New York: Viking, 1996. SIGNED first edition - 53 interconnected tales from his travels over 5 years - from San Francisco and New York to Phnom Phen, Cambodia, Burma, Vietnam, Jerusalem, Mogadishu and more - all populated by the lost and the lonely, whores and drug addicts, and more. SIGNED on the half title page. While Vollmann, one of the most fascinating and interesting of modern writers, had long been a cult favorite, in 2005 he received the prestigious National Book Award for fiction. Sources. 461 p.