62 - A Model Kit

62 – A Model Kit (1994) by Julio Cortázar — Condition: Good (Crappy Old Books)

Julio Cortázar was never content to simply write novels; he preferred to build literary playgrounds, puzzles, rabbit holes, and labyrinths. 62 – A Model Kit (Marion Boyars, 1994, ISBN: 9780714525310) is perhaps his most mischievous experiment—a “novel” that functions like its title suggests: as a kit. The pieces are scattered, the instructions cryptic, and the finished object entirely up to the reader. Characters drift across Paris and Vienna, slipping between conversations, dreams, and chance encounters. Plot points appear, vanish, and reassemble like Lego bricks in the hands of a particularly surreal child.

This is not a book that holds your hand; it tosses you into the deep end of Cortázar’s imagination and says, “Swim—or invent water wings.” If you loved Hopscotch but wished it were weirder, this is your jam. If you’ve never read Cortázar, well, buckle up: this is literature as hall of mirrors, equal parts dazzling and disorienting.

Now, about the copy: sold by the eternally charmingly ramshackle Crappy Old Books, this one is in Good condition. That means it’s sturdy, readable, and intact—but expect a little wear to the cover (a scuff here, a crease there), and maybe some pages that look like they’ve been thumbed by readers puzzling out what on earth is happening. The spine is sound, the text clean, and every eccentric sentence is right where it should be. Like the model kit itself, it’s a little worn but complete, ready for you to assemble (or dismantle) as you see fit.

In short: 62 – A Model Kit is a literary contraption, part riddle, part dream, part novel, wholly Cortázar. This copy is in Good condition, which seems fitting—because immaculate neatness would only spoil the fun. Another delightfully strange treasure from Crappy Old Books, where even the puzzles come pre-loved.

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