The Curious Case of Thomas Pynchon

Review copies of Thomas Pynchon’s new novel, Shadow Ticket, were scarce and well protected. On the first page of each galley was a letter to the reviewer, marked CONFIDENTIAL right at the top, where some would write, “Hello.” Copies were numbered between 1 and 192 and inscribed with the reviewer’s name. We were reminded that this galley was “not for resale.”