First edition book: Lord of the Flies by William Golding. First American edition, first printing. NY: Coward-McCann, 1955. Hardcover bound in crisp beige cloth, spine stamped brightly in green, greyish-blue cloth textured boards, with pictorial dust jacket (including "$3.50" price on front flap), 5.75 x 8.25, 243 pages. Book condition: NF/VG+, with a tiny piece missing at the bottom corner of the rear jacket flap.
From the front flap: "There is sheer delight in this adventure of well-brought-up little boys who find themselves on a deserted island and there is horror in its most frightening form when they fall prey to the pressure of raw nature. Imagination combines with realism as innocence gives way to cunning and primitive violence. In this, his first novel, William Golding writes with the compelling power that marks true literary achievement." Lord of the Flies was awarded a place on both lists of Modern Library 100 Best Novels, reaching number 41 on the editor's list and 25 on the reader's list, and chosen by Time magazine as one of the 100 best English-language novels since 1923.