Catalog 102, C-D
70. CANIN, Ethan. The Palace Thief. NY: Random House (1994). The author's third book, a collection of novellas. Fine in a fine dust jacket and signed by the author.
A Run of Raymond Carver Books Inscribed to his Daughter
71. CARVER, Raymond. At Night the Salmon Move. Santa Barbara: Capra Press, 1976. Carver's third collection of poems, published the same year as his breakthrough story collection, Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? This is one of reportedly 1000 copies issued in wrappers; this copy being inscribed by Carver to his daughter, Christine: "For Chris and her dreams / with love, as always / Dad/ (R.C.)/ 4-26-79." Additionally, beneath his printed name on the title page, Carver has written: "(Chris Carver's father)." The title of one of the poems is corrected in pencil on the contents page, and there is a small ink check next to another title on that page. Some pen and ink and miscellaneous soiling to covers and interior; about very good. An excellent family association copy, with an exceptionally warm inscription.
72. -. Another copy. Also inscribed by Carver to his daughter: "For my dear daughter, Christine / with my love,/ and with hope for the future./ May we all thrive in/ clear waters./ Dad/ 4-19-80/ Syracuse, N.Y." This copy is additionally signed by Carver on the title page. As with the above copy, the contents page has been hand-corrected, presumably by Carver. Covers slightly splayed; near fine in wrappers. Again, a fine family association copy.
73. CARVER, Raymond. Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? NY: McGraw-Hill (1978). A second printing of the McGraw-Hill paperback edition of Carver's first collection of stories (originally published in 1976); his first book to receive something approximating national distribution. Carver's stories had been appearing in literary journals and anthologies but it was the publication of this book that brought his name to college campuses and gave Carver the reputation of a writer of striking originality, whose seemingly understated stories packed great power of vision into tales stripped almost entirely bare of affect. Nominated for the National Book Award. Signed by Carver and additionally inscribed to his daughter: "For my daughter, Christine,/ with love. and admiration./ Dad/ 4-19-80/ Syracuse." Several scraps and ephemeral pieces laid in belonging to the recipient; covers waterstained and with a few pen marks; a good copy in wrappers.
74. CARVER, Raymond. Furious Seasons and Other Stories. Santa Barbara: Capra Press, 1977. Carver's second collection of stories, and his third publication for Capra Press. Like the previous two Capra books, this was published in two states--a hardcover, numbered and signed limited edition, and a softcover issue. There were 100 hardcovers and reportedly 1200 softcovers. In addition to the title piece, this collection also contains one of Carver's most memorable stories--"So Much Water, So Close to Home"--one of the stories that formed the basis for Robert Altman's acclaimed film, Short Cuts, which was based on Carver's writings. This is one of the 100 numbered hardcover copies signed by the author and it is additionally inscribed by Carver to his daughter in the year of publication: "For my darling daughter,/ Chris, at Christmas, 1977./ With all love / Dad/ McKinlyville, California." Black cloth dust soiled and labels are starting to loosen. About very good, without dust jacket, as issued.
75. CARVER, Raymond. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. NY: Vintage (1982). The first paperback edition of his highly praised collection of stories, the first by Carver to begin to reach a wide audience and to be reprinted several times in short order upon original publication. This copy is inscribed by Carver to his first wife: "For my dear Maryann./ with all love. and good wishes./ Ray/ 11-18-1983." The volume is dedicated to Tess Gallagher, his eventual second wife. A read copy, with general minor wear; very good in wrappers.
76. -. Another copy. Signed by Carver on the title page and additionally inscribed to his daughter: "For Chris / with love/ Dad./ 9-11-83/ Syracuse." Dampstained upper corners throughout, affecting aesthetics but not legibility. A good copy in wrappers.
77. CARVER, Raymond. Cathedral. NY: Knopf, 1983. His third collection of stories to be published by a major trade publisher, and a major literary event that confirmed Carver's preeminent place among American short story writers of the day, and signaled a full-fledged resuscitation of the short story in American literature. Inscribed by Carver to his daughter in the month of publication: "For my daughter, Christine / with love and best wishes, always./ Your dad/ (R.C.!)/ Syracuse, NY./ September 11, 1983." A somewhat soiled copy; very good in a modestly edgeworn dust jacket; about near fine. An excellent association copy of one of Carver's major books.
78. CARVER, Raymond. Where Water Comes Together with Other Water. NY: Random House (1985). Carver's first collection of poetry to be published by a New York publisher--17 years after his first book, and only after he had had three highly praised collections of stories published. Winner of the prestigious Levinson prize from Poetry magazine. This copy is inscribed by Carver to his daughter in the month prior to publication: "For my daughter, Christine / with love,/ Dad/ RC / Port Angeles/ April 30, 1985." The copy is also signed by Carver on the title page. One of the poems, "My Death," is checked in the table of contents, and the corner of the corresponding page is turned. Some innocuous dampstaining at and near the spine base; very good in a dust jacket that is also dampstained, primarily on the verso, with several edge tears; about very good.
79. CARVER, Raymond. Autograph Postcard Signed. May 25, 1985. Written from Amsterdam and addressed to his daughter, Christine. Carver is stranded in Holland due to an air controller's strike and writes, in part: "My Dutch publisher has been very kind and helpful. This is a very amazing place. Today is my birthday! Another year older that, too, is amazing." Written on a Degas picture postcard that has one tape-repaired tear (caused by a thumbtack hole at the edge) and a good deal of rubbing and creasing that is not evident on the side with text; about very good.
80. CARVER, Raymond. Autograph Postcard Signed. September 13, 1985. Written from Washington state and addressed to his daughter, Christine, also in Washington state. A card of thanks and well-wishing; in part: "It was such a good visit, yes? I'm thinking about you and missing you..." The card's photo is "Three Women" by Belle Johnson and bears a thumbtack hole from where it's been displayed; minor edgewear and soiling; very good.
81. CARVER, Raymond. Ultramarine. NY: Random House (1986). His second collection of poems to be published by Random House. Inscribed by Carver to his daughter: "For my daughter, Christine / with my love always./ Dad/ January 1987/ Port Angeles." Underneath, in a child's hand, the words: "To Windy/ from/ Grampa/ Ray." This copy is also signed by Carver on the title page. Two ink words on the rear pastedown; otherwise a near fine copy in a good, edge-chipped dust jacket.
82. CARVER, Raymond. Two Poems. (Concord): (Ewert) (1986). Of 130 copies, this is one of 100 copies issued unnumbered, unbound, and initially unsigned. A single sheet folded once; this copy is inscribed by Carver to his daughter: "For Chris,/ For the holidays./ with love./ Dad." Edge-sunned, slightly creased with a few surface markings; overall about very good, without the issued envelope.
83. CARVER, Raymond. Where I'm Calling From. NY: Atlantic Monthly, 1988. Presumably the author's copy of this definitive collection of his short fiction, containing stories from earlier collections, many of them in revised versions here, plus seven previously uncollected stories. Bound in red leather with raised spine bands and a gilt top edge. A bit of paint to the edges and corners; near fine, without dust jacket, as presented. From the library of the author's daughter, Christine. Very scarce: in our experience, only a tiny handful of such copies would have been prepared, perhaps as few as two--one for the author and one for the publisher. This is the only such copy of one of Carver's books we have ever seen.
84. CARVER, Raymond. The Painter and the Fish. Concord: Ewert, 1988 [1989]. Carver's last limited edition, printed in 1988 (when he signed the colophon sheets) but not issued until the following year, after his death. This is one of 26 lettered copies signed by the author and artist, the entire hardcover edition for the trade. Fine in tan boards and beige linen, without dust jacket, as issued.
85. -. Same title. One of 15 numbered hardcover copies reserved for use by the publisher, so identified in type on the colophon. Signed by the author and artist. Quarterbound in blue leather. Fine, without jacket, as issued.
86. (CARVER, Raymond). Remembering Ray. Santa Barbara: Capra Press, 1993. A posthumously published composite biography, with pieces by Tess Gallagher, Joyce Carol Oates, William Kittredge, Stephen Dobyns, Tobias Wolff, and many others. This is the trade edition, issued in wrappers; there was also a limited edition. A worn, well-read copy, with page corners turned and a few checkmarks in the index; on the inside front cover are some scrawled notes of a family member, apparently computations on dispensations from the Carver estate ("1/3 of Short Cuts ... 1/3 of Will You Please..."). Good, in wrappers.
87. CHILD, Lee. Killing Floor. NY: Putnam (1997). Well-received first novel, a thriller, winner of the Anthony Award for best first novel. Fine in a fine dust jacket, and signed by the author.
88. CODRESCU, Andrei. The Blood Countess. (n.p.): Simon & Schuster (n.d.). A limited advance reading excerpt. One of 200 numbered copies of the first 18 pages of Codrescu's novel, printed on rectos only, ribbon-tied and laid into a cloth covered, ribbon-tied folding box. Signed by the author on a bookplate mounted to the inside cover of the box. Fine.
89. CONRAD, Joseph. Youth: A Narrative and Two Other Stories. Edinburgh and London: William Blackwell, 1902. The first edition of this volume which prints Conrad's classic novella, Heart of Darkness, for the first time. Slight bowing to boards, handling to cloth, dusting to page edge; still an attractive, near fine copy, lacking the rare dust jacket. Heart of Darkness is perhaps Conrad's most enduring legacy; its title has become a part of the modern vernacular itself and it is by every critical appraisal an important book: number 14 of Connolly's 100 key volumes of the Modern Movement and mentioned also (as Heart of Darkness) on the Modern Library, Radcliffe and Waterstones lists of books of the century--one of the very small number of titles to be included on all three of those lists.
90. CONSTANTINE, K.C. The Man Who Liked Slow Tomatoes. Boston: Godine (1981). The uncorrected proof copy of this Mario Balzic novel--a police procedural in a series that has been called one of the finest examples of contemporary American regional fiction, albeit disguised as mystery novels by the pseudonymous "Constantine." Fine in wrappers.
91. CORTÁZAR, Julio. The Winners. NY: Pantheon (1965). The first American edition of the first book to be published in English by the Argentine author of Hopscotch and End of the Game, one of the key figures in Latin American literature in the postwar years. Residue lower boards and endpapers from a previous dust jacket protector; near fine in a very near fine dust jacket with light wear to the crown.
92. CORTÁZAR, Julio. End of the Game. NY: Pantheon (1967). The first American edition of a collection of stories originally published in 1956 in Mexico. Contains the story "Blow-up"--basis for the film by Antonioni, an example of the link between the European avant garde cinema of the 1960s and the Latin American literature of the same period. Very near fine in like dust jacket with one small tear at the lower back panel. His scarcest publication in this country.
93. (CREELEY, Robert). Short Story 3. NY: Scribner (1960). An anthology of work by four writers chosen in open competition. Creeley contributes seven previously published stories. The other winners in this round were Burton Raffel, Matthew Carney and Joseph Slotkin. Near fine in a rubbed and price-clipped dust jacket, about near fine.
94. D'AMBROSIO, Charles. The Point. Boston: Little Brown (1995). The advance reading copy of his first book, a collection of stories. The author won the 1993 Aga Khan fiction prize from the Paris Review. Fine in wrappers. Jim Harrison blurb.
95. DICKINSON, Charles. Waltz in Marathon. NY: Knopf, 1983. The uncorrected proof copy of the author's well-received first book, a novel. Dickinson received a notable degree of celebrity when the New Yorker profiled him as the prototypical "starving writer"--documenting the difficulties and exigencies of the writing life, even for a writer as critically acclaimed as Dickinson. Fine in wrappers.
96. DILLARD, Annie. The Annie Dillard Reader. (NY): HarperCollins (1994). A selection from the work of the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Includes previously published material as well as some that had not been published earlier. Fine in a fine dust jacket and signed by the author.
97. DONOSO, José. The Obscene Bird of Night. NY: Knopf, 1973. A review copy of the first American edition of the most famous book by this expatriate Chilean novelist. Donoso moved from Chile to Spain, where he wrote the novella that Spanish avant garde filmmaker Luis Buñuel made into the classic film The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. Warmly and effusively inscribed by the author, covering the entire front free endpaper: "For ____/ _______/ in awe/ and with/ perfect affection/ Un abrazo [a hug]/ José Donoso." Fine in a fine dust jacket, with review slip and photo laid in. Donoso's signature is quite uncommon, and this is a near-perfect copy of his most famous novel.
98. -. Same title, the uncorrected proof copy. With a lengthy inscription by the author covering most of both sides of the half-title page, and reading in part: "This is a secret, but this is not the book as I wrote it. The Spanish is about 50 p.p. longer..." and with further remarks on the cutting of the book for American publication. Price and publication date written on front cover; slight spine-fading; else fine in wrappers with review material laid in. Donoso wrote an important critical study of the "boom" in Latin American literature, of which he himself was a critical element. A scarce proof, and a significant inscription.
99. DONOSO, José. Charleston and Other Stories. Boston: Godine (1977). Attractively printed and bound collection of stories. One of 200 numbered copies signed by the author. Spine cloth faded with mild dampstaining at the base; near fine in slipcase.
100. DORN, Ed. Yellow Lola, formerly titled Japanese Neon. Santa Barbara: Cadmus Editions, 1981. The trade edition in wrappers of this collection of poems, this copy inscribed by Dorn to a fellow poet in 1997. Near fine.
101. DOVE, Rita. Through the Ivory Gate. NY: Pantheon (1992). The uncorrected proof copy of the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet's first novel. Tiny spot on front cover; publication information written on spine; else fine in wrappers.
102. DUBIE, Norman. Selected and New Poems. NY: Norton (1983). The simultaneous issue in wrappers of this collection by an award-winning poet. Inscribed by the author to another poet in 1988 "with affection & respect for your work." A nice association copy. Fine.
103. DUBIE, Norman. The Springhouse. NY: Norton (1986). The simultaneous issue in wrappers. Inscribed by the author to another poet in 1988. Fine.
104. DUBIE, Norman. Radio Sky. NY: Norton (1991). Signed by the author and additionally inscribed to a well-known poet in the year of publication. The recipient has made a number of marginal markings on the contents page, otherwise fine in a fine dust jacket. A good association copy.
105. DUBIE, Norman. The Clouds of Magellan. Santa Fe: Recursos Press (1991). A collection of aphorisms and prose poems. Inscribed by the author to a well-known poet. One pencilled check mark in one margin; fine in wrappers.
106. DUBUS, Andre. Adultery and Other Choices. Boston: Godine (1977). The third book and second collection of short fiction by this writer who was considered a master of the form, and was repeatedly compared to Chekhov and Flannery O'Connor. Dubus was the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" in the 1980s, and was widely viewed as the preeminent American writer in the novella form. His most recent collection of stories was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction, and his two volumes of essays had both earned great critical praise as well. Dubus, whose health had never fully recovered after a near-fatal accident when he came to the aid of a stricken motorist, died a month ago, unexpectedly--a passing that leaves a huge void in contemporary American literature: no one was writing the kinds of stories that seemed to flow from his pen so readily, stories of suffering and grace, and the possibility of faith in the absence of the hope for redemption. A "writer's writer," he will be greatly missed. This is the uncorrected proof copy of this collection. Spine faded; a very good copy in wrappers with publisher's promotional sheet laid in. Signed by the author.
107. DUBUS, Andre. We Don't Live Here Anymore. NY: Crown (1984). The uncorrected proof copy of this collection of his novellas, all previously published in other collections together with short stories. Wrappers slightly dust-soiled, but still about fine, with publisher's publicity material laid in. Signed by the author.
108. DUBUS, Andre. Voices From the Moon. Boston: Godine (1984). The uncorrected proof copy of his only novella to be published on its own, outside of a collection. Fine in wrappers with a small scuff mark on the rear cover, and signed by the author.
109. DUBUS, Andre. The Last Worthless Evening. Boston: Godine (1986). The uncorrected proof copy of this collection of four novellas and two stories, one of which--"Dressed Like Summer Leaves"--is among the most touching, and telling, reflections on the predicament of Vietnam veterans struggling to re-integrate themselves into "normal" life after the chaos and moral abyss of the Vietnam experience. Dubus, an ex-Marine, asked that when he died, contributions be made to a fund for homeless veterans. Fading to spine and rear cover, light stain to foredge; about near fine in wrappers and signed by the author.
110. DUBUS, Andre. Dancing After Hours. NY: Knopf, 1996. The advance reading copy of his last collection of stories, published to enormous critical acclaim and, for the first time, widespread public recognition and commercial success. Fine in wrappers and publisher's cardstock slipcase. Signed by the author.
111. -. Same title. An advance reading excerpt consisting of three of the stories from the collection. Perfectbound; fine in wrappers.
112. (DUBUS, Andre). "Corporal of Artillery" in Ploughshares, Vol. 1, No. 4. (Cambridge): Ploughshares (1973). A copy from the author's library, with the notation "1966" in the author's hand at the end of the story. Very good in wrappers. Signed by Dubus.
113. (DUBUS, Andre). Three Essays in Epoch, Vol. 40, No. 1. (Ithaca): (Cornell) (1991). From the then-forthcoming Broken Vessels. Fine in wrappers, and signed by Dubus.