccolo capitale frutto di vincite nelle sale di provincia, arriva a Chicago per sfidare la leggenda locale Minnesota Fats. Ma nella grande città, dopo un'epica battaglia di quaranta ore filate che si conclude con un'atroce sconfitta, Eddie si rende conto che la posta in gioco nella sua vita è ben più del denaro, e che la sfida contro se stesso potrebbe costargli molto più cara di quanto lui sia disposto a puntare.

Siamo nel 2467 e da diverse generazioni sono i robot a prendere ogni decisione, mentre un individualismo esasperato regola la vita dell'uomo: la famiglia è abolita, la coabitazione vietata e ogni persona assume quotidianamente un mix di psicofarmaci e antidepressivi. I suicidi sono in aumento, non nascono più bambini e la popolazione mondiale sta avviandosi all'estinzione. Simbolo e guardiano dello status quo è Spofforth, androide di ultima generazione che agogna un suicidio che gli è però impedito dalla sua programmazione. A lui si contrapporranno Paul Bentley, un professore universitario che, riscoperta casualmente la lettura dimenticata da tempo, grazie ai libri apprende l'esistenza di un passato e la possibilità di un cambiamento, e Mary Lou, che sin da piccola ha rifiutato di assumere droghe pur di tenere gli occhi aperti sulla realtà.Tevis si muove dall'incrocio di queste tre vite creando una distopia postmoderna sulle inquietudini dell'uomo, dove la tecnologia senza controllo si trasforma da risorsa in pericolo. Prefazione di Goffredo Fofi. Con una nota di Jonathan Lethem.

Walter Tevis is the acclaimed author of The Hustler, The Man Who Fell to Earth and The Queen's Gambit.'A moral tale that has elements of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, Superman and Star Wars' LA TIMES

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Engaging and fast-paced, this gripping coming-of-age novel of chess, feminism, and addiction speeds to a conclusion as elegant and satisfying as a mate in four. Now a highly acclaimed, award-winning Netflix series. Eight year-old orphan Beth Harmon is quiet, sullen, and by all appearances unremarkable. That is, until she plays her first game of chess. Her senses grow sharper, her thinking clearer, and for the first time in her life she feels herself fully in control. By the age of sixteen, she’s competing for the U.S. Open championship. But as Beth hones her skills on the professional circuit, the stakes get higher, her isolation grows more frightening, and the thought of escape becomes all the more tempting.

The book holds significant value in literature, recognized by scholars and academicians for its contributions to knowledge. To ensure its preservation for future generations, it has been reprinted in its original format, complete with any marks or annotations from the first publication. This approach maintains the authenticity and true nature of the work, emphasizing its enduring relevance.

This collection features the complete short fiction of a renowned author, celebrated for their bestselling work, The Queen's Gambit. It showcases a diverse range of stories that highlight the author's unique narrative style and thematic depth, offering readers a chance to explore new characters and settings. Perfect for fans and newcomers alike, this anthology promises to captivate with its blend of creativity and insight.

When it was published in 1959, The Hustler was hailed as the first (and the best)novel written about pool/billiards in the long history of the game. The novel was soon turned into a film that starred Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason. The Hustler is the story of Fast Eddie Felson, a poolroom hustler who travels from town to town conning strangers into thinking they could beat him at the game when in fact, he is a highly-skilled player who has never lost a game. But then he goes off to Chicago and comes face to face with Minnesota Fats, a king of the poolroom, and defeat and the quest to get even presents a gripping read. Tevis was based in Ohio.

The remarkable novel upon which the stunning cult film was based. 'Beautiful ... The story of an extraterrestrial visitor from another planet is designed mainly to say something about life on this one' NEW YORK TIMES Thomas Jerome Newton is an extraterrestrial from the planet Anthea, which has been devastated by a series of nuclear wars, and whose inhabitants are twice as intelligent as human beings. When he lands on Earth - in Kentucky, disguised as a human - it's with the intention of saving his own people from extinction. Newton patents some very advanced Anthean technology, which he uses to amass a fortune. He begins to build a spaceship to help the last 300 Antheans migrate to Earth. Meanwhile, Nathan Bryce, a chemistry professor in Iowa, is intrigued by some of the new products Newton's company brings to the market, and already suspects Newton of being an alien. As Bryce and the FBI close in, Newton finds his own clarity and sense of purpose diminishing. Discover the book which inspired the classic film with David Bowie and the new Paramount+ series with Chiwetel Ejiofor!

The sequel to The Hustler sees former champion "Fast" Eddie Felson return to the thrilling world of competitive pool—from the bestselling author of The Queen’s Gambit. The basis for the famed Martin Scorsese film. "Tevis writes about pool with power and poetry and tension.... Grabs the reader and doesn't let go. You don't have to appreciate pool to like this book, to appreciate its sense of living on the edge." —Washington Post Twenty years have passed since “Fast” Eddie Felson conquered the underground pool circuit. During that time he married and ran his own pool hall, but having left that all behind he’s now badly in need of money, and pool is all he knows. On the beautiful aquamarine waters of the Florida Keys, he ropes his former rival Minnesota Fats into a series of exhibition matches in the hopes of picking up a cable TV deal. But playing the old master, a terrible feeling nags at him that he’s sat on his talent and that the best part of him is now gone. And when he vows to get back in the game—seriously, this time—he finds a challenging road ahead, and the only thing standing in his way is himself.