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1987 · 004996 — New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc. Publishers 1987. First Edition First Printing. . Hardcover. Near Fine/Near Fine. The award-winning novelist and short story writer's first book of non-fiction is this leap to the visual arts with her long essay on painter Alex Katz and his work particularly his portraits. Beattie focuses her text on a personal selection of 26 paintings most from the 1980s some of his contemporaries such as Jennifer Bartlett and Rackstraw Downes as well as Katz's favorite subject his wife Ada. Beattie also interviewed Katz and some of his subjects learning what it is like to pose for the artist and revealing the sometimes surprising stories they enact in the paintings. The result is a personalized and engaging portrait of Katz and an original and provocative interpretation of his work. 91 pages 9 1/4 x 10 1/4 inches with 26 full-color full-page photo reproductions. Pink cloth-covered boards show only a slight bumping of the upper corners and boards and text are clean and unmarked tight and square not remaindered. The heavy paper dustjacket shows very minimal surface wear no tears no creasing or chipping. A collectable copy of an early and somewhat unusual Beattie work. <br/> <br/> Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers hardcover