Closers: Great American Writers on the Art of Selling

Whether traveling, knocking on doors or waiting for shoppers to come their way, salesmen in modern fiction have come to epitomize the American dreamer-schemer. In this collection of 30 stories, novel excerpts and scenes from plays, famous pitchmen are shown plying their trade: John Updike's Rabbit sells Toyotas during the 1970s' oil crunch; David Mamet's desperate real estate peddlers maneuver for leads; Arthur Miller's Willy Loman hopes for redemption in his last days. Memorable characters emerge from less familiar pieces as well, among them Edna Ferber's traveling saleswoman from Roast Beef Medium and a sales-robot that can do anything except take no for an answer in Philip K. Dick's ""Sales Pitch."" Readers seeking inspirational books for corporate gifts should look elsewhere. Former salesman Tronnes's (Literary Las Vegas) selections tell more about the degradation of the pitchman than about the glories of winning friends and influencing people. Background information on these pieces (e.g., publication dates) would have been welcome. (Mar.)