Houghton Mifflin Company, 1970. Signed fourth printing cloth bound hardcover of Deliverance by James Dickey.

James Dickey has signed and inscribed the title page:

"To Steve--
Hoping to meet him--
James Dickey"

A clever reference linking Deliverance to Dickey's own war poem "Drinking from a Helmet," in which he envisions the life of a fallen soldier as he handles his helmet. Dickey concludes that he will travel to California on a motorbike and locate a white dirt road where the soldier had been with his brother:

"Hoping to meet his blond brother,
And to walk with him into the wood,
Until we were lost"

Did Steve unlock the secret origin of Deliverance?

Good condition. Dust jacket has edge wear including a 1-inch closed tear to the bottom of the front cover. Dust jacket also has an isolated scratch and is price clipped. Light soiling to the page block edges. Interior pages clean and crisp. Solid book with shelf wear.