#10600 The Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins.
Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games

Signed first printing

The Hunger Games is the first installment in Suzanne Collins' highly acclaimed dystopian series for young adults featuring teenage hero Katniss Everdeen. There are four novels in all, the first three comprising the trilogy: The Hunger Games (2008), Catching Fire (2009), and Mockingjay (2010). Each one was adapted for film, with Jennifer Lawrence starring as Katniss, establishing The Hunger Games film series. The film adaptation of Mockingjay was split into two feature-length films. The fourth book in the series is The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020) and is a prequel set 64 years before the original. A film version will be released in 2023.

This copy is signed by Collins on the half-title page and includes an author's stamp beneath the signature. The signature is not a stamp.


Hardcover. First Edition, First Printing. Octavo, boards. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. Golden Sower Award winner (2011). ISBN: 9780439023481. #10600.
Fine in fine dust jacket.

Additional Details
The Hunger Games, the opening installment in Suzanne Collins' celebrated young adult dystopian series, introduces readers to the brutal world of Panem—a post-apocalyptic North American nation. Here, the autocratic Capitol, both a symbol and enforcer of oppression, exerts its dominance over twelve subjugated districts. Every year, to both entertain and remind the districts of its absolute power, the Capitol orchestrates the Hunger Games: a televised fight-to-the-death involving two tributes, a boy and a girl, chosen from each district in a lottery.

The story centers around Katniss Everdeen, a resilient teenager from the impoverished District 12. When her younger sister faces the terrifying prospect of the Games, Katniss selflessly volunteers in her stead. Joined by Peeta Mellark, her district's male tribute, she plunges into a perilous arena. Beyond sheer strength, survival here demands strategic alliances and the same bow-hunting skills that once put food on her family's table.

Collins' novel masterfully critiques the voyeurism inherent in modern reality TV and the media's ability to numb audiences to real-world violence and suffering. The Capitol's affluent denizens revel in the spectacle of the Games, viewing the tributes not as human beings in a cruel contest but as fleeting celebrities. This gross media distortion contrasts sharply with the grim reality these tributes endure—mere pawns in a gruesome game. Through the gaudy extravagance of the Capitol set against the glaring poverty of the districts, Collins underscores the divides between the privileged elite and the marginalized working classes, echoing all-too-familiar disparities of wealth and power.

The Games, with their capricious rules and sudden shifts, may also be Collins' commentary on societal structures where entrenched inequities and unfair advantages prevail. This world demands a continuous performance for its ever-judging eyes, often at the expense of genuine self-expression. While it zealously appraises the surface—from clothing choices to company kept—it often disregards the internal battles and emotions that rage within. Simultaneously, Collins might be spotlighting the intense pressures modern teenagers endure, living in a digital age where each action could be magnified on social media, open for the world's relentless scrutiny and judgment.

As the Games unfold, Katniss emerges not merely as a participant but as a symbol of hope and defiance against a totalitarian state. Collins' novel stands both as a thrilling narrative and a stark mirror reflecting our own societal obsessions and disparities. It's undeniably one of the most celebrated dystopian novels ever written for young adults. The novel's success spawned an equally successful blockbuster film series, featuring a star-studded cast with Jennifer Lawrence in the role of Katniss.