The Boys in the Trees
- The Boys in the Trees
- Mary Swan
- Henry Holt, New York, 2008
It says something, I think, about the state of the publishing industry in Canada that Mary Swan had to go to the States to get her Giller Prize shortlisted novel The Boys in the Trees published.
Swan won an O. Henry Prize in 2001 for her short story The Deep.
Some of the editorial reviews were mixed, but the Amazon on-line customer reviews for this Canadian historical novel are mostly quite favourable. Many people talk about starting The Boys in the Trees again as soon as they have finished it; it is a deep story that can can withstand multiple reads.
This paperback original is an uncorrected proof. It is exactly the same as the first printing (including the 1 in the number line) except that the bottom of the back cover has a blurb with marketing and publicity information.
There has never been a hardcover version, but there have been many printings of this paperback edition.
Prices today on-line are only about $20 for unsigned first printings, even in fine condition like this one. There are no uncorrected proofs listed, but I would expect them to be about $30 to $40. Signed copies are a bit more expensive at $50 to $100. But if Mary Swan really breaks out some time down the road, this is the kind of book that could skyrocket in value, because of its low initial print run and its paperback fragility.
