Thomas Pynchon (b. 1937), author
J. B. Lippincott Company (est. 1878), publisher
Publishers distribute advance reading copies of a new title to reviewers, booksellers, librarians, and others before mass distribution of a title to pique interest. As anticipated in the publisher’s notice on the advance reading copy of V., Thomas Pynchon’s first novel caused a stir amongst critics and readers, setting a new bar for postmodern writing. V. received the Faulkner Foundation Award for best first novel of the year in 1963 and Pynchon’s next two novels also won major literary awards.
V.: a novel. Advance reading copy. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1963
