The quest for V. sweeps us through sixty years and a panorama of Alexandria, Paris, Malta, Florence, Africa and New York. as become a modern classic.

This is the first novel by the author of Gravity's Rainbow, and a profoundly impressive and original work in its own right.

Who, where or what is V.?

Thomas Pynchon’s debut novel follows discharged Navy sailor Benny Profane as he reconnects with an eclectic collection of artists known as the ‘Whole Sick Crew’, all while Herbert Stencil looks to find the woman described in his father’s diary: ‘V.’

Sweeping through sixty years, meandering across the globe and brimming with madcap characters, V. is the bawdy, sometimes sad and frequently hilarious modern classic that introduced the world to the one-of-a-kind brilliance of Thomas Pynchon.

'The greatest, wildest, most infuriating author of his generation' Ian Rankin, Guardian

'To read V. today is to experience Pynchon anew' New Yorker