The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
Originally published in 1965, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch is one of Philip K. Dick's most mind-bending and entertaining novels. It takes place in a dystopian future where high temperatures on Earth are forcing the colonization of other planets. There colonists grapple with an existence made bearable only through drugs that offer escape to alternative realities. The novel explores several of Dick's favorite topics, including mind-altering drugs, the nature of reality, and religion. This scarce 1975 first printing of the third US paperback edition by Manor Books, includes a cigarette ad insert. The cover, with artwork by Bruce Pennington, is noteworthy, having previously appeared on the 1970 New English Library paperback edition of Frank Herbert’s Dune. Note, there is a more commonly found second printing of this Manor edition released in 1977 (so stated on the copyright page), but this version is harder to find.
Softcover. Third US Paperback Edition. Manor 12296 ($1.25). Cover artwork by Bruce Pennington. New York: Manor Books, 1975. Pringle, Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels (44). Jones & Newman, Horror: The 100 Best Novels (61). Levack 40k. Wintz & Hyde SF27.5. #11136.
Very good+ copy with creases to both covers. Spine is uncreased and book appears to be unread.
In The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Philip K. Dick crafts a mind-bending science fiction novel set in a future where escalating global temperatures have compelled the UN to mandate the colonization of nearby planets. Living under harsh conditions, colonists seek comfort through a drug called 'Can-D', which allows users to temporarily inhabit simulated realities, or 'layouts'. Influenced by real physical objects, these layouts offer an escape from their bleak everyday environment and can be experienced collectively.
The story unfolds through the eyes of Barney Mayerson, a precog employee at Perky Pat Layouts, who receives a draft notice for his involuntary resettlement to Mars. New York-based Perky Pat Layouts, Inc. holds a monopoly over the illegal Can-D market—until the enigmatic Palmer Eldritch returns from an interstellar journey bearing 'Chew-Z', an alien hallucinogen claimed to be superior to Can-D. With Eldritch’s arrival, Mayerson finds himself ensnared in a web of intrigue and plunged into a hallucinatory nightmare where the lines between reality and illusion blur. The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch delves into questions about mind-altering drugs, the nature of reality, and religion, all in signature Philip K. Dick fashion.