Here Doctorow collides fiction with history, weaving together the lives of ordinary Americans with figures including Harry Houdini, Emma Goldman, Henry Ford, J. P. Morgan and Booker T. Washington. 

Written with remarkable economy, Ragtime compresses vast political and social transformations into crystalline, rhythmic prose that echoes the syncopated music of its title. Doctorow shifts effortlessly between intimate domestic life and sweeping historical change, suggesting that history is not something happening elsewhere but something constantly intruding into ordinary existence. Widely regarded as one of the defining American novels of the twentieth century, it remains an extraordinary demonstration of how fiction can reshape our understanding of the past.

First trade edition, later printing, 1975. Published by Random House, New York. Hardcover in original unclipped dust jacket. Very good condition. Light rubbing and a few small marks to the jacket with minor edge wear. Binding is tight and pages are clean throughout.