In lovely shape: tight, square, uncreased spine; only the gentlest of wear to

In lovely shape: tight, square, uncreased spine; only the gentlest of wear to the covers. Former owner name to the half-title, but interior is else clean and unmarked. First published as Ti con zero in 1967 by Giulio Einaudi. The metamorphous Calvino familiar, Qfwfq, whose palindromic name has been speculated to reference the first law of thermodynamics, narrates most of the stories in this collection, notably asking in 'The Origin of the Birds, 'But are they real birds, the ones that have remained in our midst? The more I observe them, the less they suggest what I would like to remember. ' This edition features a hard-to-find cover design by HBJ Trade President Rubin Pfeiffer, who subtly riffs off the jacket art of the Italian first edition. Published under the Helen and Kurt Wolff imprint (Kurt Wolff is known for 'discovering' Kafka and founding Pantheon Books), this translation is by prolific Italian translator William Weaver, who during his 50-year career, also produced English versions of works by Umberto Eco, Primo Levi, and Pier Paolo Pasolini, as well as numerous poems and opera libretti. 152 pp.