Skip to content

Bright Lights, Big City
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Bright Lights, Big City Paperback - 1984

by Jay McInerney

Jay McInerney's bestselling masterpiece is now a United Artists film starring one of the hottest young actors working today, Michael J. Fox. A Manhattan yuppie seems to have it all: a successful model for a wife, a job at a prestigious magazine, and plenty of wild friends. But the lights go out, and in one week his life takes a drastic plunge downward.


From the publisher

With the publication of Bright Lights, Big City in 1984, Jay McInerney became a literary sensation, heralded as the voice of a generation. The novel follows a young man, living in Manhattan as if he owned it, through nightclubs, fashion shows, editorial offices, and loft parties as he attempts to outstrip mortality and the recurring approach of dawn. With nothing but goodwill, controlled substances, and wit to sustain him in this anti-quest, he runs until he reaches his reckoning point, where he is forced to acknowledge loss and, possibly, to rediscover his better instincts. This remarkable novel of youth and New York remains one of the most beloved, imitated, and iconic novels in America.

From the jacket flap

The tragicomedy of a young man in NYC, struggling with the reality of his mother's death, alienation and the seductive pull of drugs.

Details

  • Title Bright Lights, Big City
  • Author Jay McInerney
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 182
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Vintage, New York
  • Date 1984-08-12
  • ISBN 9780394726410 / 0394726413
  • Weight 0.5 lbs (0.23 kg)
  • Dimensions 8 x 5.24 x 0.53 in (20.32 x 13.31 x 1.35 cm)
  • Themes
    • Topical: Coming of Age
  • Library of Congress subjects Movie novels, Black humor (Literature)
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 84040074
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

"Bright Lights, Big City is a brilliant and moving work—unique, refreshing, imaginatively powerful and authentically conceived."
The New York Times

"Bright Lights, Big City defined, and even determined, the mood of this whole town."
Vanity Fair

"Short, sleek and very funny.... Beneath it's surface, though, a heart's cry for a saner, sweeter, more thoughtful and restrained existence."
Chicago Tribune

"Each generation needs its Manhattan novel, and many ache to write it. But it was McInerney who succeeded."
The New York Times Book Review 

Citations

  • Entertainment Weekly, 03/01/2013, Page 68

About the author

Jay McInerney is the author of eight novels, a collection of short stories and three collections of essays on wine. He lives in New York City and Bridgehampton, New York.
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

Bright Lights, Big City
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Bright Lights, Big City

by McInerney, Jay

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780394726410 / 0394726413
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
CA$7.07
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Vintage, 1984-08-12. Paperback. Acceptable. 5x0x8.
Item Price
CA$7.07
FREE shipping to USA
Bright Lights, Big City
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Bright Lights, Big City

by McInerney, Jay

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780394726410 / 0394726413
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Houston, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
CA$7.13
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Vintage, 1984-08-12. Paperback. Acceptable. 83x9x128.
Item Price
CA$7.13
FREE shipping to USA
Bright Lights, Big City
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Bright Lights, Big City

by McInerney, Jay

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780394726410 / 0394726413
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Kingwood, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
CA$7.13
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Vintage, 1984-08-12. Paperback. Acceptable. 5x0x8.
Item Price
CA$7.13
FREE shipping to USA
Bright Lights, Big City

Bright Lights, Big City

by Jay McInerney

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780394726410 / 0394726413
Quantity Available
4
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
CA$8.50
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1984. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
CA$8.50
FREE shipping to USA
Bright Lights, Big City

Bright Lights, Big City

by Jay McInerney

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780394726410 / 0394726413
Quantity Available
4
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
CA$8.50
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1984. Paperback. Good. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
CA$8.50
FREE shipping to USA
Bright Lights, Big City

Bright Lights, Big City

by Jay McInerney

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780394726410 / 0394726413
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
CA$8.50
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1984. Paperback. Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. The dust jacket is missing. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.
Item Price
CA$8.50
FREE shipping to USA
Bright Lights, Big City
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Bright Lights, Big City

by McInerney, Jay

  • Used
Condition
UsedAcceptable
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780394726410 / 0394726413
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Interlochen, Michigan, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
CA$8.51
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
UsedAcceptable. The item is very worn but continues to work perfectly. Signs of wear can include aesthetic issues such as scratches, dents, worn and creased covers, folded page corners and minor liquid stains. All pages and the cover are intact, but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include moderate to heavy amount of notes and highlighting, but the text is not obscured or unreadable. Page edges may have foxing (age related spots and browning). May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.
Item Price
CA$8.51
FREE shipping to USA
Bright Lights, Big City
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Bright Lights, Big City

by McInerney, Jay

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780394726410 / 0394726413
Quantity Available
14
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
CA$9.22
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
CA$9.22
FREE shipping to USA
Bright Lights, Big City
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Bright Lights, Big City

by McInerney, Jay

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780394726410 / 0394726413
Quantity Available
4
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
CA$9.22
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
CA$9.22
FREE shipping to USA
Bright Lights, Big City
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Bright Lights, Big City

by McInerney, Jay

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780394726410 / 0394726413
Quantity Available
7
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
CA$9.22
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
CA$9.22
FREE shipping to USA