An American Dream

Publication

An American Dream was first published as an eight-part serial in Esquire, January–August 1964.[50] Mailer announced the serial in his final "Big Bite" column, making clear that his serial will distinguish itself from other authors. Mailer writes: "It's been a long time since anything of this sort has been tried by an author who takes himself seriously"; Mailer cited Dickens and Dostoyevsky as inspiration.[51] While the serialization proved a challenge for Mailer he writes that the process "has me more or less pissing blood."[52] Esquire's circulation increased to 900,000 during the serial's first month.[53]

Mailer rewrote 40% of the scenes for the novel's release in book form.[54] Dial Press published the book in hardcover, and Dell published the paperback. The novel was edited for book publication by E.L. Doctorow.[17]


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