#10529 Mary and the Giant. Philip K. Dick.
Philip K. Dick

Mary and the Giant

Mary and the Giant is an early non-science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick written between 1953 and 1955, but not published until 1987.

Hardcover. First Edition, First Printing. Octavo, cloth-backed boards. New York: Arbor House, 1987. ISBN: 0877958505. #10529.
Fine in fine dust jacket.

Additional Details
Mary and the Giant is a lesser-known novel written by Philip K. Dick somewhere between 1953 and 1955, but not published until 1987 after his death. Set in 1953, Joseph Schilling establishes a music shop in Pacific Park, Southern California, joined later by Danny and Beth Coombes. Mary Anne Reynolds is interviewed for a position, but a touch from Schilling prompts her to back off. Carleton Tweaney, a lounge singer, helps her find a new home after she leaves her family. However, Beth's affair with Joseph drives Danny to attempt to shoot Carleton, resulting in his own death. Carleton and Mary Anne's relationship ends, and she ultimately chooses to work for Schilling, engaging in a complex relationship despite their significant age difference. Schilling aids her in renting and renovating her apartment, but Mary Anne decides to live in a rundown African American neighborhood. In the epilogue, she marries Paul Nitz, a pianist who collaborates with Carleton. Philip K. Dick described the novel as a modern take on Mozart's "Don Giovanni," with Schilling seduced and undone by a young woman.