The Pre-Loved edit from Shopbop
To share your reaction on this item, open the Amazon app from the App Store or Google Play on your phone.
Add Prime to get Fast, Free delivery
Amazon prime logo
Buy new:
-25% $14.17
FREE delivery Monday, January 27 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$14.17 with 25 percent savings
List Price: $19.00
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Monday, January 27 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE delivery Friday, January 24. Order within 16 hrs 58 mins.
In Stock
$$14.17 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$14.17
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$7.12
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
Book shows signs of wear and tear to be expected with a well-loved previously owned book. Not the prettiest (I wouldn't give it as a gift), but not falling apart either. Cover and/or pages show signs of use/wear. No (or extremely minimal) writing, underlining, or highlighting (other than possibly previous owner's name/note). We carefully inspected this book and feel it is a solid reading copy at a great price! Comes with Super Fast Shipping – usually leaves warehouse within 24 hours. Professional packaging with tracking number and 24/7 customer service provided at no additional cost. 100% satisfaction guaranteed with every purchase! Book shows signs of wear and tear to be expected with a well-loved previously owned book. Not the prettiest (I wouldn't give it as a gift), but not falling apart either. Cover and/or pages show signs of use/wear. No (or extremely minimal) writing, underlining, or highlighting (other than possibly previous owner's name/note). We carefully inspected this book and feel it is a solid reading copy at a great price! Comes with Super Fast Shipping – usually leaves warehouse within 24 hours. Professional packaging with tracking number and 24/7 customer service provided at no additional cost. 100% satisfaction guaranteed with every purchase! See less
FREE delivery Monday, January 27 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE delivery Saturday, January 25. Order within 19 hrs 43 mins.
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$14.17 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$14.17
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the authors

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

City of Glass (New York Trilogy, 1) Paperback – July 31, 2000

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 189 ratings

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$14.17","priceAmount":14.17,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"14","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"17","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"MBHQZnrNAdPEFNGnV6JDIw8by4I%2Bvr9H80qVRy6LKVfr6XAz97jWt1ejvKkMzOLKgKa2EF%2B6uNTn96JVv63oWPjItNyaKtilkdwgvpyy1WPIso%2FVjf1fPVdbkYooG6e7MtiX%2BkAtvMo%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$7.12","priceAmount":7.12,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"7","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"12","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"MBHQZnrNAdPEFNGnV6JDIw8by4I%2Bvr9H6Gohtqlc8EZcgc3G%2F%2FZg%2BZCWvwxzOY3wGVI5STuLzb9Jt7Jm08%2FF5VvBbsd5x2htH6fGlCsy6K2v0mBfzDngX6i85mGDcvAeb1HecwgohyRtXs%2FOKaILFC9aOuQ9epsvFwo26MJ2hH71U73etRvddQ%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The highly acclaimed graphic novel adaptation of Paul Auster's classic City of Glass, featuring a new introduction by Art Spiegelman.

Quinn writes mysteries.
The Washington Post has described him as a "post-existentialist private eye." An unknown voice on the telephone is now begging for his help, drawing him into a world and a mystery far stranger than any he ever created in print.

Adapted by Paul Karasik and David Mazzucchelli, with graphics by David Mazzucchelli, Paul Auster's groundbreaking, Edgar Award-nominated masterwork, the first in the New York Trilogy, has been astonishingly transformed into a new visual language.

"[This graphic novel] is, surprisingly, not just a worthy supplement to the novel, but a work of art that fully justifies its existence on its own terms."--
The Guardian

The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

This item: City of Glass (New York Trilogy, 1)
$14.17
Get it as soon as Monday, Jan 27
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$12.47
Get it as soon as Monday, Jan 27
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$29.59
Get it as soon as Monday, Jan 27
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Treatment
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Karasik and Mazzucchelli's 1994 comics adaptation of Auster's existentialist mystery novel, reprinted here with an introduction by Art Spiegelman, has been a cult classic for years. The Comics Journal named it one of the 100 best comics of the century. Miraculously, it deepens the darkness and power of its source. Auster's novel (about a novelist named Quinn who's mistaken for a detective named Paul Auster and loses his mind and identity in the course of a meaningless case) zooms around in metafictional spirals, but it doesn't have a lot of visual content. In fact, it's mostly about the breakdown of the idea of representation and the widening chasm between signifier and signified. So the artists, perversely and brilliantly, play fast and loose with the text. Mazzucchelli draws everything in a bluntly sketched, bold-lined style, and having set up a suitably film noir mood at the beginning, he substitutes literal depictions of what's happening for symbolic or iconic images wherever possible. One character's monologue about the loss of meaning in his speech is drawn as a long zoom down his throat, followed by Charon arising from a void, a cave drawing, a series of holes and symbols of muteness and finally a broken marionette at the bottom of a well. This reflected, shattered Glass introduces a whole new set of resonances to Auster's story, about the things images can and can't represent when language fails.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–Auster's novella, originally published as part of the groundbreaking "Neo-Lit" series (Sun & Moon, 1985; o.p.), holds up in this adaptation. Daniel Quinn, a reclusive poet turned mystery writer living in New York City, receives calls from an unknown and perplexing individual who mistakes him for the detective Paul Auster (not to be confused with Auster the writer, who also appears in the book). After giving in to curiosity, Quinn accepts the case as protector of Peter Stillman, a young man whose father tortured him with experiments of sensory deprivation to discover the original language of God. As Quinn delves into the case, he becomes caught within the pair's obsessions. Karasik and Mazzucchelli tone down some of the metafictional aspects of the novella, but they streamline and focus the story without sacrificing too much of Auster's intent. Mazzucchelli's simple, straightforward artwork is ultimately what makes this version really work, transforming a highly intellectual tale based mostly around language and the word into a world of surreal visual meditations. The use of heavy black lines against a white background is reminiscent of the noir movies that partially influenced the original; when the characters dive further and further into insanity, the images become increasingly abstract. Combined with the unusual story, this technique makes for a unique introduction to some complex ideas of postmodernism without getting in the way of the plot.–Matthew L. Moffett, Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0312423608
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Picador; First Edition (July 31, 2000)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 144 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780312423605
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312423605
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.56 x 0.36 x 8.32 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 189 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
189 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers

Customers say

Customers find the story engaging with its depth and rich symbolism. They appreciate the visual style and pacing, which is beautifully illustrated and enriches the work without distracting from it. The book is described as profound yet not too heavy.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

11 customers mention "Suspenseful story"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the story suspenseful and profound. They appreciate the allusions, symbolism, puns, linguistic twists, irony, and quick syntax of detective fiction. The story is described as chilling and complex, with a frightening message about modern life.

"...This adaptation is suspenseful and thankfully it's short so it's easy to finish in one or two readings...." Read more

"...But just as he did an outstanding job to adapt his style to the BATMAN story, MAZZUCCHELLI did a great job for CITY OF GLASS...." Read more

"...name speaks volumes about the craft of the author; the quick syntax of detective fiction when Quinn is Auster is beautifully reminiscent of Phillip..." Read more

"Paul Karasik's graphic novel is as brilliant, complex, and multi-layered as Paul Auster's CITY OF GLASS...." Read more

11 customers mention "Visual style"11 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the visual style of the book. They find it visually appealing and a masterful storytelling through imagery. The images enhance the work without distracting from it, and the author seamlessly integrates words and pictures into one another.

"...If you're looking for something short, suspenseful, and well-illustrated, look no further...." Read more

"...is condensed but very little depth is sacrificed, and the images manage to enrich the work without distracting from its ideas...." Read more

"...at expressing the main characters depression. The art is very simple..." Read more

"...Stillman and Auster makes me smile with joy that an author encapsulated the form so subtlely and let the audience 'get it' on their own...." Read more

3 customers mention "Pacing"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's pacing. They find it complex and multi-layered, similar to Paul Auster's City of Glass. The story is described as great for that book.

"...to adapt his style to the BATMAN story, MAZZUCCHELLI did a great job for CITY OF GLASS...." Read more

"...syntax of detective fiction when Quinn is Auster is beautifully reminiscent of Phillip Roth; the Socratic philosophical dialogue between Stillman..." Read more

"...'s graphic novel is as brilliant, complex, and multi-layered as Paul Auster's CITY OF GLASS...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2012
    I ordered City of Glass after LOVING Mazzucchelli's Asterios Polyp. I read Asterios shortly after its release and multiple times since then, as has everyone in my family and my girlfriend since I insisted (strongly) that everyone read Asterios Polyp. I heard about City of Glass on a blog somewhere after reading about David Mazzucchelli and though I had wanted to read it earlier, it took about half a year before I purchased this book and read it.

    Everyone should read this book. Everyone.

    Karasik and Mazzucchelli do an incredible job with this comic book. I have not read the original Auster novel and though I might pick it up sometime, I'm very content with where I stand having read this adaptation. The illustrations are simple and really quite perfect. There's one particular page near the beginning of the book that is quite possibly the single best page I've ever read in any comic.

    The story itself is complex but easy to follow and can best be understood as a modern day Don Quixote, which itself is alluded to in this book. This adaptation is suspenseful and thankfully it's short so it's easy to finish in one or two readings. I saw a discussion of Identity as the main theme, with various metafictional ideas thrown in. The movie that most easily comes to mind is Ingmar Bergman's Persona.

    If you're looking for something short, suspenseful, and well-illustrated, look no further. Purchase this now and be amazed by the wonderful work that Karasik and Mazzucchelli have done. Enjoy!
    4 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2010
    As much as I love the original novel, this version may very well be an improvement. The prose is condensed but very little depth is sacrificed, and the images manage to enrich the work without distracting from its ideas.

    Paul Karasik and David Mazzucchelli use film noir as a springboard for their visual style, much as Auster uses detective fiction as a springboard for the plot of his novel, but what's really surprising is how well the artists keep up even as Auster plunges into purely cerebral territory. There are passages in the book that must have kept the artists awake many a night: Peter Stillman's almost indecipherable speech near the beginning which goes on for almost ten pages, and later conversations with the elder Peter Stillman about the nature of language, for example. With no visual clues to draw on, they somehow manage to give these scenes a visual life of their own, matching the words to parades of symbolic imagery. The atmosphere created - dark, lonely, paranoid - is much more powerful than that of the novel's, although the novel is also great on its own merits and certainly worth reading.

    It's apparent on every page that an extraordinary amount of care and consideration has been put into this adaptation. In fact, I'd like to see more novels adapted in this manner. If it can be done for "City of Glass," it can be done for just about anything.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2010
    City of glass is a absolutely amazing piece of work. Auster Does a great job

    at expressing the main characters depression. The art is very simple

    which is a amazing contrast to what the theme of the book is, very

    complex. which in and of its self is pretty amazing. The art is simply

    drawn, but is very well thought out. There are scenes in the book where

    the main character,Quinn is hearing the drowning of a mentally ill man telling

    a story and while he's doing this, you see the pictures of what the man

    is taking about to further emphasize how mental ill he is.

    Quinn is a detective, but not really. He just thinks hes

    one, he use to write crime fiction but after his wife and kid died he

    just stop. One day Quinn started getting wrong number calls about a

    detective and one day a call came in and he just pretended to be the

    detective they were confusing him for. In his mind he begain to creat

    this character that was a detective.

    He takes a case to protect a mental ill man that had been tortured by

    his father. His father is coming out of prison soon because of incident

    years ago that involved the him (the incident that left him mentally ill) The

    man's Wife wants Quinn to find him at a train station and follow him and

    see what he does.

    After finding the old man, he begins to talk to him, what he finds out

    will change the entire story for okay to simply fascinating.
    6 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2009
    I bought it after I found it on Amazon.com when I tried to find out what David MAZZUCCHELLI was up to these days. MAZZUCCHELLI I knew for his work on BATMAN: YEAR ONE (1989). It is without a doubt the best BATMAN book I ever read. CITY OF GLASS is nothing like BATMAN: YEAR ONE. Frank MILLER wrote BATMAN: YEAR ONE. Paul AUSTER wrote CITY OF GLASS (I knew AUSTER for some of his novels and for SMOKE, a movie he directed). But just as he did an outstanding job to adapt his style to the BATMAN story, MAZZUCCHELLI did a great job for CITY OF GLASS. The story in itself is quite chilling and somehow bears a frightening message about modern urban life. Just as BATMAN: YEAR ONE, this little book you'll remember.
    One person found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • El producto que me llego ya estaba usado, se ve que estaba bien cuidado pero bastante usado de las orillas.
    3.0 out of 5 stars Producto usado.
    Reviewed in Mexico on April 14, 2023
    El libro es muy bueno pero no me gusto que haya estado usado.
  • Allan Cutts
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good Grown Up Graphic Novel
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 13, 2021
    Very clever.
  • Yus
    4.0 out of 5 stars Englisch Buch
    Reviewed in Germany on March 14, 2021
    Wir mussten es für die Schule bzw. Homeschooling kaufen. Bis auf die lange Wartezeit der Lieferung ist es ok.
  • S Bhattacharjee
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ten star graphic novel
    Reviewed in India on October 11, 2017
    I loved the novel. Had been planning to get hold of the graphic novel for a long time indeed. Took the plunge and got it this time. The black and white images speak Auster's imagination and vision clearly. Karasik and Mazzucchelli are incredible. Finished it in an hour.
  • Arnaud
    5.0 out of 5 stars Une des meilleures BD de tous les temps
    Reviewed in France on June 16, 2016
    Excellente adaptation du roman de Paul Auster ! Magnifique. Cela faisait longtemps que je n'avais pas pris autant de plaisir à lire une BD.