05/22/2026
This is a first printing of Cormac McCarthy’s magnum opus, Blood Meridian or the Evening Redness in the West. It is currently listed in our store for $3,750.
Blood Meridian was published in April of 1985 by Random House in an initial print run of 5,000 copies. The book sold poorly due to mixed initial reviews and only 1,883 copies were actually sold to the public. The rest went to libraries or were remaindered and marked with a remainder stamp.
Critics have famously changed their minds about Blood Meridian and it is now considered one of the greatest American novels ever written. It is the true masterpiece of an exceptional literary artist. It’s also the darkest and most disturbing book Jay has ever read.
The character of the Judge is one of the most evil and memorable characters in all of American fiction. According to David Foster Wallace, Blood Meridian is “probably the most horrifying book of this century, at least fiction.”
McCarthy based his novel on a real life brutal gang leader who was a veteran of the Texas Revolution and the Mexican-American War. Judge Holden was supposedly his second in command, although the only evidence of Holden’s actual existence is Samual Chamberlain who many historians consider unreliable. Chamberlain’s description of Holden is instantly familiar to any reader of Blood Meridian.
Our copy of Blood Meridian is a true first printing without any library or remainder marks. Our copy has the full Random House number line, beginning in a 2, which is correct for a Random House first printing in 1985. It is one of the 1,883 copies that actually sold.
